* Republicans won the House majority with Newt’s Contract with America in 1994. A robust conservative agenda did NOT follow. As such, we learned that a Republican majority was very different from a conservative majority.
* The following years of failures were blamed on Republicans having control of Congress but not the White House.
* That changed in 2004 when the GOP won control of both Congress and the White House. They used it to pass the infamous “bridge to nowhere.” And subsequently lost both Congress and the White House.
* That resulted in the rise of the tea party movement which put Republicans back in control of Congress. But GOP leaders kept cutting deals with the Democrats without advancing key issues of importance to conservatives.
* Republicans won back the White House in 2016, as well as Congress. What did they do? They failed to accomplish what was the #1 objective of many conservatives - repealing ObamaCare (thanks, Dean Heller).
* Republicans went on to lose both the White House and both houses of Congress in 2020. They then spent the last year-and-a-half predicting a “red wave” that turned out to be a red ripple.
* And although Republicans had the power – even in the minority in both houses – enough Senate Republicans voted with the Democrats to pass the $1.7 “omnibus” budget a week ago, loaded with lard and earmarks. THAT thoroughly infuriated House conservatives.
* It seems that when it comes to the GOP, conservatives are the ones who always get the shaft while the Dems and establishment Republicans get the gold mine.
* So while I would have *liked* for Republicans to have taken power yesterday without the distraction of the Speaker vote, I totally and completely understand why this small band of
conservatives are digging in their heels this time and refusing to budge.
* They’re taking their shot even though the odds are stacked way against them. And they’re playing by the rules.
* Oh, and if it was just five conservatives, as was being reported for weeks before Christmas, that’d be one thing. But when the vote came up yesterday and it was 19…well, that’s a horse
of a different color.
* Media reports from the McCarthy side of the aisle are saying the conservatives either won’t specify what their demands are or keep moving the goalposts.
* Well, I watched an interview with Rep. Lauren Boebert yesterday afternoon and one of the demands was that certain issues and pieces of legislation must be brought forward for a recorded vote. And I’m all for that!
* I’ve said for years that these people were elected to cast votes and make tough decisions. Term limits? Probably going nowhere. And most every GOP member of Congress will *say* they’re in favor.
* But how would they actually VOTE on a specific piece of term limits legislation? I don’t care what any politician says. Most will lie to your face with a smile. But a recorded vote can’t be spun. You either actually voted for it…or you didn’t.
* So if forcing a recorded vote on bills of importance to conservatives is one of the insurgents’ demands…I’m all for it.
* What’s going on in DC behind closed doors is unknown. And while I initially questioned the strategy and objectives behind the conservative “rebel
insurrection,” it’s grown from 5 to 20 and they haven’t blinked yet.
* Republicans usually don’t play hardball like this – including too many conservatives. They most often fold their hand as soon as someone says “boo.” Not this time. Gotta admire the spirit and tenacity.
* Truth is, after 25+ years of disappointment, this kind of fight is exactly what grassroots Republicans have been looking for – just as it was with Trump in 2016.
*If ALL Republicans had fought the Democrats as hard during the Trump administration as these 20 are now fighting McCarthy, we’d have a bigger majority in the House, wouldn’t be in the minority in the Senate, and Joe Biden wouldn’t be in the Oval Office.
* The good news: By the time the 2024 elections come around, no one will remember this fuster-cluck, and even fewer will care.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky
Mr. Muth is president of Citizen Outreach, publisher of Nevada News & Views and
blogs at MuthsTruths.com. His views are his own.
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