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In January of 2013 T.W. Shannon established two milestones. He became the first black speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. And, at the age of 34, he became Oklahoma’s youngest House speaker in history. Also noteworthy is that this young black American is a Republican. Now T.W. Shannon is making new headlines. He has stepped down from his position as House speaker to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Oklahoma Republican Senator Tom Coburn. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex) has just joined Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Dr. Ben Carson and Sarah Palin in endorsing Shannon. Should Shannon...

A plan by President Obama and fellow Democrats to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour would cost roughly 500,000 jobsbut increase wages for roughly 16.5 million Americans, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday. The report was immediately met with sharp Republican criticism for the wake hike plan. “While helping some, mandating higher wages has real costs, including fewer people working,” said a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. “With unemployment Americans' top concern, our focus should be creating -- not destroying -- jobs for those who need them most.” ...Republicans argued the report puts authoritative weight...

I have confirmed with a group of Congressmen that House Speaker John Boehner will not be reelected Speaker tomorrow. He will either resign or be forced out tomorrow. Only 17 members are needed to block Speaker Boehner's election tomorrow. A Speaker needs an absolute majority of all votes cast for a specific person. If no one has a majority, the House is speakerless. I've confirmed these rules with the House Parliamentarian.

In an article published Friday by the Buzz, the idea of Debbie Wasserman Schultz running for Florida governor is said to be the subject of “intriguing chatter around some political circles in Washington DC.” The very thought of it strikes fear into many Florida conservatives.

NASHVILLE – State Rep. Jimmy Naifeh of Covington – the son of Lebanese emigrants who served as House speaker longer than anyone in Tennessee history – announced on the House floor today that he won’t run for re-election this year after 38 years in the General Assembly. Naifeh, 72, a Democrat, was first elected to the House in 1974 and re-elected 18 times. The House elected him its speaker, the chamber’s presiding officer, for nine two-year terms from 1991 until 2009 when Republicans won a House majority. He’s remained an outspoken House member since then. Addressing his colleagues on the...

One of the modern day dynamics of the House Speaker transition between Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner is the handing over of something much more far-reaching than the Speaker’s gavel: the “Speaker” handle on Twitter.Late Tuesday evening, hours before the Wednesday kick-off of the 112th Congress, Rep. Pelosi dutifully ceded the use of @SpeakerPelosi in exchange for @NancyPelosi. Meanwhile, @JohnBoehner remains to be actively used by the entering Speaker (he also used @GOPLeader, but that account has been handed over to Majority Leader-elect Eric Cantor), while @SpeakerBoehner appears to be locked for eventual use by the Ohio congressman became the...

Hope for America, finally...

Incoming Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said incoming Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is "known to cry." "You know what? He is known to cry. He cries sometimes when we're having a debate on bills. If I cry, it's about the personal loss of a friend or something like that. But when it comes to politics — no, I don't cry. I would never think of crying about any loss of an office, because that's always a possibility, and if you're professional, then you deal with it professionally," Pelosi (D-Calif.) told the New York Times magazine. Read the rest at The Hill Wow...That,...

If soon-to-be-ousted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is known for her steely smile and composure, her replacement, John Boehner, has a reputation for tearing up. It starts with a quaver in the Ohio Republican's voice. Then there's a pregnant pause as he tries — usually unsuccessfully — to keep his feelings in check. Soon, he's choking out words in a rush of emotion, shaking his head and waving his hands as he tries to pull himself together. It happened most recently when Boehner took his first turn on stage after Republicans seized control of the House in the midterm elections

Dear Speaker Boehner/Cantor/Bachmann/Whomever, Speaking as a citizen, a conservative, and a Tea Partier, I’d like to give you some advice as you prepare to take up the reins for the 112th Congressional session. These suggestions come from my desire to get our country back on track, to mitigate the disasters wrought by the 111th Congress, and to start Congress delving into the bigger picture about what will happen to America if we allow ourselves to continue on our current path. They are very simple suggestions, and I hope you will take them in the spirit in which they are offered....

How to win a free copy of “She’s the Boss: The Disturbing Truth About Nancy Pelosi,” by Rochelle Schweizer: Sentinel was kind enough to give me three copies of the book to give away to readers of Hope is Not a Foreign Policy. The rules are simple. For each action you take (see list below), leave a comment indicating what you have done. Leave a new comment for each new action that you take. For example, if you blog about the giveaway on your blog, leave a comment. If you post the giveaway on your Facebook News Feed, leave a...

A House Democratic lawmaker said late last week that he'd heard Nancy Pelosi wouldn't seek another term as Speaker.Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) said that not only would he not back Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker again, but also that he'd heard she would not seek another term in that position. "From what we're hearing, she's probably not going to run for Speaker again," McIntyre told WWAY-TV in North Carolina. "And if she does, I'm confident she's going to have opposition, and I look forward to supporting that opposition."Read the rest at The Hill...if you must --------------------------------------------- Do you see what this...

Though obvious to political junkies, it's not obvious to everyone. And, it's a wedge issue that Republicans can use to split independents away from die-hard Democrats. This sums up the mid-term election issues very nicely: every Democrat elected to the House of Representatives will vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Yes, every Democrat elected to the House of Representatives in November will vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker in January.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's starring role in the health care reform fight may make her a hero in her own party, but it also guarantees the San Francisco Democrat will be the poster girl for Republican attacks come this fall. "She will have a starring role in a lot of campaigns across America if Republicans have their way," said Hoover Institution fellow Bill Whalen."She is tailor-made for attack ads, given where she is from and the way she looks," Whalen said, referring to Pelosi's image as a well-heeled latte liberal. And while her seat in Congress probably won't be in...

The government watchdog group Judicial Watch obtained documents from the Air Force detailing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s use of US Air Force aircraft for Congressional Delegations (CODELs). According to the documents obtained by Judicial Watch through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Speaker’s military travel cost the United States Air Force $2,100,744.59 over a two-year period — $101,429.14 of which was for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol. The following are highlights from the recent release of about 2,000 documents related to Pelosi's travel: •Speaker Pelosi used Air Force aircraft to travel back to her district at an average...

(01-20) 04:00 PST Washington - -- If the late Edward Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat isn't safe for Democrats, is Nancy Pelosi's speakership of the House safe? The answer is yes, unless there's a Republican landslide in November. Forty Democratic House members would have to lose their seats to topple the San Francisco Democrat from the third-highest elected job in the country, just two steps down from the presidency. Even before a stunning Republican victory in Tuesday's special election in Massachusetts rocked Democrats coast to coast a day before the anniversary of President Obama's inauguration a year ago, political handicappers were...

Man, Drudge is finding some of the MOST unflattering pics of SanFranGranNan, notwithstanding the evil subject!! LOL.

One of the things that political pros often overestimate is how well known politicians are. Nancy Pelosi is one of the most visible elected politicians in the country and the first woman ever to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Rasmussen Reports recently asked voters their opinion of “Nancy Pelosi” and the responses were mixed. Forty-six percent (46%) offered a favorable opinion and 50% an unfavorable view. Just half the nation’s voters voiced a strong opinion about Pelosi—14% Very Favorable and 36% Very Unfavorable. However, in a separate survey conducted the same night, Rasmussen Reports asked voters their...

Leadership: Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims she has no use for polls. For her, that's a good thing, because polls now show that voters despise her. But a politician who disdains public approval should be a little disturbing.Not every House leader has been popular, but none have reached the nadir of Pelosi. Last week, a Public Strategies/Politico poll showed she is now trusted by fewer than one out of four voters. Asked for a reaction by Politico's Glenn Thrush on Monday, Pelosi laughed it off, declaring "I don't care." A response like that can only come from someone so securely unaccountable...

NASHVILLE — Over the weekend, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele ventured into Tennessee House Speaker Kent Williams’ backyard in upper East Tennessee and pledged to oust Williams next year. The Kingsport Times-News quoted Steele as saying: “I got a bull’s eye right on his back and we’re taking him out.” Williams is the second-term legislator and Elizabethton restaurateur who stunned fellow Tennessee Republicans when he joined the House’s 49 Democrats in voting for himself for speaker Jan. 13 to defeat his own Republican Caucus’ nominee. For that, the Tennessee Republican Party declared he was no longer a member of the...