Cynics say elections don’t make a thing in America.
The report below is more grist for their mill.
Cristina Marcos reports for The Hill, Jan. 7, 2015, that conservative groups are blasting several new House Republicans who backtracked on campaign promises to oppose John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) bid for another term as Speaker.
During their 2014 races, those Republicans had pledged to vote for alternatives to Boehner and the current House GOP leadership.
Here are the turncoat freshmen House Republicans:
1. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.): Grothman indicated last year that he’d be a thorn in Boehner’s side upon arriving to Congress, though he didn’t explicitly promise to vote against him. Grothman said at an August debate, “I would have no problem looking for an alternative to Speaker Boehner. I have no problem standing up to Republican leadership.” But Grothman ultimately voted for Boehner, leaving conservatives who predicted Grothman would join their grassroots efforts disappointed. RedState blogger Erick Erickson wrote, “Elections have a way of voluntarily and willingly neutering congressmen. There will be no standing up by Glenn Grothman.”
2. Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.): Hice had expressed dissent during the House GOP leadership elections in November, but voted for Boehner’s continuation as House Speaker. Hice blamed his vote on a poorly organized rebellion: “I truly regret that a proper campaign was not waged, with the issues fully debated, that would have allowed a conservative to prevail in November, yet I huddled with fellow conservatives up until 10 minutes before the House was called to order,” Hice vowed that conservatives will keep Boehner on guard in the new Congress, saying, “Indeed, today is not the final verdict on the Speaker’s leadership or even a vote of confidence. If he does not deliver on his pledge to lead as a conservative, we will displace him.”
3. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.): Like Hice, Loudermilk also blamed poor organization, saying he had voted for Boehner because no “viable alternative” came forward. Insisting that he had expressed dissent during the closed-door House GOP conference leadership elections in November, Loudermilk said, “When Republicans chose our nominee, I was one of three who voted for new leadership. However, nearly two months later, we still were not presented with another serious candidate.”
4. Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.)
5. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas)
6. Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.): Walker said during the 2014 campaign that he’d vote for Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) who chairs the panel investigating the 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi. But Walker chose to vote for Boehner after an alternative candidate didn’t come forward in November, and maintained that “A change in House leadership, at this time and in this way, would have detracted from our conservative message.”
Only one freshman, Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Ala.), opposed Boehner on the floor in Tuesday’s vote after pledging to do so during his campaign. But Palmer seems to be confused because he voted for Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who is not a member of the House, to replace Boehner as House Speaker.
Three other freshmen Republicans who didn’t make campaign pledges also defected, but it’s newcomers who made promises that are under fire.
The conservative Madison Project (MP) excoriated the defectors — Loudermilk, Mooney, and Ratcliffe — whom MP had endorsed during the 2014 campaign, for violating a pledge they had signed with MP’s political action committee that, if they were elected to the House, they would vote against the current leadership. MP’s political director Drew Ryun said in a statement: “Choosing to side with the Washington establishment and turn a blind eye to John Boehner’s attacks on conservatives and his unwillingness to stand up to President Obama and executive amnesty was a slap in the face to the conservative movement.”
Ryun said that Madison Project had spoken to grassroots conservatives in the respective districts to put the lawmakers “on notice”: “This vote and act of betrayal to our conservative principles will be at the forefront of our minds when deciding to endorse in the future.”
All empty threats.
No wonder Obama the POS is already giving Congress and Republicans the finger, saying, “Sure, [Republican members of Congress and I will] disagree on some things. We’ll have to compromise on others. I’ll act on my own when it’s necessary.”
~Eowyn
