Louie Gohmert to challenge John Boehner for Speaker
But does he have a chance?
Rep. Louie Gohmert announded on Fox and Friends this morning that he will challenge John Boehner for Speaker of the House:
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) announced on “Fox and Friends Weekend” this morning that he will challenge John Boehner for Speaker of the House when Congress returns to Washington this week.
“We have heard from a lot of Republicans that said, ‘Gee, I would vote for somebody besides Speaker Boehner.’ But nobody will put their name out there as running, so there’s nobody else to vote for,” Gohmert told Tucker Carlson.
Gohmert said that changed yesterday when Rep. Ted Yoho (R-MN) announced his candidacy.
Gohmert then announced that he too will be a candidate for Speaker.
“A poll came out Friday saying 60-percent or more of Republicans in the country that voted in the last election, including independents who voted Republican, they want a change, they want a different Speaker,” he said.
Gohmert said as Speaker, he would fight Obama’s amnesty plan tooth and nail, use the powers of the purse, have better government oversight and fight to defund ObamaCare.
“We’ll get back to appropriating and we will go through regular committee process, so everybody, every representative from both parties will have a chance to participate in the process and not have a dictator running things,” Gohmert said. “It will be regular order where people can participate and have their representatives represent them.”
I have no way of assessing Goehmerts chances. Anyone have an informed take on it?
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Comments
Gohmert would be a much better speaker. He’s no Rhino who will say one thing and turn around and do the opposite.
I’d vote for this guy 218 times.
As a constituent of the current Speaker, his district likely agrees.
We feel betrayed by our elected representative .. that he would actively engage in dividing the Conservative Republican party, then betray us ALL w/ Cromnibus.
WE want our Republican Party BACK!
I too am an 8th District constituent (Tipp City). Honestly, I voted for the Democrat – whoever he was. I couldn’t bring myself to vote for that backstabber.
Gohmert would be excellent.
Heritage gives Rep. Gohmert a Lifetime Average scorecard of 92%. I’m for him!
So, do Yoho and Gohmert now split the anti-Boehner vote between them? Smart!
Daniel Horowitz at Conservative Review has a myth-vs-fact post where he answers your (and other) question here:
https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2015/01/myth-vs-fact-speakers-election
He’s saying the right things. That ought to count for something.
Boehner’s ACTIONS spoke FAR louder than his words.
Remember “Who’s going to jail?”
If the other members of the House care for their country and their party, they will vote for Gohmert. If all they care about is their percs, they will vote for Boehner.
I therefore predict Boehner in a landslide.
The first thing is, the vote is not secret. And Boehner doesn’t mind stripping reps of committee positions if they don’t vote as he wishes on legislation. Second, as Rep. Gohmert points out, they only need 29 votes on the first ballot for Boehner to lose reelection. Then they can go to a 2nd or 3rd ballot as needed. I don’t believe Boehner would seek Dem votes, because it would be too obvious.
There were 3 votes against Boehner in November ( I don’t understand why there’s a vote in November and January, but whatever). I don’t remember who the three were, except my rep. Barry Loudermilk, newly elected, voted against him. Now we have Bridenstine, probably those same three from previously, Yoho, and Gohmert. So things have picked up.
Undoubtedly there’s a great deal of talk behind the scenes by those opposed to Boehner. The question is whether people vote in public as they’ve talked in private. For as long as Boehner has been so awful, I’ve thought they should change to a secret ballot for this position. The retaliation factor is bad for the country.
And BTW, it doesn’t matter if Yoho and Gohmert split the vote, as long as they prevent Boehner from getting 218 on the first ballot. The good thing about this is, the more that rise against Boehner, the safer it is for others to come out in opposition publicly.
Yoho is a large animal vet, I haven’t heard him speak much. However, he offered an amendment opposing the unconstitutional exec amnesty and spoke with Laura Ingraham on her show. He just didn’t see how ineffectual his proposal was; Laura did. So he may not be quit grasping how this works yet. I don’t know how long he’s been in office, but Laura was quite right on how his bill was going to, and did work out.
I’d say this has a 50/50 chance.
If the vote looks close to the magic 29, I expect the floodgates could open. At that point the new speaker will be someone whose name is not currently on the table.
Very good point.
My guess is the establishment will win. Again.
The Chamber of Crony Capitalism and other big donors were extremely effective at neutralizing Tea Party insurgents in November. They have lots of chits to call in and undoubtedly are working the phones.
Do House Republicans want to represent the people who vote for them, or the people who fund their campaigns that want to preserve the status quo? My guess is the money will win out. It usually does.
They think we are stupid.
Many like myself who RE-ELECTED John Boehner are speaking out on his betrayal and those who lied to get it passed.
If leaders can for a moment, dismiss the thought of ‘chits’,favors, personal payoff, money or threats and do what is RIGHT for the American people, the rewards will come. PROMISE.
We ALL NOW realize the ONLY other vote we have, is with our dollars.
We ARE watching you Congress! You are our only hope against this lawless Administration. Please don’t fail us.
It really is a breathtaking opportunity – a chance to turn defeatism on its head, exactly what is needed in the otherwise moribund Republican party. My rep is Walter Jones, so my part is done – as far as I can tell, if your address does not fit, other reps won’t give you the time of day. However, how long has it been since we had leadership that could use the phrase “cast aspersions on my asparagus”?
http://www.glennbeck.com/2014/04/09/louie-gohmert-explains-why-his-infamous-asparagus-comment-was-actually-not-a-mistake/
Boehner seems like the door-to-door life insurance salesman I used to see in my youth-a Willy Loman legend in his own mind.
Rep. Gohmert said everything I wanted to hear this morning on Fox News.
You can’t really fight an established player like a speaker, they just give away taxpayers money until the congressman is bought. You really only have an in when you have someone like gingrich who tries to reduce spending. Its hard to vote for america when there is a pile of money being offered not too.
When my formerly reliable Conservative representative Lynn Westmoreland was appointed to the House Select Committee on Benghazi, I had a sinking feeling that thereafter he’d “toe the line” for Boehner (and he has).
Hmm .. what should that tell us?
Someone besides Hillary KNEW?
America switched sides in the War on Terror at Benghazi.
MUST SEE video w/ knowledgeable Research analyst with details & answers.
http://dailycaller.com/2014/08/17/benghazi-when-america-switched-sides-in-the-war-on-terror-and-armed-al-qaida/
I first heard Louie Gohmert speak during a Friday afternoon ‘phone interview with Mark Levin. (Mr. Levin had contacted him to invite comment on the most recent outrageous act by our chief executive…I can’t remember which one, there have been so many.)
Representative Gohmert consented to the interview even though he was in a bit of a hurry, returning to Texas to attend the funeral of one of his constituents who was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. He spoke with heartfelt emotion in mentioning the serviceman who’d given the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
I remember thinking, “Texas is lucky to be represented by Louie Gohmert,” and I’m very pleased to see him contending for the Speaker’s gavel.
What a sad set of choices for Speaker. Boehner is pseudoconservative who has been outmaneuvered at every turn by the dems.
Gohmert is capable and conservative. He’s also a walking, talking, lightning rod highlight reel of every kind of sound bite that the mainstream media loves to use to paint the Republican party as fanatics, bullies, and dolts.
Yoho just finished unpacking the last boxes in his move into his US rep office suite, plus his name is “Yoho”.
Please, for the love of God, out of over 200 veteran Republican congressmen, find someone more qualified than these three.
Trey Gowdy comes to mind.
Great call. Gowdy would be a MUCH better choice than these three. Defeated a popular but decreasingly conservative tenured incumbent in his initial primary. An exceptionally capable, composed, and persistent point man and leader during hearings on high-profile events like the Benghazi debacle, the IRS attacks, and the assisted career suicide of Jonny Gruber.
Since there’s no edit feature, to my comment I would add that Paul Ryan has taken dumps that would make a better speaker than these three candidates. Alas, it appears that he’s more likely to go home than go big.
Bummer, but whatever he needs to do to be a better candidate in 2016. America’s future is almost certainly fiscally f#@%ed, but if anyone can get us out of the ditch instead of rolling over, it’s Ryan.
His rational, informed, respectful evisceration of Obama’s miniscule knowledge of the budget (and the resulting childish Obama backlashes) alone make him worthy of consideration for the nomination.
Your comments are unworthy of Rep. Gohmert, and are frankly completely revolting. This isn’t a casting call for a suave and debonair James Bond. This is for someone who will try to get Americans back to work, and illegal aliens and terrorists off our soil, and the federal government off the backs of our physicians.
Kowtowing to the MSM and their unique position which permits them to finely strain ANYONE’S comments until they find something they can mock, permits them to continue to be the gatekeeper, something which they are most definitely unqualified to do.
“Finely strain” his comments? Sweet, smoking Jesus. You couldn’t stop Gohmert from stepping on his own d!ck if you sawed his feet off.
He has an admirably conservative voting record and is wildly popular in his district. That being said, he has made comments that have undeniably been a liability to the image of the Republican party, and in some cases rightly so.
Contrary to what many hyper-partisan people in both parties believe, there really are independents and moderates out there whose vote is determined by factors beyond the R or the D after the candidate’s name on the ballot.
Flipping them off by voting Gohmert the speaker out of resentment for Boehner’s shortcomings would be almost exactly the same brand of self defeat as voting democrat in an election to punish the Republican party for nominating candidates who aren’t conservative enough.
At any rate, as Doug WOG and Estragon rightly pointed out, it’s highly improbable that even an unpopular speaker will be voted out in favor of Yoho or Gohmert, two guys whose mention as a speaker candidate elicit the responses ‘Who?’ and ‘Him?!?’ respectively from most people who have at least a casual interest in politics.
What I’ve gleaned from your comments is an inappropriate desire to insert degraded sexual and excrement terms into a political discussion.
I have no use for any “analysis” from such a degraded person.
Pythias: Do you think, maybe, you could speak like a grown-up? Your ideas may (highlight may) have merit, but when your language is that of a badly behaved fourteen year old you undermine whatever argument you are trying to make.
The only arguments against my opinion appear to be random ‘thumbs down’ clicks and puritanical objections to language. What a dreadfully inadequate counterargument to set forth when your conservative values are on the line. Are you for real?
Dear Karen,
As a proudly American veteran who gladly served his country as a naval aviator in Desert Storm, what could you possibly imagine that you’re talking about?
Louis Gohmert is not going to be house speaker. No rational human being could either believe it would happen or wish for it. And much to your chagrin, people who disagree with you will continue to eat, sleep, and breathe, your histrionic, adolescent name calling notwithstanding.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2015/01/for-speaker-louis-gohmert.php
Odd. Here’s a guy “interested in politics”…and a whole lot more respected than you…who disagrees.
I’m with him. “Slick” is not a virtue in my book, though it appears an essential in yours.
Piss off, rag pile. If either you or Powerline had even an inkling of who and what Gohmert is, you would stop wagging your tongues.
It’s fine to be disappointed with Boehner. He’s let the Republican party down. But that doesn’t, by default, lend credibility to anyone opposing him as speaker.
And despite whatever conservative merits Gohmert may have, he’s a total clusterf#ck as a politician, and if you can’t understand that, you don’t have a dog in this hunt.
If you were an observant person…at all, you’d have noted in your childhood that “arrogance”, “ignorance”, and “stupid” make a particularly rank stew.
But, alas…
IMHO, Gohmert is a stalking horse and the real alternative to Boehner will appear after the first vote fails to elect a new Speaker. Question is, who? Shouldn’t be either Scalise or that Majority Leader guy from California.
I’ve heard from the grapevine that Rep. Tom Price from Georgia wants to be speaker. But I’m sure he’s a cautious person, so I doubt he’ll stick his head out now.
Laughable. For someone quick to dish out angry, ignorant criticisms, you say a lot of stupid things.
It’s a joke.
Last week Gohmert said “we have met with 16-20 Republicans about opposing Boehner.” Oddly enough, that was the exact range of anti-Boehner votes he projected in the 2013 vote. There were 9.
Of those nine, one has already endorsed Boehner and one is no longer in office. Two of the freshman class have announced they will vote against Boehner. That brings us back to nine. Twelve may be do-able. 20 is not. 29 is a fantasy born of delusion.
– –
By all means, call or write your GOP Rep to tell him to vote against Boehner. Be sure to give your name. That way, they will know to put future communications from you into the nut case file instead of wasting their time.
Absolutely. We’re nuts to think saving the country is as important as having coffee in the morning.
Fanatical, self-righteous oafs with nothing to say and no way to say it (not saying you’re one) are killing the Republican party, whether they know it or not.
Innumerable dems are doing the same. Let’s let them win this race to the bottom, if nothing else out of pity that they got crushed in the midterms.
Own Gohmert’s litany of quotation napalm, deconstruct every one of the more than one hundred more qualified alternatives’ resumes, or s t whatever is within you civil political discourse purview substitutes for f u.
I’m a conservative Republican voter who served in Desert Storm, so you can spare me the troll speech. But not liking Gohmert is not the same as being an Obama acolyte, and realizing that difference is your path to wellness.
Having voted for and lived in the district of a Republican who was a reliably and admirably conservative rep who almost never missed a chance to damage the party with idiotic sound bites, I find your posts to be…
…well, if I were you, I’d call them anti-American. If I were you. Because you’re willing to throw down the gloves when someone disagrees with you, at the drop of a hat
The voting system hates veterans?
No reply about Gohmert’s record. So that’s a concession that he’s horribly unqualified.
More a showing that nobody here finds you worth a damn. Learn to read.
When Drunks lead Congress disaster is the only option. http://www.capitolhillblue.com/node/49470
If ‘conservative’ Congressmen do not publicly vote against Boehner for fear of him, then screw them – at least we know who we can trust and who we cannot.
The ironic thing is that Boehner is easy to push around, and ultimately dump – it just takes doing it.
Boehner has rolled over more than Evel Knievel and Madonna combined.
As historically and rightly unpopular as Boehner ended up being in the speaker vote, the bright side is that the party was not stupid enough to commit political suicide by giving even token support to a huge liability like Gohmert.
Wow. Did Gohmert Pile get even one vote other than his own? That’s not just pathetic, it’s Dumb and Dumber, “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!” bad. Boehner is a disappointment; Gohmert was a disaster waiting to happen.
Oooh, Gomer got TWO other votes besides his own. That’s TWO more than Rand Paul and Colin Powell each got, and as far as I know, neither is a US representative.
Here’s hoping that the two goofs who voted for him will be asked to comment on whatever Gomer gaffe that Louie Louie commits next.
So there were fewer non-Gomer votes for Gomer than there were for non-members of the House?
Big day for the Louie Louies. Thanks for the hate certain posters stirred in with their horribly misguided support.
http://thisistwitchy.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/jerkdouche.jpg?w=450
Actually, you’ve removed all doubt.
Your representation of the attitude of the 131 Gomer backers in America is supposed to slow his sweep into the dustbin of history how, exactly?