Topic: Rep. Amash openly challenges Boehner's conservative committee purge

[IronDioPriest]

This guy is emerging as a good conservative voice.

Amash Responds to Secret Scorecard Letter
Michigan Republican Calls on Speaker Boehner to Release Document

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) called on Speaker John Boehner today to release the secret scorecard used by the Republican Steering Committee to boot four Republicans from key House committees.

Amash and two other Representatives sent Boehner a letter on Friday that requests that the Speaker provide a full justification for their removal and a copy of the scorecard. Boehner’s letter references the scorecard but fails to disclose its contents.

Amash’s statement is below:

“I have received a response from Speaker Boehner concerning the secret scorecard used to target certain fiscally responsible members of the Budget and Financial Services committees.

“The Speaker did not dispute the existence of a scorecard and he did not deny that it was used to justify the Representatives’ removals.

“I recently was told that I received a ‘0’ on the Republican leadership’s scorecard. Given my work with Democrats and Republicans on serious proposals to balance the budget, it is certain that the scorecard awarded points for supporting bigger deficits and more debt.

“Americans deserve to know the priorities of the current House leadership team. As fellow House Republicans, we deserve to know how we’re being judged when we vote.

“I’m proud of my fight for a balanced budget. Our leaders should be proud of the positions they take.

“Mr. Speaker, show us the scorecard.”

[charlesoakwood]

IDP, yours is the second report of dissent within the ranks movement against Boehner and here is a third, I should have checked first, it's cross posted at: Time for a new party.

Boehner Has To Go: Ignore the Constitution, Party Uber Alles!

The people Boehner has punished were not elected by their constituents to represent John Boehner, his leadership, nor the Republican Party. The Republican Party is not protected by the Constitution. By his actions, Boehner has made himself the tanned poster child of everything that is wrong with Washington. It’s two parties vying for power, the will of the American people be damned!

What does this idiot Boehner hope to do, split the party officially?

The House of Representatives is called the ‘house of the people’ for a reason. It is not the House of John Boehner, or the GOP. By punishing certain members as he has, Boehner may as well be punishing individual citizens for their thoughts, opinions and positions. The bottom line is, Boehner is intellectually not up to the job. Obama will continue to kick his ass around like a dope and he needs to resign. He can’t even handle this internal situation adequately and is simply not up to the job.
...
Pray momentum against him continues. A few strong men will give courage to others.

[IronDioPriest]

I think Boehner is a decent man. But decency is only one component of good leadership, and has little to do with what is required to do what needs doing now.

[trapeze]

I do not believe that Boehner is a decent man. I think he is cowardly. Purging committee members with "secret" criteria for self serving purposes is not the mark of decency. Not in my book.

He runs the House as if he is in the minority. That's just stupid.

The guy needs to be benched.

[Libertas]

Carrot skin needs to be tossed out, but it won't happen, the Ruling Class PTBs on both sides will not allow it.  We the People are sheep to be minimally fed, easily steered and fleeced without a fuss.

Baaah!

[ToddF]

http://www.facebook.com/repjustinamash

Liked

[ToddF]

Decent people argue Big Ideas.  Decent people don't purge.

[AlanS]

If Boehner gets booted, he'll cry.

[Glock32]

He has accomplished one important thing though. He has become the identifiable face of everything that is wrong with the Republican Party. The reason the Left's "long march" has been so successful for them is because their nominal opposition has mostly been led by a procession of John Boehners.

[Libertas]

Let Them DIE!!!

[Pandora]

I do not believe that Boehner is a decent man. I think he is cowardly. Purging committee members with "secret" criteria for self serving purposes is not the mark of decency. Not in my book.

He runs the House as if he is in the minority. That's just stupid.

The guy needs to be benched.

I agree.  His sort of cowardice is the mark of a bully.  He can't impose his will on Obongo -- and won't even try -- but he's consolidating his power by bullying those with less clout in his own membership.  With these people, he's playing hardball.  What baffles me is to what end?  To simply hold onto his perks and position?  That's feasible, but he'd find more security in marshalling the forces of every House member with which to hold fast, in my opinion.

[Glock32]

Almost immediately after he was made Speaker, thanks entirely to the Tea Party wave and not at all the E-GOP, he made the infamous "get asses in line" comment. He has from the word go been there to keep conservatives away from the levers of power.

The "asses in line" is what disgusts me, it's everything wrong about Washington. These Congressmen were elected by the people in their districts to go and represent them in the Federal government. They were not elected to go to Washington and then do what John Boehner tells them to do. Boehner is not their boss, we are. The open disdain elected officials now have for the very people who elect them is dangerous. It needs to be checked. This whole Realpolitik business has allowed them to develop the attitudes they have, and that's why they need to start paying electoral prices for these attitudes, even if it sometimes benefits the opposition at first.

That's why I don't bemoan the primarying of "electable" douchebags even when the general election ends up going to the Dem. How else are we to yank on these people's leash?

[Pandora]

A House GOP source has confirmed to Breitbart News that House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy was the one who drafted the secret criteria list House Speaker John Boehner used in his purge of conservatives from House committees.

"The source, someone with inside knowledge of how Boehner conducted the purge, told Breitbart News that McCarthy crafted the list, which included a scorecard of where several conservative members stood on certain votes. According to the source, it’s unclear at this time whether McCarthy made the list of his own accord or if he did so at the request of somebody else in GOP leadership – like Boehner or House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

The source alleges that McCarthy brought the criteria list to the House GOP Steering Committee where it was used to purge four conservatives from their House committee spots."

H/T Gateway Pundit

So, it's Boehner, McCarthy and Cantor; they've got their own little mob boss action going.  Okay.  Now that we know .......

[Pandora]

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/12/11/Huelskamp-Whip-McCarthy-has-agreed-to-debrief-House-conservatives-on-purge-scorecard-he-made

McCarthy is supposed to provide this information sometime today.

[RickZ]

The Republican Party be broke  Don't fix it.  Let it burn along with all the other crap manifesting in and emanating from D.C.

[Pandora]

More inside baseball, this time about Boehner/Ryan ....

"... But when it comes to the fiscal cliff, he’s not trying to be the star, and he isn’t looking to fight with Boehner.”

Ryan’s low-key presence has several political implications. First and foremost, it boosts Speaker Boehner. As a popular former vice-presidential nominee, Ryan could have easily asserted himself as a leading player. Because Ryan hasn’t done that, Boehner has been, without question, the chief negotiator and spokesman for House Republicans. Ryan’s reluctance to enter the fray also means any conservative rebellion will almost certainly lack his blessing."

Apparently, there was "a deal" .....

"Since the election, Boehner has made several overtures, looking to sustain his helpful bond with Ryan. For example, he won Ryan’s appreciation last month when he granted Ryan a waiver to keep his chairmanship. Other chairmen lost their gavel, due to conference rules, which limit committee chairmen to six-year terms. Ryan, however, was able to hold on to his post. Ryan’s colleagues say that gesture solidified Ryan’s relationship with the speaker.

Boehner also invited Ryan to sit in on the fiscal-cliff strategy sessions. Ryan has participated in nearly every meeting with the House Republican leadership and has been urged to give his candid take on Boehner’s playbook. Even though he’s not a member of the elected leadership team, the elected members view him as an equal."

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335423/inside-boehner-ryan-alliance-robert-costa?pg=1

You can read the rest; there are two pages.

I don't know much about the author, Robert Costa, and if he's fulla or not, but he names very few sources, as usual these days.

[ToddF]

Other chairmen lost their gavel, due to conference rules, which limit committee chairmen to six-year terms. Ryan, however, was able to hold on to his post.

Oh goodie.  We're breaking our own rules that prevent committee chairmen from becoming little tyrants.

Purge Boehner. 

And Paul Ryan.  All that good will you've built up?  Careful where you step.  Stepping in that pile of dog(Obama) that is Boehner won't be good for your career advancement.

Just suggestin'

[Glock32]

And his vaunted budget plan, you know, that reigns in spending 30 years from now?  In other words, never.

[Pandora]

And his vaunted budget plan, you know, that reigns in spending 30 years from now?  In other words, never.

That right there, Glock, is THE problem with people today in that they cannot be told (and because of it, there's grave risk to even attempt it) the truth about how dire a straits we're in.  And the Left loves it; bring it up and they mock us.  We are today's Cassandra/s.

Ryan had to know the truth about his plan, he's no dummy, but it was as much as he was willing to risk saying.

[Glock32]

Right, and yet he was still castigated as the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.  It's impossible not to be cynical about our prospects. People keep talking about the national debt, 16 trillion and growing, and as bad as that is it's not even the real story. The real story is the future entitlement obligation, by some accounts over a hundred trillion dollars.

And anyone who even hints at that reality? They get a full dose of "don't you dare touch Sosh Security!"  The third rail of politics, yada yada. Or the talking heads on TV "polls consistently show that any changes to Social Security are very unpopular with voters". Unpopular. Well so damn what? When I was 8 years old it was unpopular to not have dessert in place of dinner.

Where are the adults? Much as we lambaste these useless politicians, it is for sure a chicken-egg thing. Who's worse, them or the voters they have to appease?