Posted on 09/06/2013 10:32:55 AM PDT by neverdem
A Sept. 4 Human Events/Gravis poll of more than 1,000 Republican primary voters in his congressional district, Ohio-8, shows 50 percent of them would welcome a primary challenge to Speaker John A. Boehner (R.-Ohio).
The poll, which dealt with issues facing Capitol Hill as the calendar collapses on unfinished business and new urgencies, was conducted by Human Events with Gravis, a Florida-based pollster, which has a margin of error of 2 percent. The poll had a sample population more than twice the size of a typical poll in a single congressional district, said Doug Kaplan, the founding owner of Gravis.
The poll also showed:
Matthew B. “Matt” Kibbe, the president and CEO of FreedomWorks, the Washington-based training, logistics and policy support organization for Tea Party groups, said the poll reflects Boehner’s disconnect with conservative voters.
“Conservative activists in Speaker Boehner’s district have been disappointed time and time again on his failure to hold the line on fiscally conservative policy,” Kibbe said.
“He failed to stand up to Democrats on numerous debt ceiling fights, defunding ObamaCare, putting restrictions on the NSA’s data collection on American citizens, and failing to allow an open and transparent appropriations process,” he said.
“Most recently, the Speaker failed to host any town halls to address his constituents’ concerns face to face. It’s hard to lead effectively, when you are effectively invisible,” he said. Freedom Works ran a summer campaign helping local activists demand their members of Congress hold town hall meetings.
J. D. Winteregg, co-founder of the Ohio Accountability Project, said the poll reflects the mood of the people he talks in the district.
Winteregg said he has heard from conservatives contacting the project and from elsewhere in the district that Boehner is disconnected from the local mood.
It would not surprise him if there were a primary challenge to the speaker, he said.
The schoolteacher said he, along with local Tea Party activists, held an Aug. 27 “Defund Obamacare” rally in front of the speaker’s Troy office with a few hundred people showing up. “As far as I know, no one from Boehner’s office came out to talk to us.”
The Troy, Ohio resident said he was surprised to see support for military action in support of the Syrian rebels at 20 percent. “It seems a little high to me.”
There is little appetite in the district for the president’s plan to get involved in Syria, he said. “I have not met one person who is in favor of it, I have a buddy, who was thinking about it, but now he is against it.”
Winteregg said Boehner’s quick and full support for the president’s plans in Syria is no longer a surprise. “It’s just another Obama bailout.”
A Capitol Hill staffer said the polls numbers do not look good for the speaker.
The staffer said there are rumors in Washington that Boehner may retire at the end of this congressional session.
“Boehner’s days on Capitol Hill are numbered,” the staffer said. “It’s either his choice or the voters. Regardless, conservatives can no longer be ignored.”
Professor Daniel R. Birdsong, who teaches political science at The University Dayton, said GOP voters might welcome a primary challenge to Boehner, not because they want him out of office, but maybe to send him a message.
Birdsong said as the Speaker of the House, Boehner is pulled towards national issues and a more national perspective. “They may think he is preoccupied with other things, so this would be a way to pull him back into the district.”
Take him out. He’s a butt boy for Obama starting a war in the Middle East and will probably give us amnesty for the invaders, too. He’s a stinking lib.
Great news!! Dump Boehner!!
LS what say you?
Free Republic has already reported that Boner is stepping down.
Might as well deal with the real thing. At least you know not to let your guard down with ‘Progressives’ in charge.
ONLY half? WTH is wrong with the rest of them?
Hmmm
[donning tinfoil hat]
Could that be the reason for the recent ‘leaked’ story that Boehner plans to retire ‘after the next election’?
That ‘after’ didn’t sound right. If he wanted to step down as speaker, why not do it at the end of the current Congress?
Could the resignation ‘leak’ be intended to make the voters reelect him under the guise of his stepping down, only to have a change of mind/heart, if he did get reelected?
Hopefully, he will be voted out, and then he can retire with the NSA, IRS and other files the rats have on him.
I wish he would leave tomorrow before he screws anything else up.
John Boehner is a perfect example of spending too much time in Washington. He has too many owners.
When is Boehner going to Americanize his name and drop the silent e and the silent h?
Could you provide a link to that please? That would be music to my freaking ears.
One of the best benefits of taking Boner out via primary would be he could immediately be challenged as Speaker, opening up a great opportunity for a tea party conservative to get the job. There is no challenge right now because they are afraid of Bonehead. That could get us a decent speaker heading into the general election, and, if that person nationalizes the election, it might give people a reason to vote for Republicans.
If he's going to retire he should immediately step down from leadership. A lame duck commands respect from no one and can provide no leadership or unity.
Leni
Is there such a thing as recall of congressmen? I would sure donate to a tea party challenger even before 2014.
Pick 1 credible candidate. Get behind him or her and take out that bastard.
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