The Briefing Room
General Category => Politics/Government => Topic started by: R4 TrumPence on June 19, 2014, 04:05:59 am
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Rep. Raul Labrador claims he is ‘close’ to securing votes to become the next Majority Leader
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/17/rep-raul-labrador-claims-he-close-securing-votes-b/
Rep. Raul Labrador said Tuesday that he is gaining momentum in his campaign to become the next House Majority leader and “close” to securing the votes he need to win the post.
“A lot of people are switching their votes, and they are really excited about having somebody challenge the establishment right now,” Mr. Labrador, Idaho Republican, said on “Fox and Friends.” “It is important for us to show that we need a new direction in the party.”
Asked whether he is nearing the 218 votes needed to win the job, Mr. Labrador said, “We’re close.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s loss in his primary race is forcing a shakeup in House leadership, and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy has emerged as the clear favorite to takeover the position.
But Mr. Labrador said Tuesday that he thinks he could do a better job of uniting the House GOP caucus than Mr. McCarthy, a California Republican.
“What we have had is a top-down approach. You talk to members of Congress, and they feel like they are totally irrelevant,” he said. “I want every member to contribute.”
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/17/rep-raul-labrador-claims-he-close-securing-votes-b/#ixzz353RoL4Cq
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Lab is an Hispanic and a Mormon. That could make some heads spin.
Not a true Christian, in the view of quite a few !!
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Not close enough.
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Yep, Cantor's "best friend" Kevin McCarthy won the contest.
Nobody circles the wagons like the GOP Establishment.
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Yep, Cantor's "best friend" Kevin McCarthy won the contest.
Nobody circles the wagons like the GOP Establishment.
Nobody is as inept as a Real Conservative®.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/06/inside-the-house-gop-leadership-shake-up-108103.html
Almost immediately, McCarthy began fielding calls. He was planning on getting into the race for majority leader, and with the hefty operation he had assembled as whip, McCarthy’s team was sure he would win. On the day of the vote, McCarthy didn’t have to gather last-minute support. Instead, he went to Chipotle with his wife and kids.
But McCarthy wasn’t the only one thinking about his next steps in the wake of Cantor’s loss.
That same evening, Rep. Pete Sessions, a Texas Republican who never saw eye to eye with the Californian, sent a mass text message to House Republicans, requesting a chat about the majority leader race. Many of the recipients didn’t have Sessions’ cell-phone number and had no idea who the message was from, according to multiple sources who received the message. Sessions and Rep. Raúl Labrador, an Idaho Republican who later launched a quixotic campaign to challenge McCarthy, were never serious threats to derail him.
http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,140986.0.html
The bafflingly simple reason Raul Labrador had trouble campaigning for majority leader this weekend
Labrador, a Tea Party favorite, didn't have basic contact information for many of his colleagues, such as their direct cell phone numbers. Republican aides said Labrador's staff was calling their offices and asking for it.
Many also said it was the first time he'd reached out to them — a crucial contrast with McCarthy, who has cultivated relationships across a broad cross-section of the Republican conference.
“If you don’t have contact numbers — much less have ever spoken with someone — you can’t get the votes,” said one House Republican, who spoke to the Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity.
Added a Republican aide to a member who hails from a red state: “Raul Labrador’s office was calling around Friday getting members’ contact information — a great juxtaposition to Kevin McCarthy, who already had such close relationships that he was texting or calling most members immediately.”
:thud: It's like they are not even trying.
The whole Politico story is fascinating to RINOs like me who love the process.
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What was the final vote?