| Mick Mulvaney is a Libertarian-Leaning Conservative. Click here for explanation of political philosophy. Click here for VoteMatch quiz. |
Posted on 01/07/2015 8:11:41 AM PST by SeekAndFind
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Mick Mulvaney released the following statement:
“There was an attempt to oust John Boehner as Speaker of the House today. I didn’t participate in it. That may make some people back home angry. I understand that, but I’ve got some experience with coup attempts against the Speaker, and what I learned two years ago factored heavily in my decision today not to join the mutiny.
First, I learned two years ago that people lie about how they are going to vote. And you cannot go into this kind of fight with people you do not trust. We walked onto the floor two years ago with signed pledges – handwritten promises – from more than enough people to deny Boehner his job. But when it came time to vote, almost half of those people changed their minds – including some of those who voted against Boehner today. Fool me once, shame on you … Today was even worse: there were never enough votes to oust Boehner to begin with. On top of that, some people who had publicly said in the past that they wouldn’t vote for Boehner did just that. This was an effort driven as much by talk radio as by a thoughtful and principled effort to make a change. It was poorly considered and poorly executed, and I learned first-hand that is no way to fight a battle. This coup today was bound to fail. And in fact, it failed worse than I expected, falling 11 votes short of deposing the Speaker. At least two years ago we only failed by six.
I also learned that the Floor of the House is the wrong place to have this battle. The hard truth is that we had an election for Speaker in November – just among Republicans. THAT was the time to fight. But not a single person ran against Boehner. Not one. If they had, we could’ve had a secret ballot to find out what the true level of opposition to John Boehner was. In fact, we could’ve done that as late as Monday night, on a vote of “no confidence” in the Speaker. But that didn’t happen … and at least one of the supposed challengers to Boehner today didn’t even go to the meeting last night. That told me a lot.
Some people wrote me encouraging me to vote for Louie Gohmert. I like Louie, but let’s be clear: Louie Gohmert was – is – never ever going to be Speaker of the House. I respect his passion, but he isn’t a credible candidate. That was proved today by the fact that he got three votes, despite all the national media attention he managed to grab. My colleague who got the most anti-Boehner votes was Daniel Webster of Florida who got 12 votes. I like Daniel. He is a nice guy, and a good thinker … but his lifetime Heritage Action score is 60 percent (by comparison, mine is 91 percent). And this was supposed to be the savior of the conservative movement? Would the House really have been more conservative if he had won?
The truth is, there was no conservative who could beat John Boehner. Period. People can ignore that, or they can wish it away, but that is reality.
Some people tried to argue that voting against Boehner would give conservatives leverage, or somehow force him to lead in a more conservative fashion, even if the coup attempt failed. All I can say to that is that the exact opposite happened two years ago: conservatives were marginalized, and Boehner was even freer to work with moderates and Democrats. My guess is that the exact same thing will happen again now. And I fail to see how that helps anything that conservatives know needs to be done in Washington.
I understand people’s frustration and anger over what is happening in Washington. And I also acknowledge that John Boehner may be partly to blame. But this was a fool’s errand. I am all for fighting, but I am more interested in fighting and winning than I am fighting an unwinnable battle.
Finally, the most troubling accusation I have heard regarding the Boehner vote is that I have “sold out” my conservative principles. All I can say is this: take a look at my voting record. It is one of the most conservative in Congress. And I was joined today by the likes of Jim Jordan, Raul Labrador, Trey Gowdy, Mark Sanford, Trent Franks, Tom McClintock, Matt Salmon, Tom Price, Sam Johnson, and Jeb Hensarling. If I “sold out” then I did so joined by some of the most tried and tested conservative voices in Washington.
I can say with 100 percent confidence that I have done exactly what I said I would do when I came to Washington: fight to cut spending, stop bad legislation, work to repeal Obamacare, and hold the President accountable for his actions. That will never change, and neither will I.”
The above statement is also on his website:
http://mulvaney.house.gov/press-releases/mulvaney-releases-statement-on-speaker-vote/
COWARD!
Speak to the hand, Muldorkvey.
You are a traitor.
No matter, though, thanks to you and your fellos spineless RINOS, the GOP is dead.
Now, go to the john, cram your head deep into it, and flush.
This’ll be a good prelude to your future life in the house of critters.
You are slime.
| Mick Mulvaney is a Libertarian-Leaning Conservative. Click here for explanation of political philosophy. Click here for VoteMatch quiz. |
FU Mulvaney!!
You POS Coward!
Pyle
So help me; if Rush tries his same bull sh*t about how 3rd parties will never work, I’m through listening to him. If there were ever a time where a new party could emerge it is now! We’ve learned that working within the corrupt Republican Party is an abject waste of time.
I’m done being a team player in the GOP!
What a bunch of political BS. You did and do what you said you would do yet America continues down the road to disaster. You politicians are all corrupt and care little about our nation.
So glad he doesn’t represent me. Proud of my Rep., Walter B. Jones!
The Weeper won again.
ACTUALLY - voting according to your constituents wishes, with no regard towards other congresswads would be the ethical thing to do - but hey - we are expecting perfume from horse piles
Well, you're doing a piss-poor job of it. Mission NOT ACCOMPLISHED.
In the private sector, spectacular failure is answered by termination. 'I tried real hard' doesn't cut it.
“Attempt to oust”. Why have elections at all, since boner clearly has some divine right to the post
Look at his voting record?
I see he voted for Bonehead.
Boehner partly to blame???? Backstabbing leftist scumbag Boehner is in it up to his eyeballs.
I understand now. The opposition to the current Speaker was a "coup" and a "mutiny," not a perfectly lawful vote to reflect the wishes of the people's representatives. These are not words of a man of principle.
McClintock also issued a statement yesterday. (see below) He makes a good point about what happened in California. He does hint at the possibility of removing the speaker in a future coup and lets hope they have the votes to do it. At some point real conservatives in the House need to ride into the fray at the exact moment the GOPe are bartering with the other side for more lands and title for themselves (remember the scene from Braveheart?) and get the battle started.
Statement by Congressman Tom McClintock
On the Election of the House Speaker
January 6, 2014
I am disappointed in Mr. Boehner’s leadership of the House and have expressed my concerns on many occasions. But shifting this decision from the House Republican Conference to the House Floor opens a Pandora’s Box.
The election of the House Speaker is a decision that is made by the House majority caucus. That decision is then enacted through a formal vote on the House floor by the unanimous action of that majority.
The Republican majority voted at its November meeting to re-elect John Boehner as Speaker after no member stepped forward to challenge him. Some have suggested now shifting that decision from the House Republican Conference to the House floor, where 29 Republicans can combine with Democrats to thwart it.
Conservatives should beware. On its worst day, the collective judgment of the Republican majority is much more conservative than that of the overall House membership. Shattering Republican unity in the election of Speaker is not likely to end with a more conservative alternative, but rather with a coalition of the most liberal House Republicans and House Democrats.
This happened in the California Assembly in 1994. Dissident Republicans broke with the Republican majority on the vote for Speaker, enlisting the votes of minority Democrats in exchange for a wholesale transfer of power. Though voters had elected a Republican majority, this coalition effectively gave Democrats control of the Assembly.
The proper place to contest a Republican speaker is in the House Republican Conference. At any meeting, a member may put a no-confidence motion to the conference and, if adopted, set the stage for a House vote to vacate the office and elect a successor. However, this requires every member of the Conference to respect the collective decision – a long-enduring precedent that would be destroyed by the proposed strategy. I cannot support it.
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