Now Republican Candidates Are Taking Aim at Boehner (Challengers vow to toss whole GOP leadership)

As a congressional staffer, John Stone got a firsthand look at how House Speaker John Boehner and his leadership team operate. His boss was one of its members.

Yet now, as he vies for a seat of his own in a crowded Georgia primary, Stone is running on a promise to oust those very same leaders—not just Boehner, but the whole team.

"When I got here in the district … what I kept hearing is, we've got to change the party leadership," Stone said. "We need to end the GOP's civil war between the establishment and the conservative base, and get everybody into the same tent."

It’s not just the GOP “leadership” that is the problem. Boehner is just the tip of the iceberg. Yes, they all need to be removed. However, the party establishment and its well heeled donors are the “man behind the curtain”. It will be hard to wrest control of the party from the influence of these deeply entrenched, self-serving interests. They will fight back with all their resources to preserve the status quo.

The key is to put an independent leader in place who is not beholden to the interests that have long controlled the party apparatus.

I think a lot of us out here are ready to toss a lot of incumbents out of office. They argue that their experience is valuable. True, but to whom? It appears to me that experience corrupts. Come on, give me a rational reason for giving away free cell phones, other than to buy votes. Those “experienced” leaders in Washington work on the assumption that they know how to spend my money better than I do. I want someone in there who could care less about political correctness or political longevity. I want someone in there who will question how our senior citizens, who paid into Social Security, get a 1% increase in their check, but deadbeats who fight taking a drug test before they get their free cell phones, have enjoyed a 30% increase since Obozo took office.I think there are a lot of us out here who are pissed off at the GOP and I think it’s fully justified.

Rand Paul's immigration speech
...The Republican Party must embrace more legal immigration.

Unfortunately, like many of the major debates in Washington, immigration has become a stalemate-where both sides are imprisoned by their own rhetoric or attachment to sacred cows that prevent the possibility of a balanced solution.

Immigration Reform will not occur until Conservative Republicans, like myself, become part of the solution. I am here today to begin that conversation.

Let's start that conversation by acknowledging we aren't going to deport 12 million illegal immigrants.

If you wish to work, if you wish to live and work in America, then we will find a place for you...

This is where prudence, compassion and thrift all point us toward the same goal: bringing these workers out of the shadows and into being taxpaying members of society.

Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers.12 million more people assimilating into society. 12 million more people being productive contributors.
[Posted on 03/19/2013 7:04:07 AM PDT by Perdogg]
Rand Paul calls on conservatives to embrace immigration reform
Latinos, should be a natural constituency for the party, Paul argued, but "Republicans have pushed them away with harsh rhetoric over immigration." ...he would create a bipartisan panel to determine how many visas should be granted for workers already in the United States and those who might follow... [and the buried lead] "Imagine 12 million people who are already here coming out of the shadows to become new taxpayers...
[Posted on 04/21/2013 1:52:42 PM PDT by SoConPubbie]
[but he's not in favor of amnesty, snicker, definition of is is]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.