N.Y. Dem Owens might support Republican John Boehner for Speaker

The Hill ^ | 11/23/10 | Jordan Fabian

[Impy]

He voted for her against Shuler for Minority Leader but says he'd considering backing Boehner.

Is he asking the GOP "what do I get if I switch"? Or just playing around to show how "moderate" he is?

The last rat to vote GOP for Speaker was Jim Traficant in 2001, they kicked him out of the rat caucus for it, stripped his committee assignments.

[Nervous Tick]

>> Is he asking the GOP “what do I get if I switch”? Or just playing around to show how “moderate” he is?

Or is Boner liberal enough to suit him?

[Impy]

Ping

[Clintonfatigued]

I don’t know what to make of this.

[goldstategop]

He’s no Blue Dog. He was comfortable voting to re-elect Pelosi as the leader of his party. Screw him. We don’t need or want his support.

[kittymyrib]

Well, whoopdedo....this Rat is just now thinking about jumping from Pelosi’s shipwreck. After the Republicans amassed their 63 seat majority, this dimbulb thinks his vote means anything to Boehner, the new Speaker. His district needs to dump him in ‘12 for being neither fish nor fowl.

[jimmyo57]

Or is Boner liberal enough to suit him?

Do you think his kids call him poppa?

[Mobties]

When in doubt, I always follow the Limbaugh rule: “Never trust anyone with a ‘D’ after his name.”

I’ve lived in New York since 1971 and I can’t recall a single Democrat politician I would trust. The same could be said of a good many New York “Republicans”, too.

[Wilum]

I’ve lived in New York since 1971 and I can’t recall a single Democrat politician I would trust. The same could be said of a good many New York “Republicans”, too.

This 1940's born Central New Yorker will Ditto that!

[Old Teufel Hunden]

"Is he asking the GOP "what do I get if I switch"?"

Congressman, you can have my answer now, if you like. My final offer is this: nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you would put up personally.

[9YearLurker]

This is the guy who beat Doug Hoffman by 3000 votes in 2009 and then won again by a plurality in 2010 by fewer votes than Hoffman siphoned off of the GOP challenger by running as an independent.

So he’s in one of the most conservative districts to still have a Democrat rep. (Thank you, Doug Hoffman!) He’s voted for Obamacare and all, but it makes sense for the Dems to let him talk moderate smack here and there and on votes for which his wouldn’t be decisive.

[libh8er]

I don’t know what to make of this.

Simple. Look at the make up of his constituency and you will get the answer. The 23rd is upstate NY - read conservative, and Bill Owens, whatever colored dog he is, cares more about his own reelection than the wellbeing of some dead witch.

[rod1]

Isn’t he in the infamous NY-23 district. He is playing around since he knows he is politcally way out of line with his constiuents.

[Crichton]

Guess we know what his game plan is. Talk hard right for the next two years after voting hard left last term.

Just another socialist.

[AuH2ORepublican]

For a second there, I thought they were talking about Congressman Major Owens (who retired in 2006 or so). Now *that* would have been a shocker!

This is shameless posturing on the part of Bill Owens. As Impy mentioned, voting for a GOP Speaker is the one thing that will get a RAT kicked off the RAT caucus; on the other hand, voting for some other Democrat in an non-competitive Speaker election has been deemed to be an acceptable protest. So if Owens votes for Boehner it would be tantamount to him announcing a party switch. However, how can he possibly appear credible switching to the GOP if not only has he compiled a liberal voting record, but actually voted for Pelosi for Minority Leader over Heath Shuler? I think that this is Owens’s way of announcing that he’s a “thoughtful moderate” who will consider what is best for his district . . . before voting for Pelosi for Speaker.

[goldstategop]

He’ll vote for Pelosi. He’s a good boy and will do told as he is told.

[campaignPete R-CT]

"...won again by a plurality in 2010 by fewer votes than Hoffman siphoned off of the GOP challenger by running as an independent."

First, let's get our facts straight. Hoffman did not run in the general. He dropped out and endorsed Doheny. Second, NY law does not allow him to remove his name from the ballot. He was on the Conservative Party line. Not an independent.

Doheny lost by 1800 and Hoffman still got 6000 votes. But you are jumping to conclusions that those Hoffman voters would have gone to Doheny. Polls show otherwise.

If NY is really losing 2 House seats due to the census, one of those seats will be upstate. Unless Louise Slaughter retires (or some younger person), 2 incumbents will be thrown into the same seat. Owens or Slaughter seem to be a likely possibility.

the LOCAL GOPers in NY-23 have been indifferent to defeating Owens ever since summer '09. They know of the redistricting, so they knew their new congressman would be a temp. And they also figure (wrongly) they can get rid of Owens in the future whenever they put their mind to it.

This redistricting is a real puzzling, interesting mess. Owens lives in Plattsburgh, which effects this matter.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Mr. Owens has 80,597 votes overall and leads Mr. Doheny by 1,795 votes in the 11-county district.

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20101120/NEWS03/311209964

[9YearLurker]

Hoffman was on the ballot and only dropped out a few weeks before the election—let’s get and keep our facts straight. And the idea that a poll could micro-detect that Hoffman’s 6000 voters weren’t otherwise GOP voters is laughable.

[SunkenCiv]

Interesting development, thanks Impy.