Posted on 11/12/2008 7:58:21 PM PST by counterpunch
Three out of the four most powerful House Republican leadership positions will be changing hands in the wake of Tuesday’s election, in which Democrats gained 19 seats. That won’t include the position of House Minority Leader, however.
Sources on Capitol Hill told CNSNews.com that despite “widespread discontent” among rank-and-file Republicans, it is unlikely that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) will even be challenged for his position in the new Congress.
“The general feeling around here is, ‘Let’s just get rid of all of them,’” one Republican aide said Friday. “We’re just not big fans (of Boehner.) We have got to get someone in who has a better way of relating to people.”
But the most likely candidate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), a conservative who, sources say, several members have privately urged to run for the post, took himself out of the running on Friday.
In a statement issued to CNSNews.com, Ryan said that despite the “outpouring of support,” he has opted out for personal reasons.
“I share their hunger for reform and will work tirelessly as a policy leader for the Republican Party,” Ryan said. “My first priority in life will always be my wife and my three young children. As I reflect upon the strains that this position would place on my young family, I have decided not to enter my name as a candidate for House Minority Leader.”
House GOP Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (R-Fla.) announced last week that they will step down. Reps. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Mike Pence (R-Ind.), respectively, have declared their candidacies to fill those vacancies.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
Agreed!
Keep up the pressure, I am with you counterpunch (btw I already posted this two days ago ;)!
Someone needs to show some guts and stop griping anonymously about Boehner still staying but challenge the loser. And if no one wants to directly do it, do so indirectly with a no confidence vote. Just don’t give him one single vote and embarass him into resignation. Then draft someone to replace him.
What a shame. Boehner could’ve been a leader for conservative change but he acts as though he has duct tape over his mouth.
WE NEED LEADERSHIP!
Paul Broun!
Mike Pence lead the revolt against the bailout and the GOP energy protest in the House which succeeded in getting the offshore drilling ban to expire.
Mike Pence is a former talk radio host.
We need to do more than simply not give money to the RNC.
We need to demand the change we want in exchange for donations.
It may be worth looking into.
But... he needs a good fashion designer. He looks like an eighty year old Republican. Why do these guys all have the same goofy Congressional hairdo? Romney lost the nomination because of his hairstyle. NOBODY is going to vote for someone with that image.
Think about all of the young voters who related to The O. We need a youthful, modern image or w lose. I'm serious here.
No one is willing to challenge Boner because they are all afraid of the seniority driven herd mentality which promotes mediocrity within the GOP.
Republicans are generally timid and stupid, and will run as a herd until they eventually run into a wall or off a cliff.
We need to give House Republicans a reason not to support Boner. The only thing they fear more than breaking with the herd is their own little pool of money drying up. So that is what we must threaten.
Only when the illusion of support for Boner is shattered will someone worthwhile step up to challenge him. When that happens, we must all stand behind and support that person.
I went to an event with a group over a year ago that Boehner spoke at. One question asked of Boehner was whether or not he would try to do something that would energize the conservative base. He basically said the conservatives were going to vote Republican, and they needed to work on expanding the tent to moderates and independents.
Let's get them headed for the cliff. If this is how it works, let them keep their blow dried hair. We start a new conservative party and these clowns can shrivel
up and go away.
As long as we've gotten our *sses kicked, let's kick theirs. I'm not toiling in the vineyard for the party while these weenies are in power. Let them go work at Walmart!
Good analogy. I didn’t like Isaiah Thomas.... and I don’t like Boehner.
Boehner needs to step down.
Brilliant strategy. Now step down. Who's Kool Aide are they drinking?
It would take a generation to build a new party and then it would just end up being full of the same losers we have in the GOP.
We need to take the GOP back, which we can only do by getting more involved in who runs the party and who runs in elections.
I see there are still no takers for heading up a district in Operation: Boehner’s Donors.
We have lots of good local candidates in the pipeline around here and the election is just 23 months away. He gets it. No Boehner or no money to run for reelection.
I agree. If he had any honor, he’d step aside, and let some new guys challenge each other for the position.
YES...to the CLUB FOR GROWTH....here’s something from them....
September 29, 2008
Key Vote Alert - $700 Billion Bailout
Key Vote Alert
KEY VOTE ALERT
Vote “NO” on Bailout Bill
The Club for Growth urges all members of Congress to vote “NO” on the $700 billion “compromise” bailout bill. A vote is expected later this morning. This key vote will be part of our 2008 Congressional Scorecard.
This bill is an unprecedented disaster for taxpayers.
Thanks to House Republicans like Reps. Jeb Hensarling, Mike Pence, and Paul Ryan, this bill has been stripped of the most offensive anti-growth provisions, but it is still a fundamentally bad bill. It increases the federal debt by hundreds of billions of dollars, rewards bad behavior made by failing banks, and creates a moral hazard going forward. The free market is designed to give profits for success and bankruptcies for failure. This bill changes that framework and will create costly and unintended consequences that
Mike Pence is HANDSOME too!
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