Now Boehner has opponent for speaker post
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U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas
WASHINGTON – With polls showing House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, extremely unpopular even among Republican voters, Texas Rep. Louis Gohmert, a former judge, has announced a challenge to Boehner’s bid for holding the second most powerful position in the federal government.
He got immediate support from Sean Hannity, the influential talk radio star and Fox News Channel host who tweeted his reaction: “Your Buddy, Veteran, great American Louie Gohmert challenging Boehner for Speaker of the House! YES! I support Louie!”
“After the November elections gave Republicans control of the Senate, voters made clear they wanted change,” Gohmert said in a statement Sunday. “There have been numerous examples of problematic Republican leadership, but we were hopeful our leaders got the voters’ message. However, after our speaker forced through the Cromnibus by passing it with Democratic votes and without time to read it, it seemed clear that we needed new leadership. There had been much discussion. But, until yesterday, no one had stepped up.”
In addition, a poll released last week showed 60 percent of Republican voters opposed to Boehner’s retention of the speaker’s post.
Gohmert, meanwhile, tipped his hat toward another Republican who has thrown his hat into the ring for consideration – Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida.
“I applaud my friend Rep. Ted Yoho for putting his name forward as an alternative to the status quo,” said Gohmert. “Ted is a good man for whom I could vote, but I have heard from many supporters and also friends in Congress who have urged me to put forward my name for speaker as well to increase our chances of change. That is why I am also offering my name as a candidate for speaker.”
Gohmert dispelled notions that opposition to Boehner could give the speaker job to Democrat Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker.
“There is false information being floated that any Republican candidates in addition to the current speaker will split the vote and give the speaker’s gavel to Congresswoman Pelosi,” Gohmert said. “This is nothing but a scare tactic to keep the current regime in power. As long as Republicans vote for an adult American citizen for speaker, no Democrat can win. Only if 30 Republicans voted ‘Present’ would there be a chance for a Democrat to win. To win the Speaker’s race, an adult American citizen has to get a clear majority of all members of Congress on the House floor voting for an eligible person. Voting ‘Present’ simply reduces the number of votes required to win a majority. If no one wins a majority on the first ballot, then we go to a second vote, then a third, until someone gets a majority.”
House members are set to vote for speaker Tuesday, with Boehner heavily favored to win.
Watch video of Gohmert’s announcement on Sunday morning’s “Fox & Friends” below:
Gohmert said that if he were elected speaker, he would fight to end “amnesty” for immigrants and Obamacare. He added that he would make sure members got a voice, going so far as to imply Boehner was acting like a “dictator.”
“We will go through regular committee process so everybody, every representative from both parties, will have a chance to participate in the process and not have a dictator running things, deciding who’s the chairman, who gets what committee, what bills come to the floor,” Gohmert said.
He noted that it would take 29 conservatives voting against Boehner to bring the speakership up for secondary votes, which would be the first step toward eventually electing another Republican as speaker. Only 12 Republicans voted against Boehner for the position in 2013.
In addition to Yoho, Reps. Jim Bridenstine, R-Okla., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., have all announced they would not be backing Boehner when the speakership is voted upon Tuesday.
As WND reported, however, Boehner is returning to Congress with a GOP voter base that lost confidence in his leadership. A recent poll revealed a full 60 percent of Republican voters want Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, removed from his position as House speaker.
The telephone survey conducted Dec. 26-30 by pollster Pat Caddell on behalf of People’s Poll revealed only 25 percent of GOP voters would vote to keep Boehner.
JOIN THE DON’T BE YELLOW, DUMP BOEHNER NOW CAMPAIGN.
Asked if they believed Boehner has been ineffective at opposing Obama’s agenda, a full 64 percent of voters agreed.
“[N]o respected party leader has polled this low among his own party’s voters unless he was embroiled in a major personal scandal,” wrote the Conservative Review. “With 60% of Republican voters desiring a more conservative Speaker, what does this mean for John Boehner next Tuesday – when members of the House will cast votes for the next Speaker? And how can Boehner continue to lead the opposition to President Obama when he has lost the confidence of his own party?”
As WND reported, the idea of Republicans in the U.S. House not having Boehner as speaker come next week is catching on in the media, too.
Fox News reported on Tuesday about North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones’ comments before Christmas that there was a “small group, and we – about 16, 18 – and we’re hoping to have a name of a sitting member of Congress that we can call out their name.”
Now Boehner detractors have at least two names they can call out, Yoho and Gohmert.
BizPacReview notes that there’s been talk of Boehner’s removal before, but there’s been no action.
The report points out now there would need to be only 30 conservative GOP members denying Boehner their votes for him to face removal.
“Boehner spokesman Michael Steel indicated that the speaker is not concerned by the challenge,” the report said. “‘Rep. Boehner was selected as the House Republican Conference’s choice for speaker last month,’ Steel wrote in an email, ‘and he expects to be elected by the whole House next week.’
“Perhaps he shouldn’t be so confident,” the report said.
The DUMP BOEHNER campaign already has lined up more than half-a-million letters that are scheduled for delivery to GOP members of the House as soon as members convene next week.
On Twitter, the hashtags #BoehnerMustGo and #DumpBoehner have been surging, and the campaign has earned the support of the founder of Tea Party Nation, one of the organizations that helped rouse the American electorate in 2010 and give the GOP control of the U.S. House.
“Absolutely,” Judson Phillips told WND Monday. “I want people storming the halls of Congress. Melting the phone lines and anything else.
“So, I love [WND CEO Joseph Farah's] letter writing idea.”
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