A North-South split surfaces among Republicans in Congress
To understand the depth of the Republican dilemma that continues to brew in Washington, you only needed to listen to two voices last week.
One belonged to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The primal scream he aimed at his fellow Republicans in the 112th Congress, who on their final day refused to take up a $60 billion relief bill for Hurricane Sandy victims, rumbled across the right-left spectrum of cable TV news.
Most outlets focused on Christie’s criticism of John Boehner. The House speaker was to face re-election by his GOP caucus the next day. But the New Jersey governor dropped large hints that his real target was the dominating right wing of the House GOP caucus, peopled primarily by Southern conservatives.
“New Jersey and New Yorkers are tired of being treated as second-class citizens,” Christie said. “New Jersey deserves better than the duplicity we saw displayed last night.”
“[The bill] just could not overcome the toxic internal politics of the House majority,” the governor said. Christie was asked to identify the culprits. “They know who they are,” he said.
On that same Wednesday, only a few hours earlier, U.S. Rep. Tom Price, the Republican from Roswell, had dialed into a radio talk show in Washington. The topic was the House vote on the “fiscal cliff” agreement, and Price did more than hint at the regional split in his caucus.
“If you look at the votes that were ‘yes’ on the Republican side – there were 85 of them. Seventy of them come from blue states,” Price said. Nearly 90 percent of House Republicans from the South and border states voted against the Senate measure that was produced by negotiations between Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Vice President Joe Biden.
A similar percentage of Northeastern Republicans (far fewer in raw numbers) voted yes.
“I think this is a red-state, blue-state issue,” Price said. “It’s a different conversation that we need to have within our own conference as we move forward.”
When the time came, Price would endorse Boehner’s re-election. But he was clearly dangling himself as rallying point for his caucus’ most conservative members.
Price ended the interview with this thought: “I think we need red-state representation in both our leadership as well as the organizing committees that we have.” Boehner, of course, is from Ohio. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor represents Virginia, which has slipped into swing-state status.
Disregard the fact that Price, despite his years in the Georgia General Assembly, is a Michigan import. The Roswell congressman was declaring the need for House Republican leaders who are not just more conservative, but more Southern as well.
This is an important point, because Republicans have nearly maxed out in the South. Future gains will come from elsewhere, in states with districts less solidly Republican. So Price’s argument could be interpreted as one of consolidation of the House GOP majority, not expansion.
Larry Sabato, the University of Virginia political scientist, was among the first to spot last week’s regional split. Price is far from alone, he said.
“To get a bunch of Republicans from the Northeast or even some of the urban-suburban Midwestern states is to guarantee that the moderates have more weight. They don’t want that,” Sabato said. “They would prefer to have a smaller majority. I think some would prefer to be in the minority.”
Remember that former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who just left to head the Heritage Foundation, famously declared that he’d rather have a group of committed conservatives in the Senate than a majority.
It is a peculiarly Southern trait, as many of our ancestors can attest, to prefer principle – whether right or wrong – over what might be considered natural self-interest. “There’s nothing in the law or Constitution that says a party has to win,” Sabato said.
On Friday, a chastened but re-elected Boehner put the first of three Hurricane Sandy aid bills up for a vote before the newly seated 113th Congress. It passed easily, 354 to 67. All votes in opposition were cast by Republicans. Thirty-one came from the Deep South, including five from Georgia. Price’s vote was among them.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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192 comments Add your comment
F. Sinkwich
January 5th, 2013
9:20 pm
Sarcasm. Missed it…
td
January 5th, 2013
9:21 pm
Corey
January 5th, 2013
9:09 pm
I do know a little black history.
How about the fact that a African American was the first man in America to own a slave? Anthony Johnson look up the history.
How about the fact that in 1830 there were 3,775 black families that owned slaves in the south?
How about the fact that in 1860 there were 3,000 slaves owned by black families in New Orleans alone.
Did you know that black history?
Voter
January 5th, 2013
9:21 pm
F. Sinkwich – Well, Voter, how could I forget you?
I guess we’re not in the same social circle.
lol, did you change your name again? UGA fan
Voter
January 5th, 2013
9:23 pm
@Serious – 1st Term – 16+ trillion in debt, 5+ trillion added in just 4 years, average 1+ trillion over spending each year. Just what do you Democrats think a BAD term looks like? Or are we about to find out these next 4 years?
Voter
January 5th, 2013
9:30 pm
Just who is the pot calling the kettle black here? You Democrats with your name calling, I can see you voting for obama the 1st time because he was new, promised change, etc. even with no credentials brought. The 2nd time, if you voted for him again, you’re either a racist or an idiot. Because NO ONE can look at these past 4 years and say he has done anything good for America. And don’t bring up osama bin laden, a SEAL Team did that.
F. Sinkwich
January 5th, 2013
9:33 pm
Galloway seems to believe that if only Republicans could be exactly like Democrats, all would be good.
Yo, Jimmy, it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s over.
He who robs Peter to pay Paul can always count on Paul’s vote. The Paulista’s won.
RIP USA 1776-2012
Cherokee
January 5th, 2013
9:35 pm
Voter
January 5th, 2013
7:42 pm
Hey td, where’s Cherokee and liberallefty
Here.
And yeah Obama did prettty well over the last four years, and deserved re-eolection.
The way to solve the debt problem is to improve employment. You contantly holler about the debt – the only reason it went so high is that people weren’t working – resulting in lower tax revenue, and greater demand for things like unemployment insurance.
Put people back to work, and the debt will mostly solve itself.
But Republicans refused to go along with that – they wanted things as bad as possible to ensure Obama’s defeat.
Fortunately, a majority of Americans weren’t deceived by the Repub shenanigans.
Cherokee
January 5th, 2013
9:41 pm
Here’s a list of Obama successes:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/magazine/march_april_2012/features/obamas_top_50_accomplishments035755.php
including things like health care (which a Christian such as yourself should applaud, based on your understanding of Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25), ended the war in Iraq, yes, got bin Laden (the Seals couldn’t have done it without his approval), got rid of Gaddafi, secured big increases in veteran health care spending, etc etc.
Cherokee
January 5th, 2013
9:49 pm
And then there’s this:
“You Democrats with your name calling,”
Followed by:
“you’re either a racist or an idiot”
You should go to dictionary.com and look up ‘irony’, voter.
luangtom
January 5th, 2013
9:49 pm
I sit here in wonder at the comments made on these forums and blogs by people that complain and condemn the state in which they are in and all of its elected officials and yet do not run for office to change it nor do they leave to go to one of those utopian states that are liberal and supposedly better than the one we choose to live in. These are the same people that tell the world “USA, love it or leave it.” Well, same goes for the state-level.
The Hurricane Sandy bill that is getting so much attention was one of pork-barrel antics. As previous writers have said, it contained billions for projects not even remotely tied to Hurricane Sandy. That is the reason the votes to the “nay” side got tallied. It was not that the representatives were heartless, it was that they read what was being proposed. Why funds for Alaska and the Smithsonian in a hurricane relief bill for NJ and NY?
Cherokee
January 5th, 2013
9:52 pm
“Galloway seems to believe that if only Republicans could be exactly like Democrats, all would be good.”
Not what he said at all, of course. But if you can’t argue with his point, toss our a straw man to knock down.
Voter
January 5th, 2013
11:00 pm
@Cherokee – Good to hear from you.
So exactly how did obama create more jobs? He’s had 4 years. Anyone can see more jobs means more revenue, so where are they? If you mean his stimulus plans, they have been miserable failures. Cash for clunkers, helped a few and put the used car people under hard times and mostly out of work. How about Solyndra and the New Battery Cell Company in Michigan. oops both bankrupt, (gets money from Government and files bankruptcy), guess who pays for bankruptcy?
Voter
January 5th, 2013
11:02 pm
@Cherokee = And obamacare will be a dismal failure costing taxpayers billions. Let me know how your taxes increase these next few years.
Voter
January 5th, 2013
11:03 pm
@luangtom – Well said!
Aser706
January 5th, 2013
11:14 pm
Never let a good crisis go to waste… Playing Politics 1101 AKA our current leadership.
Buckhead Boy
January 6th, 2013
7:05 am
luangtom, nice argument, but its premise is fallacious. The 67 nay votes cast were solely against infusing the flood insurance program so that claims may be paid, because that is all that was being voted upon. However, if those nay votes were indeed occasioned by the arguments that you and other Republican apologists here proffer, you may be right in suggesting that such opposition did not demonstrate heartlessness. It may demonstrate pure ignorance.
clem
January 6th, 2013
7:11 am
hey dusty, try reading this:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/secret-and-lies-of-the-bailout-20130104
Jack ®
January 6th, 2013
8:36 am
I was born, raised and educated here in the deep South: so were my parents, grandparents, my children and grandchildren. None of us ever considered leaving the South even though it appears that many consider us uneducated sloths. After reading a number of the anti-South comments here, I wonder why those so dissatisfied continue to live here. If they believe the North to be a haven for the better educated progressives, that’s where they sould live. Go there and take your like-minded friends with you.
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
10:33 am
The white southern males racist insecure ego is stroked by college football which is dominated by black athletes…lol…yet they hate the black president…
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
10:39 am
lamelefty – black college athletes usually don’t hate their country and embark on a campaign to totally destroy it, but if they ever do, I’ll be sure get a hold of you right away, okay?
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
10:46 am
the southern white males ego is held up by black college football players…look at ALABAMA the racist state hates the black president but love the football team which is overwhelmingly black….
Uh Huh.....CONS are JUST not RIGHT
January 6th, 2013
11:17 am
@liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
10:46 am
the southern white males ego is held up by black college football players…look at ALABAMA the racist state hates the black president but love the football team which is overwhelmingly black….
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Uh Huh
You are SO CORRECT.
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:28 am
@aesops
When did OBAMA say he hates this country? please give me a link if not shaddup with that racist white rightwing lie….and please tell me how hes destroying it…did he let a terrorist kill 3000AMERICANS? oh that was DUBYA…LOL…i get a kick out of these puny racists cheering for the black athlete, but hate the black president…
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:30 am
THE SOUTH GON RISE AGAIN…with the help of the black athlete…lol…but we aint voting for no blacks, but ya’ll can play ball….lol
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:33 am
the ALABAMA PEE PARTY love theyre big black CRIMSON TIDE athlete…make a racist feel proud, beat them NOTRE DAME yankees
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:37 am
dont you racist yahoos know how much the black athlete love the president?..it makes them feel extra proud to go to the whitehouse where the first family looks like them
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:39 am
the house wants southerners in leadership poositions so they can put that uppity black boy in the whitehouse in his rightful… lol
td
January 6th, 2013
11:43 am
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:30 am
…but we aint voting for no blacks, but ya’ll can play ball
There is more blacks in elected offices in the South then any other region of the country but please do not let the facts get in the way of your message. Carry on RACIST.
td
January 6th, 2013
11:49 am
iberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:33 am
the ALABAMA PEE PARTY love theyre big black CRIMSON TIDE athlete
Of coarse they do because these athletes show exactly what the tea party stands for. They have worked hard physically to develop a very special skill set that makes them the best of the best while at the same time they are improving their minds in the classroom. They are not typical Dems that think they should be handed something or government intervention to equalize the playing field.
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
12:01 pm
td
all the black athletes love OBAMA…and i bet their families vote democratic…lol…
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
12:03 pm
the black athlete love OBAMA but the fans who worship the black athlete hates OBAMA….lol
liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
12:05 pm
td
the pee party stands for nothing but hatred of blacks, gays and control of a womans vgina..
honested
January 6th, 2013
12:35 pm
Back to the topic, ….. Will Governor Christie’s shout out to the wrong wing nuts populating the republicklan party in the South remind them they were elected from their backward little districts to GOVERN?
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
12:41 pm
lamelefty – It’s pretty obvious that you hate this country and love iman obozo, so let’s just say I put two and two together, okay?
Uh Huh.....CONS are JUST not RIGHT
January 6th, 2013
12:45 pm
@liberalefty
January 6th, 2013
11:39 am
the house wants southerners in leadership poositions so they can put that uppity black boy in the whitehouse in his rightful… lol
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Tell the TRUTH and SHAME THE DEVIL.
Uh Huh.....CONS are JUST not RIGHT
January 6th, 2013
12:53 pm
@Aesop’s Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
12:41 pm
lamelefty – It’s pretty obvious that you hate this country and love iman obozo, so let’s just say I put two and two together, okay?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Who do you THINK YOU ARE?
What makes YOU think YOU love this country more than
liberalefty or me?
Libertylefty and I have probably made more sacrifices and
CONTRIBUTIONS to this country than YOU have.
YOUR FALSE and DECEITFUL claim is based on your
racism AGAINST people like us.
You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time. Abraham Lincoln …
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
12:57 pm
This country wasn’t founded as a way for slobs to legally steal money from the successful.
What you “love” is government, moron.
123
January 6th, 2013
12:58 pm
Aesop think she loves america because he was rejected by the Salvation Army and surgs whack wing websites
Uh Huh.....CONS are JUST not RIGHT
January 6th, 2013
1:10 pm
@Aesop’s Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
12:57 pm
This country wasn’t founded as a way for slobs to legally steal money from the successful.
What you “love” is government, moron.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
“IF” you are honest, HOW many people in YOUR
family that “LOVE” government and are on the take
from government?
I bet you that you have family members (relatives) who are on
some kind of assistance from the government.
123
January 6th, 2013
1:14 pm
Banned for stupidity from Bookman’s, suspended and admonished for stupidity at Wingfields; Aesop comes here to let his hate, bitterness and crap spew out……..
The asylum must be letting him blog today.
Corey
January 6th, 2013
1:26 pm
@td
January 5th, 2013
9:21 pm
“Council of Conservative Citizens”
I see your source of accurate Black History. (snark) TD, blacks owning other blacks in America. is something most blacks who attended segregated schools prior to the early seventies were taught. Dude, this is not a revelation. Owning other humans was legal and any freeman regardless of ethnicity could purchase another human, but only blacks humans could be sentenced to a lifetime of servitude after the Story trial in Virginia.
Aesop's Fables and other Lib Economic Theories
January 6th, 2013
1:32 pm
satan – You seeing those black helicopters again? Are you surrounded? Did you wet the bed?