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Message to RSC Members: Get in or Get Out

By: Russ Vought (Diary)  |  July 27th, 2011 at 05:28 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Rep. Jim Jordan, the Chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), is taking massive heat from many of his own colleagues within the RSC for his public opposition to the Boehner debt deal. RSC staff is being called out by name for doing their job effectively. Calls are coming from all Leadershipistas to fire the RSC staff.

These members—such as Rep. Renee Ellmers (NC)—don’t like the fact that they are perceived on the wrong side of where the conservative movement ended up. Some are threatening to quit their membership in the House of Representative’s predominant conservative caucus.

If that’s what they think, they should submit their resignation—today.

I’d like to give everyone a brief understanding of what the RSC’s role is in Congress. I know because I worked there for over four years, served under three different RSC chairmen, with a two-year stint as its staff director.

The RSC is the conservative movement in the House of Representatives. It is not an arm of the elected House Leadership. It is not a cheerleader of everything that Leadership is doing. In fact, its job is to push Leadership as far to the right as is possible and flat out oppose it when necessary. As a result, Leadership often has a rocky relationship with whoever is the Chairman of the RSC because he or she is a political counterweight on whatever they are trying to do.

Now let me add a dynamic to the picture. A lot of—let’s be generous here—casually conservative Members of Congress like to join the RSC in order to be perceived back home as a 100% winger, but in reality, these Members are in the “Just Happy to Be Here” Caucus. They don’t fight, they often take bad votes if their Leadership wants them to, and when the RSC Chairman decides to fight, they often make his or her life absolutely miserable. Some threaten to quit the RSC. It is part of the territory.

In spite of all that abuse, and in spite of being from Ohio as Speaker Boehner is, Jim Jordan is proving to be one of the most effective Chairman in the history of the RSC. I know because I’ve worked for some of the others. Instead of being raked over the coals, he should be honored as a patriot.

Message to RSC Members who don’t like how the RSC is being managed: Get out.

COMMENTS

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  • jccbin

    This is our best chance to destroy the entire Progressive movement: take away their slush funds for eternity. Better chance here than any election.
    CCB OR DOOM

    • ghostship

      It’s time to separate the real Conservatives from the Establishment Party hacks.

      Rep.Jorden was doing what he was supposed to do. The fact that all these fair weather Conservatives don’t like the spotlight shown on them just shows that their time in the spotlight is well overdue.

      • runner12

        You are spot on! Get in or get out. You are either with us or against us and as we say in the Midsouth, don’t let the door hit your rear end on the way out.

        Three cheers for Jordan and the true conservatives!

  • johnt

    lift the lid and shine the sun on all the little jellyfish gaming for the safest place to be, and maxing the publicity..

  • Tbone

    kiss Paul Teller’s ass.

    • scott88

      Rep Jordan threw Teller under the bus.

      • http://xmmlbchat.blogspot.com katesmith

        The Lord of the Flies in suits are chanting, “Fire him, Fire Him,” as Mr. Teller stands silently. Politico story today. Thank you Mr. Teller for exposing the truth.

  • craigbardo

    The GOP has lost it’s imprimatur of being the small government party. In fact, they are a corporatist party at best. In what conservative, small government formulation does the leader of the party endorse a deal that gives a blank check to a dead beat but only requiring a down payment of 1/1000th of the value of the check and oh by the way, everything after the first year is forgivable?

    Three cheers for Jim Jordan and the conservatives in the House and the Senate!

    • http://www.theprecinctproject.wordpress.com ColdWarrior

      enought” for complaining conservatives is because not enough of those same complaining Republicans are not INSIDE the Republican Party as voting members of it. Half the precinct committeemen slots are vacant. Conservatives, fill up those empty PC slots, and you’ll have your “conservative enough” Party.

      Thank you.

      ColdWarrior

      P.S. What’s the [precinct committeeman] count?

  • traversecityconservative

    Was happy to hear what they were doing. More of it is warranted.

  • rightwingscottie

    I am very irritated at Renee Ellmers right now. I donated money to her based on an appeal here at RedState. She apparently does not remember those that helped get her elected. I have contacted her office and let them know how disappointed I am in here.

    • Green_Lantern

      I am flabbergasted. I am a stone’s throw, literally like hundreds of feet, outside of her area (I’m in Brad Miller’s, but he’ll be done after redistricting). I am really, really shocked and puzzled by this. It just reeks of kissing up.

  • amigag

    Congressman Jim Jordan is a treasure. He has conference calls for those that have signed up for them. I just joined his latest about a week or so ago.

    I liked his comment to Harry Reid about the Gang of 6(7) that the House had a Gang of 234:-). Can’t remember exactly his quote, but it was good.

    You are correct that if they don’t approve of what the RSC stands for and don’t want to be supportive, they can leave.

    • scott88

      Jim Jordan threw his staff under the bus. Not in agreement with this

  • clarioncaller

    That’s the Republican leadership strategy for the 2010-2012 time frame. That’s exactly what we have seen this year…enact cut, cap, spend(the posture) while working with Rhino Senators to cut it off at the knees(the loose) on the same day its brought to the Senate(and we’re supposed to believe that’s a coincidence…the exact same day!).The basic Republican Leadership strategy…give Obama enough rope to hang himself and walk over him in the 2012 elections.And DAMN the country during the remainder of Obama’s reign.Is that the kind of leadership we want to back now ? Are these the individuals we want leading and speaking for you ?

  • ss396

    Most of the left, and increasingly it seems a goodly number of the GOP, just do not grasp the message of 2006. It grates me no end to hear the charge “why was it OK under Bush, but not Obama?” No, it was NOT OK under Bush; that’s why the Dems got both Houses in 2006. That was a major rebuke to the GOP, followed up by a vote of ‘no confidence’ in 2008. Remember all those ‘mea culpas’ from the GOP back then? I do, even if they don’t.

    This fight is a hill to die on. This is a definining moment. Will the GOP define it, or are they just little kittens playing with balls of yarn. I want a GOP that I can be proud of.

  • http://www.ArchitecturalShots.com mdyou

    …wasn’t a member of the RSC. I just emailed him with my opinion of this whole sordid mess.

  • http://www.TheMadisonProject.org Maggi Cook

    and you have to stand your ground regardless.

    I’m from SW Ohio, but I’ve met both Boehner and Jordan. IMO, they are both doing what they think is the right thing to do. It just so happens Rep. Jordan is correct.

  • nerkbuckeye

    “Some are threatening to quit their membership in the House of Representative

    • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

      in the House. I wonder how many primary ready challengers we have around the country. I sincerely hope there’s more of them that there were “shovel ready” projects.

  • Green_Lantern

    Erick has said it before. “The Republican Party is the vehicle.” And it is.

    We’re not taking our ball and going home. This is our chance to “fundamentally transform”, if you will, our party in our own likeness. We will not die by this “intransigence”. We’ll live by it.

    The sounds you hear now are the sounds of hundreds of thousands of bankers, giant blood-sucking corporatists, career politicians, career welfare recipients, university elitists, and their ilk learning that THE GRAVY TRAIN IS MAKING ITS LAST STOP.

    • Green_Lantern

      career bureaucrats to that list.

  • Finrod

    I just listened to this today, actually. By (ironically) Extreme:

    If you don’t like what you see here
    Nobody wants to take you prisoner

    So let me make it nice and clear dear
    The exit is right there

    I don’t mean to be rude dude
    But you’d better change your attitude
    (I don’t like what I see here)

    You’re all invited to the party
    You know you didn’t have to come
    No rotten apple’s gonna spoil my fun

    If you don’t like
    What you see here
    Get the funk out

    We won’t try to
    Force feed you
    Get the funk out

    If they don’t like what the RSC stands for, then they should get the funk out already, and good riddance.

  • SirGladiator

    I too gave money to Ellmers and was very disappointed to hear her comments, she was supposed to be a good Conservative candidate, she certainly beat a terrible liberal guy, and this go along to get along stuff is just so surprising coming from her. If she, or anybdody else, doesn’t want to be a member of the Conservative group then by all means they should just quit, and then we can replace them in next year’s primaries with somebody who will stand up when it really counts. Thank you Jim Jordan for fighting the good fight, whether we win or lose you sir are a great American!

  • SirGladiator

    I too gave money to Ellmers and was very disappointed to hear her comments, she was supposed to be a good Conservative candidate, she certainly beat a terrible liberal guy, and this go along to get along stuff is just so surprising coming from her. If she, or anybdody else, doesn’t want to be a member of the Conservative group then by all means they should just quit, and then we can replace them in next year’s primaries with somebody who will stand up when it really counts. Thank you Jim Jordan for fighting the good fight, hopefully he will get enough support to win the day!

    • littlehouse18

      I hope folks will have enough left to help defeat Obama.

      • littlehouse18

        ..

  • Marcus_Traianus

    Even Jordan got up an apologized for what he termed a “breach of trust”. Yet you are defending the RSC’s actions? Was he wrong or are you?

    Time was when the RSC worked mainly within the caucus and didn’t attack its own members. I believe this is metaphorically termed cannibalism. It was also was not a mechanism to spy on the proceedings and then work with outside groups against the entire Republican caucus. Not only is that disreputable, but it is unethical. Why is it that members and those outside the caucus were so upset? Care to hazard a guess?

    I am not the biggest fan of this deal or the speaker. But I honestly articulate those objections and as a citizen, work to find the best means of expression.

    When one takes confidential information, shares it with outside groups as a means of furthering your parochial views and attack otherwise loyal members who happen to disagree on a particular issue, you have violated a sacred trust. You are also destined to become nothing but a useless cabal.

    I would also love to learn more about the LISTSERV. Is this where the private views of caucus members are shared with outside groups so they can be targeted for pressure?

    This is the kind of crap that will tear this party apart. There is a way to make your views known, pressure leadership and rid ourselves of establishment types that have destroyed our party.

    This ain’t it.

  • ihateliberals

    This seems like a perfect time to weed out RINO’s. Those guys will lie about anything and they are only in Congress to be popular and to be able to Park wherever they want to. If they have to make a decision about something they either runaway or have no clue what to do until the Leadership tells them wht to do. we don’t need that kind of Republican we already have too many liberals in the Congress.

  • rightwingmom52

    “The undermining of Boehner was the last straw for Statehouse Republicans controlling the redistricting process in Ohio, saying Jordan’s refusal to be a team player should cost him his job.”

    I’d prefer Boehner lost his.

    http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2011/07/28/payback-coming.html?sid=101

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