Will John Boehner Promote Spencer Bachus? The First Big Test For The New Speaker

Hugh Hewitt.com ^ | November 7,2010 | Hugh Hewitt

[Hojczyk]

Spencer Bachus is trying to dig out out of the hole he dug when he slammed Sarah Palin this weekend.

Bachus is in line to chair the powerful Financial Services Committee, but is facing a challenge from Ed Royce of California, and now from pro-Palin Tea Partiers who will watch this decision by John Boehner for signs of old boy networks trumping the new politics of grass roots activism.

Most of the focus of the Tea Party activists had been on the competition between Fred Upton and John Shimkus for chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but with Bachus' shot at Palin the spotlight has shifted to the Bachus-Royce race.

If an obscure Beltway conservative can knock Palin and still garner the Speaker's blessing for a coveted chair many of the activists will have their first particular in a bill of indictment for business-as-usual.

UPDATE: Sarah weighs in. Now the story is huge for Boehner. Does he get into a fight with SP before he gets the gavel?

As I have been saying on the show today, there is a second aspect to this story, which is Congressman Bachus' cluelessness about how the new media works. You cannot slam Sarah Palin in Alabama and not know it will be driving talk radio and the blogs 48 hours later and expect to be leader of a major committee. It is a foreshadowing of new media cluelessness that could cripple GOP efforts when to comes to repealing Obamacare and engineering robust economic growth. Message discipline is the key to success these days, and Spencer Bachus does not appear to have figured this out.

UPDATE: Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe blasts Bachus comments. Expect more and more conservatives to distance themselves from Bachus. Hard to see John Boehner starting out his tenure by promoting the Alabama congressman. Go to article for links

[Hojczyk]

Go to article for links to story

[84rules]

I cannot repeat this often enough: The Tea Party does NOT need the GOP, but the GOP definitely needs the Tea Party. Boehner had better show that he understands this fact and he needs to show it fast.

[LibLieSlayer]

The TEA PARTY will replace the repubics if they blow it this time.

LLS

[Diogenesis]

“I will use the Committee to attack conservative GOP women for my cowardly Master, Mitt Romney.
I will use the Committee to protect we who support Obama and the DNC.
Now click here to get to my PIMP PAGE for Mitt Romney.”

[wita]

Any more of this crap and 2012 could be a lot more interesting than anyone ever thought. Why pray tell is any R congressjerk saying anything bad about anyone except people with a D beside their name? Especially any Tparty types who literally gave the Republican Party, one more chance to get it right. Screw this up Congressional Republicans, and there will be no more Republican Party, that is the voice of the people I’m hearing.

[Rocky]

First of all, he’s just following the party line. It’s “get Sarah Palin” time.

Second of all, even if the Republicans had been able to win in Delaware and Nevada (and that’s a big if), that doesn’t give them a majority in the Senate.

[misterrob]

Really? The Tea Party is going to vote Democrat if the Repubs don’t do their bidding? What happens when the more centrist people (WTF that means anymore) wind up going Democrat?

[Diogenesis]

”Why pray tell is any R congressjerk saying anything bad about anyone except people with a D beside their name?
Especially any Tparty types who literally gave the Republican Party,
one more chance to get it right.”

Mitt Romney: "They do it for me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me. Me.
I'm not running as the Republican view or a continuation of Republican values.
That's not what brings me to the race.
(Romney Video, accessed 9/19/07)

---

"We don't intend to turn the Republican Party
 over to the traitors in the battle just ended.
We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged
 to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support.
Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates
wouldn’t make any sense at all.""
--  President Ronald Reagan

[ClearCase_guy]

I have pretty much voted straight Republican (a few Libertarian votes in my past) since 1978. But that's over now. I vote for Conservatives, and if there is no Conservative, I'll stay home or leave spots blank.

I'm not alone. The GOP needs to move Right, or they will lose a good chunk of their base.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We’re watching, John. Don’t pull a ...

[Paladin2]

Bachus certainly seems to represent a seriously gerrymandered Congressional District.

[harpu]

but4later

[Colonel_Flagg]

It is a foreshadowing of new media cluelessness

No. It is a new era of accountability for public officials.

[jerry557]

This isnt about Palin. This is Bachus bashing the Tea Party saying they would have the Senate if it wasnt for the Tea Party candidates like O’Donnell and Angle.

This is not going to be easy. There are establishment Republicans in the party that hate the Tea Party probably more than the liberals do.

Have you heard people like Lisa Murkowski talk? These establishment people feel as if the GOP is their party and believe the Tea Party is trying to steal it. That’s the frame of mind those people have.

[yellowhorse]

I cannot repeat this often enough: The Tea Party does NOT need the GOP, but the GOP definitely needs the Tea Party. Boehner had better show that he understands this fact and he needs to show it fast.

Amen. And Amen.

[Huebolt]

Boehner needs to give the message:

"I DON'T CONTROL THE VOTE OF AMERICANS WHO SUPPORTED US THIS TIME."

The media insist that the Republican Party leader is actually in control of the Tea Party rebellion. Boehner should say "The democrat party voter IS under the control of the party leader. Their leader says "vote for this candidate" and the slavish voters do exactly that. If the master says "jump", the slaves say "How high boss?".

He needs to really PUBLICIZE the intimidation and outright threats used against UNION MEMBERS.

The democrats need to be exposed as the once and future PARTY OF SLAVERY that they are.

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

Tea Party activists could primary Republican incumbents with some chance of success esp if DeMint and palin get involved also.

Also, I have been wondering if some of this talk implies that a group of conservative Repubs who are tea party sympathizers, if they sense the R”s are unwilling to take on the debt, would leave the R party and start their own, at least in some districts. I think this when i hear talk about the R’s “going the way of the Whigs.” I think on a local level a third party could work in some areas but nationally of course very very risky.

[84rules]

The Tea Party is going to vote Democrat if the Repubs don’t do their bidding?

I honestly don't know where this came from or the logic that you followed to come to this conclusion. You seem to have an oversimplified view of A) how the system works and B) exactly what the Tea Party did during this last election cycle.

First off, not supporting the GOP does not automatically mean supporting the Dems as you seem to believe. There are other players in this game. Maybe Libertarians or maybe Constitution Party candidates. The Tea Party will collectively support those candidates that believe that smaller-government, lower taxes and more individual fereedom are the way to go. It just so happens that most of those candiates were on the GOP ticket this time around.

Secondly, the GOP cannot survive without those votes, at least they cannot survive as an effective political entity. If the GOP doesn't get with the program by 2012, they can be effectively marginalized and the Tea Party Revolution will move on to the next set of candidates who embrace a classical liberal philosphy.

[Pan_Yan]

Pingaroo.