Free Republic

When John Shadegg announced from his hometown of Phoenix on Friday that he is running for House majority leader, it appeared that the two leading candidates to succeed Tom DeLay had peaked. The reason is that Roy Blunt and John Boehner both are regarded as K Street candidates, whose selection might not be prudent for a Republican Party enmeshed in scandal. Neither Blunt nor Boehner is burdened with DeLay's connection to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Like DeLay, each is closely associated with K Street (the capital's big and brassy lobbyist community). Unlike DeLay, neither is viewed by ardent ideological conservatives...

The following is a transcribed excerpt of "FOX News Sunday," Jan. 15, 2006. "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST CHRIS WALLACE: President Bush's agenda and the fate of House Republicans in the fall elections could be determined by a fight on Capitol Hill. It's the battle to replace Tom DeLay in the very powerful post of House majority leader. There are three candidates and they're our exclusive guests today, acting majority leader Roy Blunt, Congressman John Boehner, and Congressman John Shadegg. Congressman Blunt did what most frontrunners do. He insisted on being interviewed separately. Congressman, we'll start with you. Good morning. U.S....

Rep. Roy Blunt (R.-Mo.) said today he had secured 117 votes, enough to become the next House majority leader. Here's Blunt's official statement: "I've counted a lot of votes in my seven years in the Whip's office, and this was a well-fought fight on all sides," Blunt said. "John Boehner is a great congressman and a good friend. My friend John Shadegg is bringing an important focus to the final days of this race. I look forward to working with both of them as we achieve great results for the American people." "As I've talked with Members of our conference...

About 10 years ago, I attended a local GOP dinner in North Carolina where Boehner was the featured speaker. Boehner arrived early enough that he observed the preliminary segments of the program from the dais. As part of the program, each local GOP candidate was introduced and allowed to speak to the crowd for a few minutes. One particular gentleman -- we'll call him George -- was dressed in an out-of-fashion suit and spoke with an unusually pronounced Southern drawl. None of the locals seemed to notice or care, especially since George seemed like an extremely likable and funny individual....

House conservatives moved on Tuesday to prevent either Roy Blunt or John Boehner from wrapping up the race to become majority leader before Congress reconvenes later this month. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who chairs the Republican Study Committee, a group of about 110 conservative members of the House, said he hopes the race won't be decided before his committee holds a retreat Jan. 30-31 in Baltimore. "I'm not going to express any endorsement" until after then, said Pence, who on Monday took his name out of the running to succeed Tom DeLay as majority leader. DeLay stepped down last September...

WASHINGTON — The contest to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) as House majority leader appeared to shape up as a two-man race Monday, as Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) and another possible contender announced they would not run for the powerful No. 2 position. That apparently leaves the field to two senior Republicans — Roy Blunt of Missouri and John A. Boehner of Ohio — to compete for support from fellow House Republicans, who will choose DeLay's successor in a secret ballot election the week of Jan. 30. There is a chance that another candidate may yet enter the race because...

Multiple people on the Hill tell me that Blunt is in the lead. Those who are whipping for him are getting good feedback. As an added attraction, if Blunt goes into the majority leader position, it opens up the majority whip position, which a number of representatives are interested in. The desire to be majority whip increases Blunt's vote margin for majority leader by those who want to be whip. Update [2006-1-9 11:52:38 by Blanton]: We hear now that Congressman Jack Kingston will be endorsing Roy Blunt. Kingston is close to DeLay and a Vice Chairman of the Republican Conference....

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - Even before he was elected to Congress in 1996, Roy Blunt from Missouri signaled his intention to be a major player on Capitol Hill. And he did it in the universal language of politics - money. In a move of unusual perceptiveness, Blunt - himself a man of modest means - began sending contributions from his own campaign coffers to 21 Republicans throughout the country running for Congress for the first time. Blunt won his own election, as did 20 of the recipients of his largesse. When he arrived in Washington, he already knew and had...

Fox news just reported (via announcment with Dennis Hassert) that Roy Blunt will be taking over for Delay in the short term (while he is fighting the charges).

Of all those most mentioned as winners in last week's successful passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) — the White House, the Republican-led Congress, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — none proved himself or earned as much newfound respect as Majority Whip Roy Blunt. Though seen as an effective leader and vote-herder, Mr. Blunt had never really commanded the awe and reverence in the position as his predecessor — and close ally — Mr. DeLay. Last week's come-from-behind victory on CAFTA, however, might just change that. In the beginning of the year, just about the only person...

BLUNT AMENDMENT TO PREVENT INTERNATIONAL TAXES PASSES --“International taxation out of step with our nation’s formative opposition to ‘taxation without representation’” - WASHINGTON---An amendment sponsored by House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for fiscal years 2006 and 2007 will prevent the taxation of American citizens or businesses by international entities. The amendment passed the House today by voice vote. “The United States already pays nearly 25 percent of the United Nations’ $2 billion annual budget,” Blunt said. “This payment, of course, comes out of the pockets of the American people. “Congress sent the...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today issued the following statement regarding the attacks in London, England: "Today the American people stand with our friends in Britain, as they have stood with us in many of our darkest hours. "The terrorists attack those who stand for freedom and tolerance, as we in the U.S. experienced in the starkest terms on September 11, 2001. "Now, as then, America stands against these cowardly attacks on innocent people, and we will not falter in our efforts to rid the world of this ideology of hatred. "Our thoughts are with the victims and their...

WASHINGTON, June 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today issued the following statement regarding comments made by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) on the House floor Thursday calling, the war in Iraq a "grotesque mistake" and the resources allocated for fighting the war spent "without success:" "When elected officials back home call the war our men and women are fighting abroad a mistake, the only people emboldened are the enemy. "Our troops in harm's way need armor and equipment, not second-guessing and cynicism. They deserve to be supported, not demoralized. "Leader Pelosi's comments during debate...

The days of buying certain cold remedies off the drugstore shelf may soon be gone, a casualty of the methamphetamine epidemic. Picking up on laws already passed in more than a dozen states, Congress is thinking about requiring the nation's retailers to sell medicines like Sudafed and Nyquil behind the pharmacy counter to make it harder to get the ingredients needed to make highly addictive meth. A similar law in Kansas took effect this week and a bill in Missouri is awaiting the governor's signature. Retailers, who once resisted the idea as burdensome for consumers, now seem ready to go...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt hopes to use his weight in Congress to help National Guard and Reserve members win more benefits and bolster job security. Blunt, R-Mo., and other House members plan to include the protections in the Defense Authorization Bill the House is expected to approve on Wednesday. With recent reports of a steep decline in military recruiting, Blunt said Tuesday it is crucial to show a greater commitment to volunteer forces. "We're trying to look at things that ensure when people leave their civilian jobs to go into full-time reserve, full-time guard, when they're called up, those...

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the man one step behind Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) in the Republican leadership, has built a political machine of his own that extends from Missouri deep into Washington's K Street lobbying community. Blunt, who entered politics as a protege of former senator John D. Ashcroft (R-Mo.), has assembled an organization of whips and lobbyist vote counters that has delivered more than 50 consecutive victories for the GOP leadership on tough fights over issues including tax and trade bills, District of Columbia school choice and tort reform -- without a single defeat.

Roy Blunt Pitches Social Security in Springfield , Missouri . Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt visited Springfield last Tuesday (3/29/05) fulfilling his obligation to President Bush to meet with hometown constituents and sell his Social Security package. “The President is out and others too. I've had a dozen of these meetings and talking about this is a good thing,” Blunt told a crowd of approximately 125 Greene County residents. Are the Fish Biting? How receptive was the audience to what Blunt had to say here at home? The best way to answer this question is to look at the dialogue after...

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., March 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) today issued the following statement: "Everything about the Schiavo case has been tragic: her illness, the divisions her case has generated, and now her death. "I am sorry that the courts reviewed only the judicial process, rather than the facts of the case, as Congress had intended. "Terri can now rest in peace. I hope her family will find comfort, and that all Americans will reflect on the troubling issues that this tragedy has highlighted."

A roomful of residents at City Hall Wednesday were wanting to get some questions answered and find out the latest news on Social Security. Congressman Roy Blunt tried to oblige the 40-45 people in attendance at one of the four viewpoint sessions he was holding in the area. He made one thing clear to the seniors in the audience. "We can't move forward unless we decide that for those 55 and older, there will be no changes," Blunt said. "I wouldn't lay awake at night worrying about solutions for a little while." Blunt also pointed out some bad news. The...

(CNSNews.com) - Following CBS's ouster of four employees, House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) Monday called on the network to retract the "60 Minutes" story that called President Bush's National Guard service into question. "An independent group has underscored what we already knew: CBS failed to uphold its most basic responsibility to its viewers when it aired a false and scurrilous story that deceived the American people and impugned their president," Blunt said. "Now it is time for CBS to take the responsible step and formally retract the story. Certainly, President Bush -- after four months -- deserves an...