Earlier today, House Republicans met for a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill. In background conversations with National Review Online, numerous members called it “tense” and “animated,” with House Speaker John Boehner reportedly opening up the floor for comments. Echoing Rep. Allen West’s Thursday remarks, one congressman called the ensuing exchanges a “come-to-Jesus moment for the entire conference.”
High-profile conservatives such as Rep. Louie Gohmert (R., Texas) and Rep. Steve King (R., Iowa) spoke, but the underlying topic of conservation was Rep. Michele Bachmann (R., Minn.), a potential presidential candidate, who was alluded to by a handful of members for her media-savvy opposition to the leadership, and for, along with others, stirring public divisions within the ranks. One longtime conservative grandee of the House told me that he has never seen the conference simmer in such a fashion; that things got icy quiet when King defended Bachmann and when various members boosted Boehner, all eyeing each other before reacting.
Bachmann is said to have spoken twice, calmly defending her views and actions as principled and founded upon her desire to repeal Obamacare and tangle with the president’s agenda. Rep. Geoff Davis (R., Ky.) and Rep. Jon Runyan (R., N.J.) also reportedly spoke, urging a more united public front as the conference headed toward the budget vote. But the anger with the leadership among some on the right was palpable. “I thought [Bachmann] was too nice,” says one Republican. “The leadership, it seems, wants us to cool our opposition, to stop voicing our discontent through the media. I don’t think we will.” To be fair to Boehner, another added, the speaker mostly listened, after taking a couple minutes to explain his strategy and outlook.
By Friday afternoon, the heated conference meeting seemed to have had a positive impact on caucus relations. One GOP member said that it was “good to have fleshed everything out, to get all of that out there.” Around 2:00 p.m., when the House convened to vote on Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget, Republicans were in better spirits. Maybe it was thoughts of the upcoming two-week “district work period,” when they get to work from home. Maybe it was the makeshift parking lot outside of the Capitol, full of members’ cars waiting to jet to Reagan National Airport.
Whatever the reason, when the gavel hit and called a vote, nearly the entire House GOP lined up behind the Ryan plan. The ghosts of the spending-deal battle, and the morning bull session, were gone, if but for a moment.
Good. It's about time the Boehner/Cantor regime was called on the carpet. Comity within the caucus should take a backseat to principle and the representation of constituents. Boehner is an old school Washington pol who doesn't realize that times have changed and so have voters. The sooner the Republicans rip the band-aid off and replace him with someone who represents the real views of the caucus the better. Replace Boehner.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse"the entire House GOP lined up behind the Ryan plan."
Actually, no. 119 Republicans voted for the Republican Study Committee (RSC) plan and 136 voted for Ryan's plan. The Democrats mostly voted "present".
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnother ^#*&#%% vacation?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThey could start by taking action against the staffer for Rep. McCarthy who likened opponents of the budget compromise to "Hanoi Jane."
I really like Speaker Boehner, and I want the new Republican majority to succeed. I really do.
But they have to know that voters out here were dead serious about what we expect them to do. And, if they refuse to do it or appear shrinking in any way, they will get a primary opponent.
It's nut-crunching time folks. And if you refuse to do it, we'll either find somebody else who will...or go down trying.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI find this terribly refreshing. The last thing we should want is people aimlessly lining up behind one another without expressing their personal views.
I commend Boehner for not being defensive and letting these views be expressed openly.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLet the Republicans argue all they want, but please, do it behind closed doors. Please present a unified front.
As far as Congressman Bachmann is concerned, her self-importance has become very tiring - I'll put my faith in Paul Ryan, before I pay an ounce of attention to this media hog
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRep. Bachmann does not really believe in freedom. One is reminded of this when considering the DOJ's fascistic indictment of online poker operators, denying all Americans the ability to play what is fundamentally a game of skill. What does Bachmann have to do with this? See her own response to a constituent here: External Link
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If she doesn't think adults have the right to play online poker - or even gamble per se - then what in one's right mind would make one think she supports individual initiative?
Another one (i.e., candidate) bites the dust.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI commend Michele Bachmann for having better principles and more cajones than Boehner. It isn't like we get another shot at this after 2012, we either get Obama out and take the Senate or we all go down with the ship. 2017 is far away we will be living like they do in Uganda before then at the pace we're going.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat is the Bachmann question? You left it off.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm glad Ms. Bachmann stood up for what the tea party believes. Mr. Boehner is an old politician who is fighting with Democrats that no longer exist. These Dems are left wing radicals with no principals. Mr. Boehner is polite and naive. He is out of his league with these cutthroats. Ms. Bachmann has more courage that many of the men in the Republican party. She is not sitting down and being quiet. I'm glad men in her party spoke up for her. If she really starts to sound off, the first "salvo" against her will be that she is like Sarah Palin. Thank you Ms. Bachmann!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't want a coupon for my health care when I'm old.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@Reality Check
Exaggerate much? what are the signs we're be living like a third world country?
Surely it's not the financial markets, the unemployment rate, or consumer spending indices..
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseShe was obviously too nice. Boehner is about as effective as our current President -- wait, that's not true -- the President actually pushed through massive, damaging change in the form of Obamacare AND successfully duped Boehner and company into "cuts" that aren't actual cuts.
Bachman, West, King et. al. should publicly call him out every step of the way, and work with Tea Party activists to ultimately send Boehner to the private sector for his mismanagement of a great opportunity. These old school (R)'s are nothing but big government, power hungry spenders that get in bed with their buddies on the other side of the aisle. Toss them and their cronies.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuseyes...refreshing...talking to each other like adults, even if it does get dicey at times...we elected candidates who had backbone, vision and a plan to fix this mess...Obamacare and other legislation...gone...and get this economy working again...and now, doing something about these gas prices...
keep it up...git 'er dun...we're counting on you...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMaybe it is Friday and I am in good spirits, but I think this is a good sign. Boehner and the other leaders will make some mistakes. That's life. The freshmen will make mistakes too.
If the leadership is willing to take the concerns of the freshmen seriously and are willing to accept a little criticism, they will be fine.
We'll see soon enough.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@relaxok
Perhaps you lack the ability to prognosticate financial markets, the unemployment rate, or consumer spending indices, the debt, inflation, interest on the debt, and it goes on and on.
Just today I bought a loaf of bread I have consistently paying $2.50 a loaf for many years, today I had to pay $3.78 for the same loaf. I was paying $1.79 for gas a couple of years ago and a tank was usually $22, today $3.71 and it took $50. I got my annual pay raise 2 weeks ago, whew 1%, the same as everyone else in the company.
By 2020 the Debt will be over $20 trillion dollars and the interest alone will exceed $1 trillion dollars and eclipse even the Department of Defense budget. What is worry about when your blowing $1 trillion a year in interest payments on debt you blew years ago, and your blowing over $1 trillion a year of oil from anywhere you can get it at the same time and not one penny of that $2 trillion a year is coming back, your economy has to produce $2 trillion by 2020 just to give it away, before you even put a penny into any government budget item that is domestic.
The effects along the way are cumulative, it becomes harder and harder to buy things, make things, produce or consume things. Your stock market is a bubble due to printing dollars by the Fed, not the result of profits, it will have popped long ago as in this year or next. Your interest rate have to rise as your debt is so bloated to GDP the bond market simply pops as well before you ever get close to 2020.
Oh let's not forget the fact we borrow a fresh new $4 billion dollars each and every day as of right now just to be able to afford our interest of which we can't afford as it is lol. Well guess what "relaxok," you run out of people to borrow from because they grow tired of knowing they will never get paid back and find new places to invest themselves.
Here is another one for you why would oil continue to be traded in dollars? Everyone around the world at the moment has to buy dollars to buy oil from the Middle East, nobody does it in their own currency, it's all in the buck. Guess what happens when they drop the dollar for a better currency to trade oil in? We no longer get oil for anything near what we are paying today, pump prices would jump to at least $12 to $14 a gallon overnight.
Relaxok, I'm not exaggerating, I obviously have a greater grasp of the situation, effects and what we are facing than you do. The key difference being, I can prove every single item to you if need be in micro, macro, or whatever format you need it done in as to grasp the severity yourself. You sir are asleep at the wheel of your own train wreck, and accuse me of being exaggerator? I do protest, you are a fool, does not make me one too.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseEvery one forgets the forgotten 10% unemployed who supposedly have given up looking for a Job! Elections have consequences President Obama and Harry Reid!
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGod Bless Michelle Bachmann.
She has more conejos than the entire House Leadership.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseBoehner was humiliated by Obama and wound up with a terrible deal. The $38 Billion was a sham -- it was less than $1 Billion. Boehner's attempts to spin it failed. Bachmann said the Emperor has no clothes. Boehner got mad at her for telling the truth. The GOP is now split between those who don't want their leader revealed as a loser and those who say its too late for that. Best solution: get a new leader.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse@relaxok
I was hoping for a challenge from you by now, as I wanted the opportunity to prove to you that you are in error, however I shall take the liberty to prove it to you and everyone else as well, just so that they learn, and you get confirmation you don't know what your talking about. Or at least what you think you know is in fact wrongheaded, same thing.
You, the Main Stream Media, Liberals, Conservatives, the lot listen to the "Official Unemployment Rate" as if it means anything, and it doesn't. They have changed the methodology to such a degree in that report that you see the best side of the situation, which is not even half of reality. Here, let me show you the whole situation, this is your Reality Check!
There is a department within the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which is within the U.S. Department of Labor. This particular Department compiles the U-6, in other words, unemployment the way it is compiled in the EU, Canada, Japan, and other places that actually track real unemployment.
It is called the U-6 for the following reason;
U1: Percentage of labor force unemployed 15 weeks or longer.
U2: Percentage of labor force who lost jobs or completed temporary work.
U3: Official unemployment rate per ILO definition.
U4: U3 + "discouraged workers", or those who have stopped looking for work because current economic conditions make them believe that no work is available for them.
U5: U4 + other "marginally attached workers", or "loosely attached workers", or those who "would like" and are able to work, but have not looked for work recently.
U6: U5 + Part time workers who want to work full time, but cannot due to economic reasons.
The following is relaxok's Reality Check for March 2011!
U1 - 5.3%
U2 - 5.4%
U3 - 8.8%
U4 - 9.4%
U5 - 10.3%
U6 - 15.7%
What's to worry about he says, everything is ok because unemployment is only 8.8% and dropping!
Yeah right mellon head, now you know the rest of the story, and further more official unemployed is 13.5 million people, but actual unemployed is 24 million! What's the big deal not counting the 10.5 million that have simply stopped looking and fallen off of the rolls? That's not an exaggeration, those are hard cold facts my friend. I can do this all day, so if you want to learn something, come on back and call me another name. I'll be happy to oblige you with a Reality Check!
*Obama 2012 "One and Done" Next...
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