Thomas Massie cosponsors Mark Meadows' resolution to replace Speaker of the House

**tsai3904** · 07-29-2015, 05:08 PM

Text of resolution:

H. RES. 385

RESOLUTION

Declaring the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives vacant.

Whereas the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress has endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision making, bypassing the majority of the 435 Members of Congress and the people they represent;

Whereas the Speaker has, through inaction, caused the power of Congress to atrophy, thereby making Congress subservient to the executive and judicial branches, diminishing the voice of the American people;

Whereas the Speaker uses the power of the office to punish Members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the Speaker;

Whereas the Speaker has intentionally provided for voice votes on consequential and controversial legislation to be taken without notice and with few Members present;

Whereas the Speaker uses the legislative calendar to create crises for the American people, in order to compel Members to vote for legislation;

Whereas the Speaker does not comply with the spirit of the rules of the House of Representatives, which provide that Members shall have three days to review legislation before voting;

Whereas the Speaker continues to direct the Rules Committee to limit meaningful amendments, to limit debate on the House floor, and to subvert a straightforward legislative process; and

Whereas the House of Representatives, to function effectively in the service of all citizens of this country, requires the service of a Speaker who will endeavor to follow an orderly and inclusive process without imposing his or her will upon any Member thereof: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives is hereby declared to be vacant.

https://www.facebook.com/RepThomasMa...45823435441820

**Carlybee** · 07-29-2015, 05:10 PM

Yes!

**GunnyFreedom** · 07-29-2015, 05:15 PM

It's not often I get to be proud of my North Carolina delegation, but I am today.

**phill4paul** · 07-29-2015, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by GunnyFreedom

It's not often I get to be proud of my North Carolina delegation, but I am today.

Ditto.

**Dianne** · 07-29-2015, 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by GunnyFreedom

It's not often I get to be proud of my North Carolina delegation, but I am today.

Yeah, me too !! Richard Burr, next.

**mad cow** · 07-29-2015, 07:26 PM

Excellent!

**timosman** · 07-29-2015, 11:28 PM

dup - http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...cate-the-Chair

**Sola_Fide** · 07-29-2015, 11:41 PM

Thank you Thomas.

**Mr.NoSmile** · 07-30-2015, 08:08 AM

Again, is this just gesturing, because the committee that could take this could just ignore it, right?

**tsai3904** · 07-30-2015, 08:30 AM

Walter Jones and Ted Yoho have signed on as cosponsors as well.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-...385/cosponsors

**osan** · 08-01-2015, 10:25 PM

I am very curious to see how this plays out. Boehner seems to have a lot of friends. I wonder how much "dirt" he has on the rest... enough to put the kibosh on this? Let us hope not. It would be nice to see that den of vipers swept out just a little bit.

**nobody's_hero** · 08-04-2015, 06:46 AM

Originally Posted by Mr.NoSmile

Again, is this just gesturing, because the committee that could take this could just ignore it, right?

Coming from anyone other than Massie I'd say you were right. "Will anything come of it?" would be a fairer question, but "gesturing"? I believe Massie is sincere about wanting to see this through.

The problem with Boehner is that he's kicked enough people off of committees that soon he's gonna need a whole new Congress to find replacements. Has he kicked off enough people yet that Massie can forge a rebellion from the outcasts? —that is the question.

**Mr.NoSmile** · 08-04-2015, 07:04 AM

Originally Posted by nobody's_hero

Coming from anyone other than Massie I'd say you were right. "Will anything come of it?" would be a fairer question, but "gesturing"? I believe Massie is sincere about wanting to see this through.

The problem with Boehner is that he's kicked enough people off of committees that soon he's gonna need a whole new Congress to find replacements. Has he kicked off enough people yet that Massie can forge a rebellion from the outcasts? —that is the question.

I just wonder what the point of this is since they have to know that they don't have the numbers to dump Boehner, if the last few Speaker votes are any indication. Sure they may have come close, but close isn't the same as dethroning Boehner, and it's no secret that Massie isn't a fan of Boehner, so not like we as viewers didn't already know that he wants him gone, so I don't see this as symbolic of anything that we don't already know.

**Occam's Banana** · 08-04-2015, 08:01 AM

h/t Lew Rockwell @ Political Theatre: https://www.lewrockwell.com/politica...er-in-trouble/

[also posted to this thread: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthr...o-oust-Boehner]

Boehner Embarrassed: His Whip Team Couldn’t Find Votes to Reelect Him Speaker Last Week
http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ker-last-week/
Matthew Boyle (02 August 2015)

House Speaker Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) had been planning to call up on the House floor last week a measure from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) that would have removed him as Speaker of the House if it succeeded—intending to embarrass Meadows—but abandoned the plan after his entire leadership structure learned that they did not have the votes to re-elect him as Speaker before the August recess.

“[House Majority Leader Kevin] McCarthy was making phone calls—he was whipping it—and so was [House Majority Whip] Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA),” a senior conservative movement leader who’s had many personal and direct discussions with various House GOP members about this told Breitbart News in an interview last week.

“I know members personally who were called by Steve Scalise. So they had the entire leadership whip team frantically making phone calls to members to whip the vote because they wanted to attempt to embarrass Meadows and call the vote [on Wednesday last week] so it’s not hanging over Boehner’s head.

“What they found out was the exact opposite. They found out bad things would happen, that literally they would be calling the vote without knowing what would happen. Therefore, they did not call the vote and now they have this issue hanging over John Boehner’s head for the next five weeks.”

“Yes, I can confirm at least three members were whipped: Two of whom voted against the Speaker and one of whom voted for the Speaker on Jan. 6,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of the cosponsors of Meadows’ measure, told Breitbart News in a phone interview. “I can confirm three of them were whipped.”

[...]

The strategy from Meadows and his allies goes something like this: They offered the resolution right before the August recess and knew that there is enough dissatisfaction with Boehner that should he try to bring it to the floor immediately–to shut it down as fast as it came up–he’d walk away without his speakership.

There are 25 members who voted for a Republican alternative at the beginning of this Congress, and now there are plenty more who are disaffected with the tactics of Boehner and his allies in leadership. More members, those who want to replace Boehner suspect, will, over the course of the month of August, come out publicly against Boehner at town hall events and in interviews with media. Unless Democrats bail Boehner out in September or October, if and when such a vote for the speakership would occur, by that point there would be enough members opposed to Boehner’s re-election for him to lose his position.

When the August recess is over, if Meadows wants to—or any other member wants to—they could offer the motion to vacate the chair and remove Boehner as Speaker of the House as a privileged resolution, which means it gets a floor vote in full without the consent of Boehner’s leadership team. That means the Speaker is extraordinarily vulnerable, and his conservative opposition could make a move whenever, wherever they want to—and when they have the votes to remove him from office.

[... full article at link: http://www.breitbart.com/big-governm...ker-last-week/ ...]

**Brian4Liberty** · 08-04-2015, 11:35 AM

This is getting good...

**William Tell** · 08-04-2015, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by Occam's Banana

Boehner Embarrassed: His Whip Team Couldn’t Find Votes to Reelect Him Speaker Last Week

Yeah, Mr.NoSmile doesn't get it. This is a serious resolution, incumbents to either sign, or stand with Boehner. Boehner may end up being forced to court Democrat votes to retain his speakership, which would do huge damage to his image.

Boehner wanted to call it up for a vote early, and squash his opponents. Figured out he would probably lose lol.

**Mr.NoSmile** · 08-04-2015, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by William Tell

Yeah, Mr.NoSmile doesn't get it. This is a serious resolution, incumbents to either sign, or stand with Boehner. Boehner may end up being forced to court Democrat votes to retain his speakership, which would do huge damage to his image.

Image. Funny. More than he already has by them saving him before? And let's not forget that Republicans also said last time they'd vote against Boehner, but ended up voting for him anyway after switching votes, so who's to say that these dissatisfied Republicans actually would have gone on record and voted against him when some changed their minds last time?

Boehner managed to be re-elected Speaker of the House by a margin of 216-164 over Nancy Pelosi with 24 Republicans voting for other candidates and freshman Brian Babin of Texas voting present. The key to the Speaker’s success may have been that 13 New York Democrats were out of town on the same day as the funeral of Cuomo, the former three-term governor of New York who died on New Year’s Day.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...ican-coup.html