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A pair of House Republicans stripped of their plum committee assignments lashed out Tuesday at the GOP leadership, suggesting they were punished for insisting on fealty to conservative principles.
NBC's Mark Murray reports House Speaker John Boehner has removed four House GOP committee chairmen in what's being described as a 'power move' against members who weren't 'team players.'
Reps. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., and Justin Amash, R-Mich., huddled with conservatives after the Republican Steering Committee removed them from their seats on the House Budget Committee.
"It's petty, it's vindictive and if you have any conservative principle, you'll be punished," Huelskamp said at a briefing for conservatives at the Heritage Foundation.
Huelskamp and Amash, along with Reps. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Walter Jones, R-N.C., lost their seats on the budget panel and House Financial Services Committee after the GOP conference determined they were "not team players," in the words of one Republican aide.
That action has prompted a minor outcry among conservatives, who fear that lawmakers who cross the GOP leadership will be punished for their transgressions. That fear coincides with mounting concern on the right that Republican leaders will cut a "fiscal cliff" deal with President Barack Obama that results in higher taxes, through either increased rates or eliminated deductions.
Amash and Huelskamp said that they learned of losing their spots on those committees by reading reports in the media; they said that no Republican leaders had notified them of the changes.
"I've received not a single call from anyone in leadership, not a single email," Amash said. "I've been not told about what committees I will be on."
The Michigan congressman, who distinguished himself as one of the more libertarian-minded Republican congressmen during his first term in the House, suggested that his independence on issues (including supporting cuts to defense spending) had led GOP leaders to look to "silence" him.
Huelskamp said the suspected a video he produced last week re-affirming his support for a pledge vowing to never raise taxes contributed to his loss of the committee spot. The Kansas conservative furthermore said he feared Republicans might cave on the issue of taxes.
"I think there's going to be an attempt to pass a tax increase through the U.S. House, in exchange for what?" he asked.
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Looks like the GOP maybe learning how to spell "compromise"! Took'em long enough.
Hopefully the next move is Kansas Republicans will vote the idiot out of office. Find the most worthless, time-consuming, boring committee and put Huelskamp on it. The tea party is over and time to send them all home at ast.
The honeymoonis over!!
imagine that they're turning on their tea party. . . . How stupid can they be ?? Telling everone it is a tea party not republican now out comes the truth when they least want the truth to tell everyone just another of their dirty tricks. . . . .looks like I said next year Boehner will be filing papers for lobbying........gee, it's all falling apart...casino jack where are you - a new student for you......call karl rove
. . . Hey maybe they'll fess up to the fiscal cliff as theirs also ?? after foreclosures 101......
I hope "the leadership" is getting the tea-party out of these positions. I seriously doubt they have any intention of dealing in good faith. Regardless, this is only the beginning of the GOPs meltdown. The GOP has some major overhauling to do. They desperately need to drop the extremists, if they wish to survive politically.
If moderate conservatives and libertarians got together, and truly became a libertarian party, fully embracing ALL libertarian ideals, they could actually turn this around rather quickly. But they need to lose the religious fanatics and the anti-government extremists completely. And they need to do it publicly, so people believe it.
There are a lot of Libartarians on the left, who are there because their biggest opposition has been on the right. Mainly the religious fanatics. Lose the fanatics, and embrace real freedom, and there would be many who would support that. More than you might think.
PS: everyone is a fiscal conservative to some extent. No one likes taxes.
Only 4 ... why not 12 ..... they still wont come to any agreement , If we cant fire them , Arrest them for treason . ......... I see us going over the cliff ,thats what it will take to get rid of the BUSH tax cuts . Then Obama can use Executive Order to set the taxes for the working tax payer , The Republican Party is getting way out of control , Why should I give up my medicare so some billionair ca buy another jet .
No matter what happens the wealthy will have their medical insurance and full coverage at that .
Tea Party # 2 ...... gee thats real scary ...... the Republican Party is going down in flames now .
If they dont become Americans they will lose again in 2014 , Ego and Hatered is their main meat , Boehner cant control them , he cant do his job as a so called leader , he hasn't done any of that lead stuff yet .
This country has some serious problems to take care of ..... instead we have the Republican Party playing EGO and Power Games , I hear they cant find good people to run for office as it is , Where do they find these jerks .
Come on, kids, buck up.
This sudden distancing from the heart of Republican power- this epic, unanticipated kick to the curb- may be just what you need to survive the apocalypse in progress on the Right.
After all, if you fall from favor, you can't be blamed for all those stupid decisions you never got to make, right?
This is high comedy in the halls of power, and the term I saw used used on the first page of posts was entirely too appropriate: they referred to the Republican Party as a circular firing squad.
They've already shot each other in the foot, and now they're angrily aiming for higher targets- though still below the belt.
Finally, the rational part of the GOP is growing some gonads, and is rejecting the TeaNuts and fringe loonies from their party.
Couldn't happen soon enough!
I wouldn't bet on any of this being because any of them are suddenly rational. What we are seeing now is a scramble to hold on. McConnell and Boehner (as well as others, think Tom Cole) both know they are likely to be "primaried" by the TP if they budge. The TP has yet to realize when they primary the semi sane of their party and win they tend to lose the election. Sharon Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Todd Aikin etc anyone? Allen West, gone. Joe Walsh, gone. Scott Brown, gone. etc. The actual republicans have a real problem on their hands, and they created it themselves.
I still maintain the TP is nothing more than the same old radical low information repubs that have always been there but the party silenced them because they are such loons. Think back to 2010 and the memo from a meeting of "Elite" republican backers stating such that was made public.
When GW Bush left office the 21 percenters needed a way to distance themselves from him adn the "republican brand" so they called their corporate backers and wa la, the TP popped up. By the way, notice even Dick Armey, the "pioneer" of the corporate created TP has left his post in dispute. They were nothing but a corporate created distraction.They ran illiterate candidates (anyone remember Christine O'Donnells surprise on tape that there actually was wording about separation of church and state in the constitution?) thinking they would be a lockstep vote, that didn't happen. And now, the very ones who so gleefully welcomed them, are now in fear of them. They created a monster they can no longer control.
Who cares? Maybe these two can leave the House and get a real job.
Apparently republicans and teabags don't have a brain of their own to think with. Grover and Boner has to do their so called thinking for them. What a sorry bunch of SOB's. They are willing to commit treason against the USA and it's citizens, rather than use common sense. Losers the whole FN bunch.
What is this? Boehner asserting himself and demanding discipline? My my! There may be hope for him yet.
DEATH TO THE RADICALS.
Lmao!
Is he serious? After Romney lost the election, Republican party has been a mess. Karl Rove is hiding secretly in a closet. Fox News is crumbling due to the totally wrong election polls/ news (they predicted Romney had won the race to the White House). Anything left for Boehner to strip? Like all the Fox News people, Boehner needs to see a psychiatrist, seriously.
Good. It's something Boehner should have in 2011, instead of constantly caving in to the Tea Party element of his party. "Get in line or go home" is what he's finally saying.
I remembered Dan Kathy's Chick-Fil-A appreciaiton day by Santorum, the day when it was thought billions of Chick-Fil-A fans showed up to pollute the world. It turned out it was as fake as 'One Million Moms.' I remember someone did a calculation to prove Chick-Fil-A fans were only few thousands, and it was true because they were not enough to overturn Obama. Lmao! It's the same thing for Republican party members. How many of them left for Boehner to strip after flip-flop Romney's epic fail election. Lamo!
Poor babies - how about they get tried for treason instead?
Talk radio, etc, has made this psychotic fringe element think they were a mainstream majority. Figuratively speaking, we need to kick them while they're down, so they stay down. Why do Republicons hate America?
Hi Middle,
I agree about the talk radio pumping out fabrications, distortions and creating a prisoners of hate mentality among low information citizens. This idea that the "other" is taking my things has played out during most recessions. In history it reached it's apex after WWI, it is the type of hate that paved via a propaganda of hate to the rise of the Nazi party in Germany. I have seen mini-versions of this, "the other guy is why we can't get ahead" that I have seen over my lifetime and small and larger recessions. Fox news has tried it damndest to take a kick at every minority group in the country. The fools even took on women who make up the majority of the population. FN is formenting a prisoners of anger universe. The individuals who buy into this must be joys to live with, said sarcastically.
I am a very optimistic person, I own my own business and am still working though I am past retirement age. I see great hope in my kids who are both in college and graduate school. They are positive and made good occupations for the future.
The Democrats have the same problem except they don't have the stones to complain about being punished for obvious reasons. Even worse during the Obamacare legislation behind closed doors, some Dems were bribed with porkulus promises to support the legislation. Remember The Louisiana Purchase and the Corn Husker Giveaway?
This type of "political manuvering" has always been and there's nothing new or surprising about it. How do you think jerks like Reid and Boehner stay in power. It's called politics with those who don't fall in line being punished.
This is the straw! I have always voted Republican, conservative republican, but after Mcloser, and Mcmitt and now this I am full prepared NOT to vote for any more Republican RINO's like Bohner! NO MORE RINO's no more political cowards, n o more whiny crying political hacks.
Tea bag drag? Turkey jerkey? Scourge purge? No, just election reflection, new direction. Bain drain.
stan the crapper dupper!
.........Obama spends too much money...............
The problem is that the US spends too much on wasted social programs like food stamps and welfare. Trim all programs by 25% until the deficit is zero. Taxing wealthy people more is outrageous as they are already paying 80% of the total government revenue.
Dumbocrats need to act like adults and realize that the borrowing has got to end. Borrowing money from China to give free cell phones away is outrageous!!
The wealthy control 90% of the money, so they why should'nt they pay 90%, not 80% of the total government revenue. Why should seniors and veterans sacrifice so that the wealthy can have more?
The rule is if you don't suck up, you would be f..... .
In my opinion, the GOP is in a state of hysteria because they've finally realized they got suckered by President Obama. What happens if the Dems and GOP compromise to avoid the fiscal cliff? President Obama gets the higher taxes he wants and the GOP implodes as the Tea Party goes for the blood of the "traitors" who gave in to the Democrats. What happens if the Dems and GOP don't compromise and we go over the fiscal cliff? President Obama gets the higher taxes he wants and the GOP implodes as the majority of (more or less) rational voters blame the GOP, especially the Tea Party, for pushing over the cliff into recession. A win-win for the Dems and a lose-lose for the GOP that will be clearly felt in the 2014 elections.
Like it or not, painful as it will be, the United States of America has to balance its books. That means raising tax revenue and optimizing spending to get the most bang for the buck. Like an addict has to hit bottom before he/she can start to rise again, maybe we need to hit the bottom of the fiscal cliff before we get serious about getting on a sound financial footing.
Hi smokie, I will try to go through this debt ceiling thingy again for you and others who are struggling with the basic concepts. All spending by the US govt. is approved by the House and Senate. Based on what the Congress has decreed the budget purchases, spending, etc. is done by the various departments based on the monies approved. The debt ceiling is then what we have to raise in order to pay for the Congress approved expenditures. The spending is done, revenue comes in, and if the government is short of money, as it usually is, the debt ceiling is raised so that the government can borrow money for what the knuckledraggers in Congress have already raised and spent the money on for the country. If we don't raise the debt ceiling, we are declaring as a country that we are going into default. For about 100 years the governement has always raised the debt limit, last year was the first time the fools in the House of Representatives (read Republicans, primarily) decided not to do so. The world market went into shock, our credit rating was dropped, and the US stock market lost more than 600 billion dollars. DUH, do we want to go through this again.
The US business community is now telling the Republican party to not pull this stunt again. In fact, business groups are now backing the fact that the idea of using the debt ceiling to leverage party politics needs to end. Basically, because the concept of a US default is bad for business and bad for the country.