Boehner is offering one of the 80 incoming Freshmen a seat at the Republican leadership table. It’s a good idea and he shouldn’t be lauded as a genius–he simply isn’t in a coma and realizes 80 new people, swept in by an angry electorate, had better get some voice in leadership. This could also be an end-run around Michele Bachmann’s run for Republican Conference Chair. This should not stop her. There is not some ‘quota’ for Tea Party voices. At least Boehner better not think so. No is the Tea Party an idea that can be co-opted with little presents and committee assignments. Our Newbie Congressmen and women had better keep their wits about them.
My choice for the Freshman on the House leadership team? Allen West, of course, and independent conservative who cannot be bought. West will not be ‘led,’ he’ll do the leading.
GOP Leaders Give Freshmen More Say
In a nod to the strength of their newest constituency, House Republican leaders will grant incoming freshmen more say in the party’s direction than most first-term lawmakers receive.
House Republican Leader John Boehner and his No. 2, party Whip Eric Cantor, will notify newly elected Republicans Tuesday that one member of their class will get a seat at the leadership table and another two will be given spots on the Steering Committee, which decides committee assignments and chairmanships in the new Congress.
“The incoming GOP freshman class will have a larger voice at the leadership table and on the Steering Committee than previous GOP freshman classes in previous Congresses,” according to an advanced copy of the letter.
Members of the class will run for these positions, along with those of class president and freshman representative to the policy committee, on Nov. 17 after the entire Republican caucus selects its leaders for the next two years, according to the letter.
With 80-plus new members, the freshmen class will be an influential group. Many claim strong ties to Tea Party activists who bickered frequently with the party establishment in the run-up to last week’s midterm election. Messrs Boehner and Cantor and others have promised to make sure these newly elected lawmakers play a prominent role in deciding the party’s path forward.
tammy…maybe he realizes that if he doesn’t do what the tea party wants, he’ll be voted out in 2 years…i HOPE the tea party keeps him in their sites for the next 2 years..i just heard cantor speak on greta tonite, and i gotta say, he’s such a dam whimp, and for some reason he looks like he’s gotta take a crap most of the time…lol …am i the only one who notices this?
I saw Cantor on Greta too, Sharky, and while he managed to say some of the right buzz words, he does seem like a wuss to me. Then again, comparing any of these guys to Allen West is probably not fair. 😉
If nothing else, it’s smart P.R. to put some Tea Party people front and center but the Republican establishment is mistaken if they think we can be dazzled by a pure P.R. move. If they do indeed do this but believe that we will be placated with nice window dressing, then we’ll really know that they didn’t get the message. This election was not a ringing endorsement of Republicans. It was an endorsement of authentic conservatism.
yeh i agree…i think the REAL tea party people have gotta get on TV right away and convey to the american people exactly what they wanna do, and not let the GOP players like cantor, boner, and mcconnell speak for them…we NEED to see all the new faces all over the media so the public can see they’re great reps! once the american people see how great the tea party reps are, they’ll want to flush out the entire congress with them!
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Is this an attempt appease the Tea Party and avoid giving Michele Bachmann a position of leadership?