For the past six years, this nation has endured an Administration marked by unconstitutional executive overreach, a dangerous weakening of our national security, a disastrous healthcare law, and the continuous expansion of government tentacles into the lives of its citizens. Those of us who have fought this Administrations policies have done so from the vantage point of controlling only the U.S. House of Representatives. Our bills have died in the Senate. Our leverage has been severely limited. With the start of the 114th Congress, however, that changed. This week marks a significant shift in the balance of power and a marked opportunity - and responsibility - to move this nation in a different direction. While the start of a new Congress begins with a vote to elect the Speaker of the House, traditionally this is a perfunctory vote, reaffirming a vote of the Republican Conference that was made months before. Such a vote is taken in advance of the new Congress to allow the Speaker adequate preparation and planning to take the helm of one of the most important jobs in the U.S. government. It takes weeks, if not months, to hire all the staff and do the planning to start a new congressional term – the new Speaker is in charge of all of that. When the Republican Conference held such a meeting last year, on November 13, 2014, any Member of Congress could have run for Speaker, yet no candidate other than John Boehner stepped forward for consideration and Mr. Boehner was unanimously selected. In the few days leading up to the January 6th affirming vote, several candidates abruptly announced that they were altering their vote for Boehner and putting their name forward for Speaker. Mr. Yoho of Florida announced his desire for the position 65 hours before the vote. Just 53 hours before the vote, Mr. Gohmert of Texas put his name in the ring. Mr. Webster of Florida announced he wanted the position of Speaker only about an hour before the vote was taken. None of these candidates outlined a vision, let alone articulated a plan for this significant position. None stood before the Conference and responded to questions about staffing, strategy, and their preparation to lead. The Speaker is the third highest elected public official in America. Just as many citizens are outraged that Members of Congress are asked to vote on bills that they have barely had time to read, should not this same standard be applied to the candidacy of an individual seeking to be third in line to the Presidency? Every vote - whether for a bill or for a leader - should involve transparency and robust dialogue. The discontent of conservatives with current leadership has long been evident. Every alternative candidate for Speaker had the opportunity beginning in November to announce their candidacy, articulate their vision, and participate in a serious debate of ideas; I am sorry to say that none did. As you know, Mr. Boehner was elected Speaker. Rep. Louie Gohmert received 2 votes in addition to the vote he cast for himself; Ted Yoho garnered 1 vote in addition to his own vote; and Daniel Webster, whose candidacy for Speaker became public an hour before the vote, attracted 11 other Members to support his candidacy. I understand the deep frustrations of many conservatives when they look at the dysfunction in Washington. They feel their country is slipping through their fingers. I have shared that frustration and I have disagreed with current House leadership multiple times over both the strategy and the substance of their actions. However, given the choices, I believe I chose the most viable option in John Boehner. This decision was based on the lack of vision and plans from other candidates, the inadequate timeframe of their candidacies, and my sincere belief that the election of any ill-prepared Speaker would serve to benefit President Obama and his policies far more than to advance conservative ideas. If someone can only garner two votes out of 435 Members of Congress, how could they possibly expect to lead the House of Representatives and actually have the hope of getting anything done? So many people tell me they are tired of symbolic votes. They say they want to actually get things done; and I agree. Addressing the vast overreaches of this Administration will require tenacity as well as unity. As we move into the 114th Congress, you can count on me to utilize my position to spur the tenacity of House leadership to fight this Administration with persistence, doggedness, and strategic wisdom. You can also count on me to continue to use my position to build strategic unity among conservatives - to remind us of the power we can harness in working together towards our common goals of advancing personal liberty and protecting constitutional rights. With tenacity alone, we will not be effective enough. With unity alone, we will not be aggressive enough. Exercised in tandem, however, we can be both aggressive and effective -- and we will have one of the greatest opportunities to re-chart the course of this nation.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 17:21:04 +0000
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