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 Boehners disconnect with conservative voters.
Conservative activists in Speaker Boehners 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 NSAs 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. Its 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 speakers Troy office with a few hundred people showing up. As far as I know, no one from Boehners 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 presidents 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 Boehners quick and full support for the president’s plans in Syria is no longer a surprise. Its 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.
Boehners days on Capitol Hill are numbered, the staffer said. Its 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.
Why dont they try recalling him NOW?
This is the difference between a “generic” challenger and a real challenger. You have to have a candidate to run against him. In Ohio 2 we have had stacks of good candidates.. but Ohio 8 is missing any real alternative contender. This has been the problem for 3 cycles. Ultimately, the Tea Party farm teams will provide these candidates but it takes time to lift folks from the Minor Leagues to the Big Show.. folks don’t get that.
This is what worries me. There would probably be a special election but a hand picked successor would have an advantage.
As Speaker, not as a Congressman. (HuffPost) was where the story came from, erod.
Thanks for the clarification, I hope the bum gets primaried.
It was also reported on FR. Thanks for the clarification.
The conditions are right for historical change, I hope that you rise to and are successful in this challenge.
Thanks. I’ve gotten the paperwork together and talked to a political consultant yesterday. I know it will be an uphill battle, but I think I’m well positioned.
Only one party in Washington: the Re-Election Party.
Only one party in Washington: the Re-Election Party.
The ones who played us for fools in 2010 will not get the votes in 2014. If the Republicans do not get their act together the next time around the party will cease to exist and I will not mourn its loss. It’s time for a Tea Party or a Tea Party branch of the Republican party that is strong enough to command influence.
I used to live in his district years ago—he used to be a real conservative. Incumbency corrupts: the reward is monumental and the temptation, overwhelming. He has become Trent Lottisized.
I wish Boehner’s district voters would ride him out of office on a pole, and I don’t particularly care where they put it.
We need a strong straight pole as symbolic of a real leader, not a “limp Boehner”. We’ve got one like that in Obama.
Thanks for the ping!
This clown-for-a-Speaker is actually going to NOT ALLOW A VOTE in the House if it is going to go against Obama. I will support anyone who primaries him.
About damn time those folks woke up...At least its a start...
Justin Amash for Speaker.
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