Posted on 10/13/2015 6:48:54 AM PDT by Isara
SIOUX CITY — While campaigning for president in Sioux City Monday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz weighed in on the turmoil surrounding the selection of the top Republican leader in the House.
“I think the next speaker should be Mark Levin,” Cruz said, naming the conservative talk radio host who worked in the Reagan’s administration and was the chief of staff for former Attorney General Edwin Meese.
Cruz, a first-term senator, was joined at a rally at Western Iowa Community College by two top Iowa Republican lawmakers, Sen. Chuck Grassley and 4th District Rep. Steve King.
Facing opposition from a group of conservative House members that includes King, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio announced Sept. 28 he would step down and resign his seat. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who had appeared to be an odds-on favorite to replace Boehner, dropped out of the race last week after many of the same conservatives backed a different candidate. The moves have left the House in turmoil with no clear speaker in sight.
During Monday's rally in front of about 200 people, Cruz spoke about his disappointment in President Barack Obama, calling him the world’s most powerful communist before stating the nation was in a state of crisis.
The candidate detailed items he said he would do the first day if elected to office, including doing away with all “illegal and unconstitutional executive actions set forth by the president.”
Cruz promised to launch a criminal investigation on Planned Parenthood and end the persecution of religious liberty of groups such as the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who are in a legal battle against a federal requirement to provide contraception coverage to their employees because of provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
Cruz said Iowa’s role in the presidential election was important, as it has great influence in deciding who the next presidential nominee of the Republican Party will be.
“If we pick another established moderate, we will lose the election,” Cruz said. “That’s why it’s so important we pick a true conservative.”
Sioux City was the final stop on a full day of campaigning for Cruz, who also visited Fort Dodge, Rockwell City and Sac City on Monday.
Now, I think, The tea party types have bolstered the party, but even have trouble getting committee assignments. If the tea party types form a 3rd party, they may take the social conservatives, gun people, and fiscal conservatives with them, but as long as we split in two, we will always be smaller than the dems. It would be better if the Tea Party took over the GOP, but as you can see, there is about 20-30% that might fit in the Tea Party type vote. The libertarian vote wants to jettison the social conservatives to smoke dope and take God off the money. The establishment wants to get their tax cut and spend more money.
If we don't have a core platform that has something for everybody, we may see people split off or stay home. We are in trouble if half the party thinks following the Constitution make you a "wacko bird".
Yeah, about as likely as the ceiling falling in while they're taking the vote.
So no, not as likely as the ceiling falling in while they are taking the vote.
The National party and each state have what is called a platform. That platform is the voice of the members of the party, and pretty much the voice of we the people. Had candidates and members been loyal to that platform and the principles contained therein, would we be having this discussion?
Levin would never do it, but Cruz scores major points for saying it.
If Ted really wanted to make heads explode, he’d suggest Levin for Attorney General or SCOTUS Justice. And Mark just might be tempted by those....
Majority of all votes cast, not “1 more vote than the majority vote getter on the Republican side”. The two are not the same. Yours is a false premise, better to put your money on the ceiling.
It would not surprise me in the least though, for the GOPe to instruct the Party loyalists to make that happen. By abstaining or voting present, if it looked like someone they don't like is going to win.
So again I stand by my statement, that there is a real possibility that a Democrat could become the successor Speaker, even though I hope that isn't the case. But we know that the GOPe has no problem defeating a real conservative, regardless of the cost. We have seen that happen numerous times.
The current House:
Republicans 247
Democrats 188
Total 435
What you are saying is all 188 Democrats voted lockstep but at least 72 Republicans did not vote at all. That’s ridiculous.
Virtually No Republican would vote for a Democrat or just not bother to vote. Their constituents would be livid. No Republican would risk losing their phony baloney cockamamie job without a damn good reason.
188 lockstep Democrats will never be a majority of all votes cast, period. To entertain such a notion is just silly.
ROFL!!!
That would be perfect. Heads would explode.
Or perhaps you mean as silly as playing dirty tricks against the Republican contender that the constituents desire as their candidate in favor of the party loyalist that the constituents don't want? Thus alienating those constituents for future races.
Also, you better check your math, as the number is 60 not 72.
I no longer put anything out of the realm of possibility of the GOPe. There might even be 60 that know a majority of their constituents would support their move as well. Either that or they know they have a lock with the machinery in place for 60 of their party loyalists.
Perhaps I am too cynical of the GOPe, but they made me that way. No fault but their own. One thing I know for sure, their plan to have Boehner step down and a party loyalist assume the Speaker position has backfired on them and they are now scrambling as to how to proceed. My guess is that Boehner will rescind his stepping down and retirement at this time.
MARSHA BLACKBURN for SPEAKER!!
If say the Constitutional Party was formed, wouldn’t the conservative voice be louder. As it is, the Republican E filters and squashes every thought and utterance a conservative has.
Then, to get something passed the “E’s” would have to come knock on the “C’s” door????
To be elected as Speaker, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of all votes cast for individuals, excluding those who abstain.
Source: Election of the Speaker Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. January 4, 2007.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| √ Nancy Pelosi (D) | 233 | 53.6% | |
| John Boehner (R) | 202 | 46.4% | |
| Total | 435 | 100.0% | |
Source: Election of the Speaker Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. January 6, 2009.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| √ Nancy Pelosi (D) | 255 | 59.4% | |
| John Boehner (R) | 174 | 40.6% | |
| Total | 429 | 100.0% | |
| Not voting | 5 | 0.9% | |
| Vacant | 1 | ||
Source: Election of the Speaker Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. January 5, 2011.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| √ John Boehner (R) | 242 | 55.6% | |
| Nancy Pelosi (D) | 173 | 40.0% | |
| Heath Shuler (D) | 11 | 2.5% | |
| John Lewis (D) | 2 | 0.5% | |
| Dennis Cardoza (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Jim Costa (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Jim Cooper (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Steny Hoyer (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Marcy Kaptur (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Total | 433 | 100.0% | |
| "Present" | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Not voting | 1 | 0.2% | |
Source: Election of the Speaker Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. January 3, 2013.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| √ John Boehner (R) | 220 | 50.8% | |
| Nancy Pelosi (D) | 192 | 44.3% | |
| Eric Cantor (R) | 3 | 0.7% | |
| Jim Cooper (D) | 2 | 0.5% | |
| Allen West (R)[a] | 2 | 0.5% | |
| Justin Amash (R) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| John Dingell (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Jim Jordan (R) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Raul Labrador (R) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| John Lewis (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Colin Powell (R)[a] | 1 | 0.2% | |
| David Walker[a] | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Total | 426 | 100.0% | |
| "Present" | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Not voting | 6 | 1.4% | |
| Vacant | 2 | 0.5% | |
Source: Election of the Speaker Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. January 6, 2015.
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| √ John Boehner (R) | 216 | 52.9% | |
| Nancy Pelosi (D) | 164 | 40.2% | |
| Dan Webster (R) | 12 | 2.9% | |
| Louie Gohmert (R) | 3 | <1.0% | |
| Ted Yoho (R) | 2 | 0.7% | |
| Jim Jordan (R) | 2 | 0.5% | |
| Jeff Duncan (R) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Rand Paul (R)[a] | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Colin Powell (R)[a] | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Trey Gowdy (R) | 1 | <1.0% | |
| Kevin McCarthy (R) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Jim Cooper (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Peter DeFazio (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Jeff Sessions (R)[a] | 1 | 0.2% | |
| John Lewis (D) | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Total | 408 | 100.0% | |
| "Present" | 1 | 0.2% | |
| Not voting* | 25 | 5.7% | |
| Vacant | 1 | 0.2% | |
*21 DEMOCRATS did not vote
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaker_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives
But the reality is that it is a real possibility. You may be correct that the probability is so slight that the reality seems non-existent. But we are facing a time where reality has been turned on its head, and what was once completely unthinkable, now becomes a very real possibility.
The GOPe has already shown its utter disdain for conservatives, not just within the Party, but within their base. Anyone too conservative is an enemy of the GOPe. They expect us to support them rather proceed than any alternative, as many conservatives have done in the past. They think if they are just slightly right of center they can replace conservatives with the moderate and be done with us.
In other words you can no longer point at historical data and say it is impossible.
So go ahead and declare yourself the victor and let's be done with it.
Before throwing the victor word around, I’d advise waiting until after a new Speaker is actually elected.
It appears that could take place on or about October 29th. We’ll know then if there’s anything worth cheering about.
Mark is the best choice.
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