Free Republic

That sound you hear around Washington right now is the sound of the Republican establishment shaking. House Speaker John Boehner’s resignation under duress—a move that was both a shock and years in the making at the same time—means tea-party-styled forces have further ratcheted up their power within the party. With each such move, the grip of what people think of as the Republican party establishment—big business donors, official party leaders, congressional leaders whose tenure dates back more than a decade or so—is loosened a bit more. It’s worth remembering that the Boehner departure, while a big blow to that establishment,...

He accomplished nothing good during his tenure as "Speaker of the House", but he sure bawled enough times, like a little baby badly in need a diaper change! It seems like a good time to make a musical celebration of this happy occasion of his leaving office. Here are some teary tunes for the crybaby. (Maybe you can add other "crying" songs to the list.) Bye-Bye Boo-Hoo Blubberman! "Hit The Road Jack"- Ray Charles "Crying Time"- Ray Charles "Cry Me A River"- Julie London "96 Tears"- Question Mark & The Mysterians "A Little Bitty Tear Let Me Down"- Burl...

LIKE so many others, I was stunned by Speaker John A. Boehner’s announcement on Friday that he would step down at the end of October. For nearly six years — first as Republican whip and then as majority leader — I met with John on a daily, sometimes hourly, basis as we worked to lead the House Republican Conference. (SNIP) We are in the midst of a campaign to elect the next president. After two terms of President Obama, an economy that is growing too slowly and a retrenchment of American power abroad, the conservative to-do list for the next...

Today, speaking at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC, Senator Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) ripped into the leadership of outgoing Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-OH). “Yesterday, John Boehner was Speaker of the House,” Cruz said. “Ya’ll come to town and somehow that changes.” Cruz added that the crowd should come to DC more often. But Boehner’s exit also sets up a major choice for Cruz – and a potential moment of strength. Boehner reportedly intends to ram through a budget deal with the help of Democrats in order to forestall a potential government shutdown over funding...

Representative Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said that the resignation of House Speaker Representative Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) “was almost inevitable, given the pressure that the American people have put on Washington, DC” on Friday’s “Sean Hannity Show.”

Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL)63% has announced he will seek to become Speaker of the House of Representatives on the day Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)35% announced he will resign from Congress. Webster challenged John Boehner for the Speakership in January of this year, as previously reported by Breitbart News.

The stunning decision by House Speaker John Boehner to resign from office in October is a sign of not only his inability to lead a congressional party riven between its establishment and tea party wings, but also the toll fighting that fight has taken on him -- and the GOP more broadly. Almost since the day he became speaker -- following the tea party-led takeover of Congress in the 2010 midterm elections -- Boehner had been caught betwixt and between. His roots were firmly in the establishment end of the party, having spent decades in Congress and moving up the...

In June 2014, Senator Ted Cruz told The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin this: It is amazing that the wisdom of the chattering class to the Republicans is always, always, always ‘Surrender your principles and agree with the Democrats. That’s been true for my entire lifetime. The chattering classes have consistently said, ‘You crazy Republicans have to give up on what you believe and become more like Democrats.’ And, I would note, every time Republicans do that we lose. Cruz went on: And what does the entire D.C. Republican consulting class say? ‘In 2016, we need another establishment moderate!’ Hasn’t worked...

Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones Jones pulled petitions to run against Boehner in the 2010 primary election. He told the Journal-News today that he’s “weighing my options at this moment.” If he runs and is elected, Jones said he would commit to only serving six years in Congress. Jones said he doesn’t think anyone can beat him based on his national name recognition, which stems from his hard-line stance on immigration. State Sen. Bill Coley The Liberty Twp. Republican served six years in the Ohio House of Representatives and is the current state senator for Butler County, being appointed...

Non-House members have received votes for speaker, and that’s a trend that seems to be growing.Who can replace Speaker of the House John Boehner, who announced Friday he’s quitting? Almost anyone. Maybe even you. This isn’t a comment on the job Representative Boehner has or has not done in his role as leader of his legislative chamber. It’s meant to illustrate a little-known fact: Under the Constitution, the speaker does not have to be a member of the House. He or she doesn’t have to be an elected lawmaker or government official. The speaker can be an ordinary, private citizen....

The race has come down to preferred establishment candidate, Kevin McCarthy vs. Raul Labrador. (SNIP) On Wednesday, McCarthy assured Chamber of Commerce lobbyists that under his leadership, it would be business as usual… (SNIP) La Raza’s Labrador Retriever pledged to make amnesty the GOP’s #1 priority in 2015… Immigration reform should be “one of the first things” Republicans take up. Before coming to Congress, Labrador ran a website called rapidimmigration.com, with “easy to understand advice for illegal immigrants seeking amnesty”…

Talking to newly installed MSNBC anchor Brian Williams about the Boehner resignation Friday morning, fellow MSNBC host Chris Matthews said he wishes the outgoing Speaker would try to pass immigration reform before he leaves. "I think it would be great if he said okay, we're a democracy here for a couple hours," Matthews said of Boehner. "We're going to vote on the immigration bill before I leave."

WASHINGTON — Hours after House Speaker John Boehner announced that he would be resigning from Congress, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz added fuel to the fire by saying he’d heard “early reports” that Boehner cut a deal with Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi to continue funding some of President Barack Obama’s most controversial measures. “I will say, the early reports are discouraging. If it is correct that the speaker, before he resigns, has cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi to fund the Obama administration for the rest of its tenure, to fund Obamacare, to fund executive amnesty, to fund Planned Parenthood, to...

Twenty-five Republicans rebelled against John Boehner (R-Ohio), who won a third term as Speaker on Tuesday. The 25 Republicans, including three freshmen, didn't coalesce around a single alternative candidate. Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), whose nomination for Speaker became public just minutes before the vote, attracted the most votes at 12. Meanwhile, the other two long-shot candidates, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) only received three and two votes each. Additionally, freshman Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) voted "present" rather than voting for anyone. And two Republican lawmakers voted for people who aren't even members of the House: Rep. Gary...

(Sep 24, 2015) The allegation of a conservative turning on his own and becoming an enforcer for Republican leadership came to light as House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, arrived at a dilemma. If he sides with House conservatives and defunds Planned Parenthood in the upcoming budget bill, he will almost certainly face a government shutdown, a prospect that terrifies GOP leadership. If he doesn’t try to defund the abortion provider, that will likely trigger a brewing revolt by conservatives seeking to dethrone Boehner as speaker. And, if Democrats play along, they may have the votes. If Boehner isn’t feeling the...

Great news that Boner is resigning. I hear nonsense that McCarthy is next. That cannot happen. Mark Meadows did a lot to begin this back in August. He set the ball rolling. Does he want to be speaker? If so, we are obliged to support him. I remember Raul Labrador made noises that he would run for Speaker. Is he a good one to support if Meadows does not want the job? This post is to solicit informed input from Freepers who are much more knowledgeable than me. It cannot be McCarthy or we have just hit re-set.

Numbers USA, a Conservative website that favors lower immigration levels, grades all USA congress persons from A-plus to F-minus on their immigration voting record. For 2015, Kevin McCarthy received an overall grade of D-minus.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, released the following statement after Speaker John Boehner announced his resignation from the position of Speaker of the House: "America is at an incredibly perilous time in our history; we need bold leadership more than ever, and the Speaker now has graciously given us that opportunity." "Due in part to the massive shift in power away from the most accountable representatives of the people to a President and five judges, we have needed leadership with vision for the future that did not continue the downhill slide. A goal to simply slow the losses of liberty...

GOP Presidential Candidate Ted Cruz had the command of the room from the time he hit the stage and even when he left. Cruz talked about the young talent the GOP has collected to run for the greatest seat in the land versus. Here are a few takeaways from Cruz’s speech today “Yesterday Pope Francis was in Washington. Wonderful to welcome him here. I have to say, the press conference was a little awkward, because every time the reporters addressed a question to your holiness, Barack Obama answered.”“You want to know how much each of you terrify Washington? Yesterday, John...

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced Friday he will resign from Congress -- his seat as well as his speakership -- at the end of October after more than 20 years on Capitol Hill. The resignation will likely see a throng of Republicans vie to replace Boehner, who in recent months has faced pressure to step down over internal GOP fighting on issues such as funding for disease research, an education bill and the possible renewal of the Export-Import Bank. Below is a list of the members most likely to replace him. 1. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.: McCarthy has...