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Tea Party conservatives booted from prominent committees

Dec. 4, 2012 4:50pm Meredith Jessup

House leadership seems to be sending congressional Republicans a message: Fall in line or fall out of line.

Tea Party conservatives booted from prominent committees

(Image: Getty Images)

The Republican leadership made news this week after plucking outspoken conservatives from influential policy positions on Capitol Hill:

Speaker John A. Boehner initiated today a small purge of rebellious Republicans — mostly conservatives — from prominent committees; it’s the latest instance of the Ohio Republican’s clamping down on his fractious conference.

The decisions were made by the GOP Steering Committee at a Monday meeting, which reviewed a spreadsheet listing each GOP lawmaker and how often he or she had voted with leadership, three sources said.

Reps. David Schweikert of Arizona and Walter Jones of North Carolina were booted from the Financial Services Committee. Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan and Tim Huelskamp of Kansas were removed from the Budget Committee.

According to a source, Schweikert was told that he was ousted in part because his “votes were not in lockstep with leadership.”

Michael Steel, Boehner’s spokesman says the Steering Committee made the decisions based on a number of factors, but except for one or two changes, the axe came down on outspoken conservatives whose priorities weren’t limited to toeing the party line. But in tense fiscal cliff negotiations with the White House, Boehner is flexing his muscle and constructing a united front with all the tools at his disposal.

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Comments (13)

TheVickster
Posted on December 8, 2012 at 9:11pm
And we didn’t see this coming?? The Tuesday of the Republican National Convention the GOP Establishment pulled a major stunt – voting on issues to disenfranchise grassroots movements within their own Party. They stifled and replaced those who wanted to vote Libertarian at the convention and – instead of going through due process – pushed and shoved their way with a “unanimous front” that was both phony and dishonest. Then they wonder why millions of Libertarians failed to show up at the polls?? I made calls ALL DAY Tuesday asking for reponses from major political players with NOT ONE RESPONSE to this day.
But they won’t stop there, will they? Now they go further in disenfranchising our best hopes and purging good representatives from their own committees. Yes, ladies and gentleman, the truth is being shown. No more heads in the sand, no more benefit of the doubt. Time to be brave and take action, as our Founding Fathers before us and blaze not a new trail, but an old one – 235 years old to be exact. Follow the example of Jefferson, Washington, Franklin and Madison and STAND and SPEAK and BREAK AWAY to form a MORE PERFECT UNION for WE THE PEOPLE. Stand and say NO and DON’T BLINK and NEVER BE AFRAID. We have everything to lose by not standing now.

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Bess_Servdkold
Posted on December 5, 2012 at 12:45am
Boehner and Obama are too much alike for me…arbitrary one-man rule- or puppets on a string, your personal call. The House Republicans should remove his teary-eyed royal **** from the leadership position and put a real MAN, or perhaps more to the point, a real WOMAN in his(?) place. It’s obvious that he doesn’t have “the stones” for the job of leading the opposition to socialism and tyranny in the chamber. If that doesn’t happen and it’s business as usual, then I must agree with some others that it’s high time the GOP be pushed off its own cliff and replaced by Constitutional Conservatives with backbone and patriotism as their strongest traits. We are the Tea Party, and we aren’t leaving- get over it Johnny boy- now, get ready for beddie bye, you’ve been up way past your prime!

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christianUSA
Posted on December 5, 2012 at 12:23am
Opinion this clearly shows that progressive repub do not want fiscal conservative, they want war, power, tsa, kgb security, so let them be truly progressive liberals they really want to be; since the Tea and conservative party can not coexist with progressive republicans therefore logically it should leave, stop compromising votes, form its own new moral fiscal responsible party; face it they wore conservative like a white suit to get elected but once in shuck it off for what they really want and throw the teas out in the sea.

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Oneabet
Posted on December 5, 2012 at 12:07am
***** is just another soft communist. Plan and simple!

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pateriot
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 11:10pm
oneirishman, Tolerating the RINO Republicans is worse than fruitless, it is destructive to our country!

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pateriot
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 11:07pm
I’m about as sick of the Republicans in Congress as I am the Democrats. At least we expect to be stabbed in the back by the Democrats. We need to sweep the Socialist lights and career politicians out and replace them with Conservatives. If we take a principled stance and lose it is far preferable to waving a white flag and joining the enemy of this country and of Liberty!

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Lifewasgood
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 8:13pm
Well, Well, Well,
The Old Republican Party is still drinking the cool aid thinking they can control the vote by simply pushing the Constitutional Conservatives to the side. Failing to realize they are losing elections because they failed to recognize Conservatism as the missing piece they need to succeed. Had the Republican’s recognized the Ron Paul folks and embraced Reforming Monetary Policy, Taxation and out of control military spending, Romney would be President Elect right now.

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FEMALL
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 7:41pm
Could there be a challenge in the new congress 2013 for Speaker? FACT: Although the Constitution does not require the Speaker to be a Member of the House, all Speakers have been Members.

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TheMajority
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 6:45pm
Doesn’t this show that the tax payers, who are the base of the TEA party, have no representation?

Why are we paying taxes, with no representation? Why should we follow any law they make, with no representation?

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BetterNTexas
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 6:08pm
Dear Boehner:

You are in power due to the TEA party. 2010 is not a distant memory. 2012 kept you in power. If you want the same thing to happen again in 2016, watch your step. Otherwise you’ll be looking at 2006.

Sincerely,
A Fed Up Fiscal Conservative.

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jdh5750
Posted on December 4, 2012 at 5:59pm
If Republicans keep turning left I’m sure the gavel will be returned to Nancy in 2 years. Time for a NEW PARTY, get started now!!

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- Oneirishman
  Posted on December 4, 2012 at 6:34pm
  I agree. I joined the Tea Party to save this great country. Even if we lose majority in the house we need to break from the RINO Republican Party. Staying with them is fruitless.
  
  Report this comment
- Pyronaught
  Posted on December 4, 2012 at 9:32pm
  A new party will only split the conservative vote. What we need is a way to take over the Republican party and purge all the compromising, weak willed, progressive RINOs like Boehner. The problem is that new challengers often suck as much as those already in office. The right kind of people never want to run for office, leaving only the charlatans.
  
  Report this comment

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