Posted on 12/08/2010 11:38:12 AM PST by SharpRightTurn
A Hill source tells us it looks like the House Republican Steering Committee has selected Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky as chairman of the Appropriations Committee and Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan as chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
These are the two worst picks House Speaker-to-be John Boehner could make as Rogers is an earmark-happy Old Bull and Upton is an moderate liberal - aka RINO. It appears House GOP leaders still have not learned that talking the talk but not walking it stopped working in 2006.
The steering committee's recommendations must be approved by the full House GOP caucus. Normally that would be a formality. Perhaps with a bunch of Tea Partiers elected as freshmen last month, we will see Boehner's first leadership crisis if the new blood rebels, as they should.
More details here as they become available. For why Rogers and Upton are the wrong choices, go here.
UPDATE: Politico reporting Rogers, Upton, too Go here and here.
http://www.politichttp://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46097.htmlo.com/news/stories/1210/46096.html
Also, Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-FL, who was the choice of many conservatives, including the editorial page of this newspaper, has issued a statement promising to work with Upton:
I thank the Republican Leadership and the members of the Republican Steering Committee for considering me to chair the House Energy & Commerce Committee. I believe that my background in creating jobs by building my own business, along with my conservative record and experience in chairing a subcommittee, would have made me an effective leader. We have an ambitious agenda to complete promoting job growth and increasing economic opportunities. I look forward to working with Chairman Upton in the new Congress in making the Energy & Commerce Committee a dynamic force for improving our economy and expanding employment.
UPDATE II: Boehner wanted experience, trusts Rogers, Upton to get with the Right program
Here's the explanation you will be hearing from those around House Speaker-to-be John Boehner for the Republican Steering Committee's choices: On Appropriations, Rep. Jerry Lewis of California was term-limited. Next in line was Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, who has long experience on the panel in fighting Democrats on spending issues. There were too many questions regarding Rep. Jack Kingston's political management skills.
On Upton, oversight of EPA is the primary issue for the Energy and Commerce Committee, and Boehner has more confidence in the Michigan representative to carry out such oversight aggressively than would anybody else who was seeking the chairmanship. Like Lewis, Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, the previous GOP chairman, was term-limited.
The Boehner camp is also confident that measures like the earmark moratorium already adopted by the GOP caucus and the committment to seek to reduce federal spending to 2008 levels will suffice to contain any thoughts of a return to the pre-2006 mentality among House Republicans.
This was not said, but the latter point may be the most important because the power of the Speaker's position has been significantly enhanced relative to that of committee chairmen in the past decade that Boehner may be assuming he can keep Rogers and Upton, and any other committee chairmen for that matter, in line with his directives.
That may well prove true, but it also means more than ever that Boehner will be held responsible if Rogers has an earmark relapse or Upton succumbs to the pleas of liberals in Congress and the media to be "responsible" and look the other way as EPA completes its regulatory dismantling of what's left of the free enterprise system in this country.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2010/12/house-gop-steering-committee-hits-ditch-picks-rogers-upton-0#ixzz17Y8KNMtj
Thanks a lot Boehner.
I knew you would suck.
And Fred Upton BETTER DAMN ROLL BACK THE LIGHT BULB FIASCO If not, Senator Clare said we need to get out thwe PITCHFORKS!!
1) These two buzzards still have to be voted on by all the members and I'm sure that if they vote for them, they will extract some real commitments from Boehner.
2) If either of these two screw the pooch, there will be a revolt among the new house members, and Boehner will become the shortest term Majority Leader in history.
The FULL HOUSE GOP caucas has to vote on this FIRST.
CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE, & CHECK OUT REDSATE ON THIS.
“a revolt among the new house members” I’m crossing my fingers on this concept. There are just so MANY temptations: Lobbyists breakfasts; Lobbyists mid-morning Bloody Marys; Lobbyists Lunch; Lobbyists late-afternoon Martini’s; Lobbyists Fundraising Dinners, etc, etc. Oh, did I mention being strong-armed by the “old guard” leaders??
Boehner can be yelled at here:
and here:
http://twitter.com/JOHNBOEHNER>John Boehner on Twitter
...for anyone so inclined to waste their time beating his or her head against the RINO wall.
I know this is nitpicky, but Boehner isn't going to Majority Leader; he's going to be Speaker. But your point stands.
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
You had a lot of potential as a leader, sorry you screwed up so soon.
LLS
And Whore o'the Week: Sobbin' John Boehner
“fat denny”
Fat Denny. Now there’s a blast from the past. I have worried that Boehner could be another in the string of Hastert or Ford go-along-to-get-along House Republican leaders. I just don’t think that Boehner has the gut to go into hand to hand combat with the Marxist firebrands on the other side. I haven’t seen much so far to change that opinion.
What did one expect from a blubbering Boehner on election night? He didn’t look or sound like a leader, and in fact, were it not for the TEA Party, he wouldn’t be a leader in the next Congress.
How has the GOP rewarded the TEA Party? By appointing ruling class RINOs to committee chairmanships...business as usual. Boehner better be reminded that he comes up for election in ‘12, and what the TEA Party gave, it can take away by fielding its own candidates next time. That will be the end of the Republican reprieve.
Per GRADEGOV.COM
Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers is a B.
(Although not all that happy, I can live with Rogers.)
House Finance Committee Chair Spencer Baucus is an F
(THIS is one I CANNOT live with! How about you? Looks like the crooks at the Fed are safe for another 2 years!!)
And FRED UPTON is a C+ at best.
Look like America’s voters have more trash to take out next cycle — starting with the GOP House “leadership.”
Not exactly a RINO but a...
.
I agree and that is why I told her that they would have to earn any of my money in the future.
LLS
You got it!
LLS
Start calling DC right now. Ask Bonehead if he didn’t get the message on November 2nd. You know, before he cried!
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