Rep. Tom Price is ready to challenge Boehner!

[itshappening]

Boehner's Biggest Threat


Should a debt deal go sour, the buzz is that Tom Price, a 58-year-old physician from Georgia, may challenge John Boehner for the speaker’s gavel.

“Price is the person we’re all watching,” says an aide close to House leadership. “We know he’s frustrated, but we don’t know much else.”

In an interview with National Review Online, Price won’t speculate about his future, but he acknowledges his growing uneasiness. “My concern is that within our conference, conservatives, who are a majority, don’t have a proper platform,” he says. “That’s true at the leadership table and on the steering committee.”

Price says this as an outsider, a position to which he is unaccustomed. Last month, he lost a bid to be conference chairman. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, a Boehner ally, beat him. The final tally, which was conducted by secret ballot, was reportedly close.

Since then, Price has been mulling his options. He has a reputation as a low-key workhorse, but don’t let his soft Southern accent fool you: He remains as ambitious as ever. “It was a tough loss, but my friends said, ‘Fight on,’” Price tells me, as we talk over coffee. “You don’t need to be a leader to lead. Leadership doesn’t require a title.”

Whether that could mean an insurgent run for speaker next month, when the House officially convenes its next session, is unclear.

“I gave up a medical practice to stand up for principles,” says Price, an orthopedic surgeon and former state lawmaker. “My role is changing. My job isn’t so much to be part of the process at the leadership level, contributing to the work product, but to evaluate their work product.”

As he plots his next step, Price, a former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, is conferring with backbenchers about their grievances. Some of them are angry with Boehner, following a decision by House leaders last week to remove four conservatives from their committees. Boehner said the move was not an ideological rebuke, but it caused trouble nonetheless.

“Tom has spoken with me about his concerns,” says a veteran House Republican. “He says he doesn’t want conservatives to get burned.” A second House Republican, who was elected in 2010, says Price is slowly building an informal coalition and chatting frequently with a tight circle of conservative members. In recent days, Price has also huddled with Grover Norquist, the anti-tax activist, at Norquist’s office.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/335187/boehner-s-biggest-threat-robert-costa

[TCE]

He won't win, in all likelihood, but opposition to Boehner would be nice. For our purposes, he has been a terrible, terrible Speaker.

[itshappening]

If Tom Price has something called "courage" then he has to round up enough conservatives to abstain and force Boehner to resign in shame.

Then he can win.

Otherwise yes, it's very difficult to remove Boehner. He's managed to stuff his allies in all key positions and remove a lot of opposition to his sacred rule.

[alucard13mmfmj]

Seeing how Boehner was a jackaxx at the GOP convention and seeing how he purged amash and others out of committees and seeing how he is cowarding to Obama... can't get any worse.

[specsaregood]

If Tom Price has something called "courage" then he has to round up enough conservatives to abstain and force Boehner to resign in shame.
Then he can win.

In theory couldn't a few democrats vote for him and prevent that from happening?

[itshappening]

In theory couldn't a few democrats vote for him and prevent that from happening?

Why would they do that? The vote for speaker is along party lines.

[specsaregood]

Why would they do that? The vote for speaker is along party lines.

Let's say the DNC prefer boehner in the position of speaker rather than a more consevative republican? Imagine of obama, boehner and reid already had an agreement together.

[itshappening]

Let's say the DNC prefer boehner in the position of speaker rather than a more consevative republican? Imagine of obama, boehner and reid already had an agreement together.

It can happen in theory but his position would be untenable and the House would be more unruly if that happened.

[sailingaway]

I'll look into him. I think the Dems are hoping Nancy will get in somehow as a result of this.

[itshappening]

I'll look into him. I think the Dems are hoping Nancy will get in somehow as a result of this.

She would need 20 Republican's to vote for her. I doubt that will ever happen. Republicans will settle on someone in their own conference once Boehner resigns in shame.

[sailingaway]

She would need 20 Republican's to vote for her. I doubt that will ever happen. Republicans will settle on someone in their own conference once Boehner resigns in shame.

That is the point. The ultimate vote is in the open House, and Boehner would only need to lose the votes for Nancy to get in. But as you say, they typically caucus first to make sure everyone is on the same page.

[itshappening]

That is the point. The ultimate vote is in the open House, and Boehner would only need to lose the votes for Nancy to get in. But as you say, they typically caucus first to make sure everyone is on the same page.

she would need 50% +1 to seize the gavel so quite a number of GOPers would have to vote for her to get in. That won't happen. If there is a revolt House would be speakerless until Boehner resigns in shame

[georgiaboy]

I'm lukewarm on Price.

He lost a position on my watchlist due to his support of the debt ceiling increase last year; however, we conservatives could do worse I guess. I expect he is more conservative than Boehner, but really not sure how far he's willing to go to continue his career vs. stand on principle.

His name is also being mentioned in conversations about who might primary Saxby Chambliss for his US senate seat in Georgia.

I think his ambition to rise in leadership has caused him to make some "compromise" votes, which to me were blatant big gov't continuation votes, especially in these times of financial crisis. I wouldn't necessarily put him in the category of sellout or RINO, but he's no Rand/Ron/Justin/Walter.

I'm pretty sure (but not positive) he didn't support TARP or any bailouts/stimulus, which is a plus.

Interesting that he's been meeting with Grover Norquist. My thought is that he's trying to figure out what he can do tax-wise that stays within "the pledge", but allows him wiggle room in any negotiations. So for him it's about stretching priniciple as far as he can to get the compromise.

[sailingaway]

I'm lukewarm on Price.

He lost a position on my watchlist due to his support of the debt ceiling increase last year; however, we conservatives could do worse I guess. I expect he is more conservative than Boehner, but really not sure how far he's willing to go to continue his career vs. stand on principle.

His name is also being mentioned in conversations about who might primary Saxby Chambliss for his US senate seat in Georgia.

I think his ambition to rise in leadership has caused him to make some "compromise" votes, which to me were blatant big gov't continuation votes, especially in these times of financial crisis. I wouldn't necessarily put him in the category of sellout or RINO, but he's no Rand/Ron/Justin/Walter.

I'm pretty sure (but not positive) he didn't support TARP or any bailouts/stimulus, which is a plus.

Interesting that he's been meeting with Grover Norquist. My thought is that he's trying to figure out what he can do tax-wise that stays within "the pledge", but allows him wiggle room in any negotiations. So for him it's about stretching priniciple as far as he can to get the compromise.

as long as he is better than Boehner, I just think B should be out for purging those who voted for constituents rather than leadership.

[SpreadOfLiberty]

I would definitely support this.

[Pisces]

In theory couldn't a few democrats vote for him and prevent that from happening?

This is what happened in the Texas legislature. We have a liberal Republican speaker (Joe Straus) even though we have had a Republican supermajority for at few years now. The Democrats vote to keep him in power and he gives them committee chairmanships out of proportion to their numbers. I've been seeing ads for Straus before I log in here. He must be in trouble. It would be great to get rid of him and Boehner too.

[jkob]

Whatever can be done to stick it to Boner I support

[angelatc]

as long as he is better than Boehner, I just think B should be out for purging those who voted for constituents rather than leadership.Yes, if Price turned out to be another Boehner, part of the trick is to not allow him to get entrenched. One and done.

[Peace&Freedom]

Just seriously challenging Boehner would be an achievement, as he would be the first Speaker in a while to face a real battle. It would be better if the opposition picked a candidate people could readily rally around (like Paul, if he agreed to be voted for Speaker). Perhaps over the next two years, a suitable leader of the opposition like Amash should be groomed in the House to play that unifying role.

[Acala]

Punish the boner

[thoughtomator]

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Price is just another odious neocon who will do whatever the lobbyists direct him to do.

[Anti-Neocon]

Boehner and Priebus aren't going anywhere.

[compromise]

Price is just another odious neocon who will do whatever the lobbyists direct him to do.

Price is a Tea Party-backed fiscal conservative who voted for the Kucinich Libya resolution. He is not a 'neocon'. Too many people here throw around that word without knowing what it really means.

There's no doubt he isn't perfect, but he's FAR better than Boehner.

[nobody's_hero]

I really don't want to see Boehner get off the hook for the disastrous way he has run the GOP grassroots out of the party.

[lx43]

I would love to see Boehner cry if he is ever removed from Speaker of the House.