Posted on 10/04/2015 6:56:05 PM PDT by markomalley
Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz will run for speaker.
The Utah Republican announced his decision on Fox News Sunday, citing support from colleagues who recruited him to challenge the establishment favorite, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.
We dont want to fight internally, Chaffetz told Fox News anchor Chris Wallace, but realistically we cant vote to promote the existing leadership.
Kevin McCarthys a good man, Chaffetz said, and hes a reason we have such a solid majority. But things have changed, and theres really a math problem.
Chaffetz granted that McCarthy may have the majority of votes to win a secret-ballot fight behind closed doors on Thursday to be the partys official nominee to replace resigning Speaker John A. Boehner.
But Chaffetz also asserted McCarthy lacks a critical bloc of support from at least 50 conservatives. Thats 50 votes McCarthy has to have if he has any hope of getting the necessary 218 votes in the live roll call vote that comes later on the House floor, when Democrats will participate.
In that scenario, unless Democrats or conservatives relent on the floor, Republicans would have to pick a new replacement for Boehner other than McCarthy. And part of Chaffetzs calculation appears to be the belief that Republicans could then settle on him or even that Republicans may look to save themselves the embarrassment of a floor fight for speaker and just coalesce around his candidacy.
You have a growing number of [Republican conservatives] that will not and cannot vote for Kevin McCarthy as speaker on the House floor, Chaffetz told host Chris Wallace.
Asked whether he himself was prepared to support the conferences nominee during the House floor vote, Chaffetz was cagey.
I will support the nominee, he said, but I just dont believe the nominee, if its Kevin McCarthy, can get to 218.
Rank-and-file Florida Republican Rep. Daniel Webster is also running to succeed Boehner.
In the interview, Chaffetz hinted his speakership style would be conservative, confrontational to the Obama administration and inclusive of all members of the House Republican Conference all things that members who are lukewarm on McCarthy want to hear.
But Chaffetz also indicated he would perhaps not be a willing partner in budget negotiations to raise sequester caps a condition of being able to pass a long-term government funding bill, given the White Houses promise to veto any legislation that maintains those current spending levels.
I just dont believe we can continue to add to the deficit so I, personally, like the budget caps, he said. I do believe we need more money for the military, we need more money for the VA we need to take care of the people who are taking care of us. And I want to fight cancer but, again, its not my personal agenda. As speaker you have to take the will of our body.
Chaffetz added he didnt support raising the debt limit without conditions, which could end up being his first major task as speaker if Boehner doesnt tackle the matter before he leaves at the end of October: The deadline to increase the debt ceiling is Nov. 5.
Our job in the House is to actually put forward a bill. I would like to see it actually cut the deficit not just keep punting it down the road, he said. Were not just gonna unilaterally raise the debt limit. I dont think thats the responsible thing to do.
Wallace asked whether an episode earlier this year would be any indication of what members could expect of a Chaffetz speakership when Chaffetz took a subcommittee chairmanship gavel away from Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., in retaliation for going against leadership in a procedural vote on the House floor. That incident led to backlash from the House Freedom Caucus that culminated in Meadows reinstatement.
I think I learned from that lesson, Chaffetz explained, That youre not gonna do things by cutting people off at the knees. I think I was a good leader in that I listened for an hour and 40 minutes with my committee and reconsidered that decision. We gotta win the argument and make the case, not just knock people over the head if they dont do what were gonna do.
Chaffetz earlier in the week criticized McCarthy for suggesting on another Fox News program that the Benghazi committees major accomplishment so far was helping to sink poll numbers for 2016 Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, even asking the majority leader to apologize. Democrats have been having a field day with the rhetorical flap, and Republicans have begun to question both privately and publicly whether McCarthy is ready for prime time.
On Sunday, Chaffetz said, We want a speaker who speaks. We need someone whos out there, who is actually going out there and making the case to the American people, talking to the Senate about what we need to do and going on the national television shows and winning that argument.
We dont seem to win the argument, he said, and thats a problem.
I knew there was something that set unease upon me in his appearance on FAUX News Sunday. I thought however he was immensely better than McCarthy, after having seen his performance on congressional investigative committee.
I didn’t know this 2011 story at all. So, are we back to stuck with blabber bunions McCarthy? Yikes!
I think the GOPE is trying to split the vote to keep a conservative from gaining steam.
Chaffetz or Webster?
I’m not a “hang and demonize anyone who ever gave the slightest whiff of being less than 100% anti-illegal” but Chaffetz is one of those guys. Also he’s a fan of the internet sales tax, a pet peeve of mine.
He seems like a stronger candidate than Webster though, who might not be reelected if the FL Supreme turds get their way.
A new candidate could emerge from a deadlocked ballot.
I’m sure freepers will say “the dems will elect McCarthy” but it’s not in their interest to so, it’s in their interest to prolong the voting as long as possible so they can mock us.
Louie Gohmert has said he didn’t want to run. Instead he nominated Daniel Webster from Florida. Rep. Webster was the Speaker of the Florida House and is a strong Constitutionalist.
I’d love Louis Gohmert as Speaker, but he’s said he doesn’t want the job. So far Webster is the announced candidate with the least Rino-itis. Better known conservatives haven’t stepped forward. So far I’d rather hope Webster can grow into OUR role, than watch Chaffetz or McCarthy inevitably grow into another GOPe troll.
Ok. On the Webster train then. Thanks!
Meadows.
Chafe-itz has that same Paul Begala, cheshire cat grin going on and that
s enough to eliminate him on a superficial level.
Conservatives cried for the head of Bohener and got it. No excuses to be half-assing the race for his replacement. I’ll be disappointed if there’s just a weak challenge that’s beaten back like that pathetic and pointless temper tantrum this past January.
I have to respect the candidates that actually have the balls to run against McCarthy, Meadows and other supposed heroes aren’t among them.
Freepers were apathetic when McCarthy ran against the clearly more conservative but not perfect Raul Labrador for Maj Leader when they should have been calling their members and telling them to vote for Raul.
I don’t like that Meadows voted with dems against GOP rules on the free trade bill. That’s a no no. But he is a supporter of free trade generally. The proper conservative position was yes on TPA, no on TAA. But yes he’s better than Chaffetz, and his name is easy to spell! He’s not running though just like Palin wasn’t running for President in 2012. Maybe the deck will get reshuffled after a couple ballots but we have to play the cards we have or we’re sure to end up with the Joker.
How many times will we let the Rinos control?
The reports are very suggestive of a lot more than he didn’t qualify or fit in. Sounded like some serious dirt (scandal, legal problem, or something) in his background eliminated him. Anything less would not be exploitable, which is what the Secret Service apparently was contemplating.
They all say their more conservative than their predecessor but end up being more liberal.
Chaffetz, who is part of the Dukakis family tree.
Just give me a FIGHTER who will FIGHT DEMOCRATS instead of Conservatives!
Marsha Blackburn would be my first choice.....I just want a FIGHTER!
Chaffetz is particularly odious, not merely because he caved on illegals, but because he owes his ENTIRE career in Congress by running a campaign around the idea that he was the "principled" no-compromise-on-illegals guy running against illegal alien friendly Chris Cannon. Once he got in office, he promptly flip-flopped on the issue he used to get elected in the first place.
In hindsight, even Cannon would have been better. He was otherwise solidly conservative, and at least was honest about being pro-illegal.
Yep. And campaign manager/former Chief-of-staff to uber-RINO Jon Huntsman.
I'm surprised none of this ended up on the radar screen when he ran as the "principled conservative" against Chris Cannon. He fooled a lot of conservatives -- including me -- at the time.
I don't trust Chaffetz one bit. He may be much more conservative than McCarthy on paper, but the guy is really slimy and manipulative. I agree with an earlier poster that Chaffetz has Potomac fever and cannot be trusted.
I don’t like him but I don’t like gaffe boy either or how he whipped people to vote for the debt ceiling tax hike but voted against it himself. Freepers are up in arms about a rumor he’s banging Renee Elmers but I don’t really care about that at this juncture.
Webster?
THAT makes sense. And, what ever happened to Jim Jordan?
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