I still don't know that much about who he is, I want to be careful who I support, we don't want another Cantor who talks one way and walks the other.
Time to give new blood a chance. If the new guys screw up, we can always get rid of them too.
Hewitt is only suggesting this because he knows a squishy GOPe will be barfed on by the Grass Roots.
So Hewitt wants a moderately conservative guy to avoid a hard core conservative reaction.
This is just one step more sophisticated that reflexively supporting the most liberal Republican possible, which Hewitt knows would be counterproductive. Not that he minds liberal Republicans. He’s generally pro-liberal. He just knows it will fail this time. So he’ll propose the next best option that won’t total piss off the base.
I heard all that on Hugh’s show. What a slime. No actual conservative principle involved. Just Liberal Republican reality-politics.
The first two things I learned about him were:
(1) He said people should not criticize Bowe Bergdahl’s family, even though Bergdahl’s Father made at least two astounding pro-Taliban statements.
(2) Raul Labrador's occupation before entering Congress - immigration lawyer.
I do not have good feelings about this guy.
Hewitt is GOP-E through and through.
He plays the Tea Partier, and when he does, for example here in not supporting McCarthy, he has an ulterior motive.
I know nothing about Labrador, but Hewitt’s endorsement is a red flag.
Raul is WAY better than KEVIN!! GO RAUL!!!!! And Republican Congress....WAKE THE HELL UP!!!
Raul is another pro-amnesty sellout.
He is not. But he's better than that fake repugnican't, real democrap infiltrator McCarthy. My question is: Where the F--- is Louie?
Problem is Labrador is still pro-amnesty. He just doesn’t think they should get citizenship. Problem is once you give them “legal” status, they will find a Progressive judge to say that violates the 14th Amendment and grant them full citizenship. Then Holder will say the Feds recognize all illegals as citizens and blue states will let them vote.
He can't even manage the Idaho Republican Convention. Link
Conservatives need to find a strong candidate that they can rally around and then go after Majority Leader slot when it comes up for vote again in January.
This is kind of a repeat of the Brat election.
Labrador is FAR FROM PERFECT (although Brat may be perfect, too early to tell), but it’s FAR MORE IMPORTANT to stop the SLAM the Republican leadership a second time, and knock out McCarthy.
As in the Brat election, a vote for Brat was really a vote against Cantor. Any reasonably conservative Republican incumbent would have defeated Brat blindfolded (and, if a reasonable conservative had represented the district, Brat would not have bothered to run in the first place).
So look at it that way...let’s get McCarthy OUT and then deal with Labrador.
I can tell you first-hand that he is the real deal. I first met Labrador early in 2010, before the Idaho primary, held in May. He was the second Republican from Idaho's house of Representatives to run for the US House that year. He jumped in after Ken Roberts, who had the nomination pretty well clinched, became too ill to proceed.
One of the motivating factors in Raul running was Vaughn Ward, a military veteran who had worked in Washington DC for several years after leaving the Marines. Ward was sent west by the GOPe to "take Idaho by storm," and get elected. He was the establishment candidate with bells and ribbons. Only problem was, we among the great unwashed didn't like Ward. After Roberts, who is now no more than a footnote in the political history of Idaho, Labrador asked for, worked hard for, and did receive, the support of a big, big segment of Idaho's 1st Congressional District voters, Republican and conservative Democrat, alike.
(Yes, in my county there are many people who call themselves Democrats, but are conservative in thought, word and deed. It is an outgrowth of 160 years of history, and it is slowly changing for the better. This "Democrat county" has voted for the Republican presidential candidate all the way back to 1996, when they voted for Clinton over Dole.)
Real people, little folks, average citizens put Labrador in office, and we are prepared to keep him there for the foreseeable future. He came home and chaired the Idaho Republican convention last weekend. I have no special connection to him, but have talked with him several times, and been in venues where he spoke several times. I believe he will make an outstanding Majority Leader, and perhaps, someday, Speaker.