Tom McClintock Resigns from House Freedom Caucus

Rep. McClintock ^ | 9/16/15 | Rep. Tom McClintock

[1010RD]

September 16, 2015

Congressman Jim Jordan Chairman, House Freedom Caucus 1524 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515

HAND DELIVERED

Dear Jim:

When the House Freedom Caucus formed in January, I fervently hoped that it would provide responsible and effective leadership to advance conservative principles in the House of Representatives.

I know that every member of the HFC sincerely supports these principles, but as I have expressed on many occasions during our meetings, I believe the tactics the HFC has employed have repeatedly undermined the House’s ability to advance them. Allow me to review a few examples.

On February 27th, we faced the imminent shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security over the funding of Obama’s unlawful amnesty orders for illegal immigrants. Although the American people overwhelmingly opposed these orders, they also overwhelmingly opposed shutting down DHS. House Republicans attempted to pass a three-week stop gap bill so we could avoid a catastrophic shutdown of our security agencies while continuing to bring public opinion to bear to de-fund the orders. At the behest of its board, most HFC members combined with House Democrats to defeat this effort, resulting in the full funding of these illegal orders for the fiscal year.

In May, the House had the opportunity to adopt the most important free trade bill in nearly two decades, restoring the long-standing and essential process that has made it possible for our nation to negotiate free trade agreements with other nations. At the behest of its board, most HFC members combined with the vast majority of House Democrats in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat this legislation.

Last week, the House was scheduled to adopt the Resolution of Disapproval of the disastrous Iran nuclear agreement – the only legally binding action available to Congress under the Corker Act. Once again, the House Freedom Caucus leadership threatened to combine with House Democrats to defeat the Resolution, forcing the House leadership to abandon it in favor of a symbolic and legally meaningless vote. Ironically, while Harry Reid and Senate Democrats blocked a vote on the Resolution of Disapproval in the Senate, the House Freedom Caucus leadership was instrumental in blocking its consideration in the House.

For several months, Harry Reid and Senate Democrats have threatened to shut down the government on October 1st unless Congress unleashes another unsustainable cycle of tax increases and borrowing. Last week, the House Freedom Caucus formally vowed to shut down the government over funding Planned Parenthood.

I have strongly opposed the public funding of abortions throughout my 29 years in public office, but this tactic promises only to shield Senate Democrats from their responsibility for a government shutdown and to alienate the public from the pro-life cause at precisely the time when undercover videos of Planned Parenthood’s barbaric practices are turning public opinion in our favor. I suspect this is why the leading pro-life organizations have been conspicuously unwilling to endorse the HFC position.

A common theme through each of these incidents is a willingness – indeed, an eagerness – to strip the House Republican majority of its ability to set the House agenda by combining with House Democrats on procedural motions. As a result, it has thwarted vital conservative policy objectives and unwittingly become Nancy Pelosi’s tactical ally.

I feel honored to know and work with every member of the House Freedom Caucus. I have never served with a group of patriots more devoted to our country and dedicated to restoring American founding principles. However, I feel that the HFC’s many missteps have made it counterproductive to its stated goals and I no longer wish to be associated with it.

Accordingly, I resign.

[1010RD]

If Trump murders the GOP, it’ll be liberals and Democrats who benefit, not conservatives.

[CAluvdubya]

McClintock thinks. He doesn’t just emote and he’s a solid conservative fighter from deep in enemy territory.

I'm sure many FReepers aren't aware of McClintock's battle within his own CA party.

He fought hard against the CA GOPe's to win his seat. They put up candidates meant to take him out. He's fought against them his entire political career.

McClintock is very conservative and, like Cruz, his vote on TPP (or TPA, I get them mixed up) is perplexing.

[mosesdapoet]

McClintock makes an assertion I have yet to see dis-proven or validated or even asked in any congressional questionaire. That being; Should constituents support a government “shutdown”. The reason I suggest it’s not being asked. Because if submitted as a pro/con proposal they might not like the result and would support it.

[1010RD]

Of course it does. The real action is happening on the state level. Stop ignoring the victories there for the current distraction. Most of what Obama’s done can be undone by a GOP POTUS, but he has to be conservative.

[Timber Rattler]

Then you are deluding yourself.

[ziravan]

The GOP establishment is far more hostile to conservatives than the democrat party or liberals.

That’s not hyperbole

When the Whigs died as a party, the GOP rose from its demise. Only after the GOP establishment is ripped of power will democrats and liberals face any opposition.

Surrender is simply not a formidable weapon.

[CharlesOConnell]

To Congressman McClintock's Staff:

This article http://www.cfl-sacramento.org/surprising-ingredient-to-creating-a-pro-life-culture/ shows something about how persuading the majority of the American public from the bottom up about the goodness of life, reaching them where they are, necessarily involves emphasizing the advantage to the Mother of carrying children to term.

(The video with the elderly man at the bottom is extremely shrewd: "Dogma Dump: If only we could open their heads and tell them what we know, they would automatically covert to our position.")

The top-down approach of the pro-life professional leadership has largely ignored the long term implications of reverting to an older model of primarily emphasizing the rights of the child, which are guaranteed once the Mother is correctly evaluating her self interest for life.

We will be seeing in future, across-the-board acknowledgement of how the professional pro-life leadership is poorly investing its political capital, dissipating its temporary advantage perhaps due to a sense of "windfall mania"--"We're in the money, we've got a lot of what it takes to get along!", forgetting how their movement has been the poor stepchild of politics as expressed in this article http://www.with-friends-like-these-who-needs-enemies.org/Powell.html .

How the Democracy Alliance Contributed to Obama's Election

The Conservative Message Machine's Money Matrix

It's only a matter of time before even right-thinking Americans cease to be so viscerally dismayed by the videos. Meanwhile the professional pro-life leadership will have taken their movement a number of years backwards in convincing the political middle of the rightness of their cause.

 

[Cen-Tejas]

Good post!

[9YearLurker]

Spare me—Trump is to the right of the GOPe leadership that you back.

[1010RD]

Cruz and McClintock both explained their decisions reasonably well. It’s not all or nothing, but more or less and these two tireless fighters are in it for the long game. McClintock is, as you’ve stated, especially proven.

[1010RD]

Before you stumble, let me brace you with some reality:

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/all-gop-controlled-states-outnumber-all-democratic-states-24-7/article/2557023

[1010RD]

LOL. Lurkmore.

[Cen-Tejas]

You seem to ignore in your posts the one Constitutional power that the Boehner/McConnell crowd has but won’t use. Namely, the so called “power of the purse”.

“Peremptory Surrender” as CRUZ put it is cowardly and dishonest. That’s what most of us are pissed off about. Shut the GD government down!!!! The “E’s can’t even discuss that honestly! Quit being scared of the press!

[Gipper08]

He is not a solid conservative. This proves it.

[Gipper08]

HE was conservative in 2003....This is 2015. All politicians move left the longer they are in Congress.

[lodi90]

Really? When was the last time Planned Parenthood was seriously threatened with defunding? Their funding has been growing. Under a conservative POTUS we will put PP out of the abortion business and cut off their gov milk.

This kind of negativity and fatalism is killing classical liberalism aka conservatism.

---

PP isn’t being seriously threatened. McConnell refuses to use the tools the Constitution gives him. He isn’t doing that because in fact there are not 50 votes to defund PP. The progressives in the GOP don’t want to defund PP, period. In fact, McConnell himself voted in favor of the original baby chop shop bill back in the 1990s. You’re being kabuki’d, FRiend. Sorry.

[lodi90]

Of course it does. The real action is happening on the state level. Stop ignoring the victories there for the current distraction. Most of what Obama’s done can be undone by a GOP POTUS, but he has to be conservative.

---

A conservative POTUS does not give us 60 votes in the Senate. McConnell himself said we need 60 votes in the Senate. If the GOP won’t do the heavy lifting now with a rampaging marxist in the WH, they never will.

[ifinnegan]

“Also the Disapproval would be vetoed and fail.”

That was always Boner and McConnell’s excuse for not doing anything.

[ifinnegan]

Who writes the RNC talking points.

I guess you were quoting an article at PJ Media.

Yet it is pretty much word for word what Michael Medved says everyday.

[ifinnegan]

“McClintock is a solid conservative fighter and has done more for California liberty than anybody there.”

McClintock actually has always been a bit nutty.

I lost a lot of respect for him when he acted the opportunist, like Schwarzenegger, by running for Governor in the recall.