The GOP Makes Its Choices for the Debt Supercommittee, and They’re A Little Odd
Sen. Mitch McConnell has appointed Sens. Jon Kyl, Pat Toomey and Rob Portman to the debt supercommittee. House Speaker John Boehner has appointed Rep. Jeb Hensarling (TX), and Dave Camp and Fred Upton, both of Michigan.
The choices of Toomey, Portman and Hensarling make sense, as all three are vocal critics of excess federal spending. Hailing from the Club for Growth, Toomey can be expected to be a voice for economic progress. Portman served in two cabinet position during the Bush 43 administration, including chief of the Office of Management and Budget. Few in Washington can be considered to be Portman’s peers when it comes to budgetary matters.
But where are strong voices like Sen. Jim DeMint or Rep. Paul Ryan? Are they too radioactive? A true spending hawk like Rand Paul may have done a lot to offset the Democrats’ choice of Sen. Patty Murray.
Don’t get me wrong here — we could have done a lot worse. If either of Maine’s senators or Sen. Brown of MA would have been appointed, the supercommittee would have tilted to the left and entitlements would have been left untouched. But the choice sof Kyl in the Senate and Camp and Upton in the House strike me as disconcerting. Upton co-sponsored, and is now opposed to, the ridiculous ban on incandescent light bulbs. Camp just doesn’t have a national name or reputation yet.
Odd choices.
Update: Ryan is out by his own request, and Ed Morrissey thinks that overall the picks are strong. Toomey and Portman are the strongest and Hensarling is right there with them — three very good picks. But it’s fair to question both Kyl’s and Upton’s strength and instincts. They represent two dealmakers that the Democrats might co-opt. And as head of House Energy, I’d rather have Upton devoted full time to stopping the EPA’s power grabs. That agency needs to be defanged if we’re ever to get the economy going again.
Just hazarding a guess here, but maybe they didn’t want the job?
Ruling Class, Bryan. It’s all about the Ruling Class.
exactly
how does adding another layer of bureaucracy (another committee)lead to the shrinking of government and, as a result, remove these charlatans from their trough
rule of thumb
in a group with 6 dems and 6 repubs only one repub needs to cave for tyranny to win the day
Perhaps someone was savvy enough to realize Ryan, DeMint, et al are more valuable outside rather than inside the committee room, where they would be consumed by incessant rounds of meetings, squabbling and irrational Dembot demands.
Rand? Really?
Meanwhile, listen up GOPhers: Hold the line. No new taxes under any guise. And could you push for something that resembles a REAL cut in spending?
With DeMint I think we can assume McConnell just doesn’t like him. With Ryan, there has been buzz Bill Krystol at the weekly standard that Ryan could choose to run for Pres. He wouldn’t be able to do that while serving on a special project committee. Just a thought.
My greatest disappointment with McConnell is not appointing Sessions. He’s a true deficit/debt/spending hawk. What’s more he’s ranking member on Budget and he’s a team player. I understand Kyl completely, he’s the leadership guy watching over the shoulder of the two freshman. And they’re my biggest pleasant surprise. Portman I was praying for, Toomey is a very good get. For freshmen Senators, they’re both experienced Washington hands. (Neither Jim DeMint nor Rand Paul would ever have worked out well, they’re too independent, too prickly. The leadership could never have counted on them for pure tactical plays — something, as we all know, Mitch dearly loves.)
My disappointment on the House choices is inconsolable. How can you not put Paul Ryan on your starting team? He’s your point guard, smart player, team leader – he’s got it all. What is he, laid up with an injury? I think Camp and Hensarling are solid FisCons. Jeb is the leadership’s guy on the Committee, and we probably couldn’t have done better.
I want to give Upton the benefit of the doubt. Sure he’s a squish, but 2010 seems to have put the fear of God in him. I think he may have lobbied for this position, expressing a desire to prove up his fiscal hawk bona fides. We’ll see.
From Ed’s article on Hot Air: “According to Ryan himself, however, he specifically asked Boehner to leave him off of the super committee, and he praised Boehner’s selections:
“The Speaker has chosen three excellent Republican members to serve on this Joint Committee in Chairmen Hensarling, Upton and Camp. I asked the Speaker not to consider me for the Joint Committee, because only the Budget Committee can write legislation to reform the budget process”.
I’ve added that to the post in an update.
Putting Upton on anything is just adding to the socialist side. So, Dems 7, Reps 5.
As I recall, Upton lobbied for the energy post and got it, against a promise of rescinding his own light bulb ban – which has gone nowhere fast, as predicted. And now this. What will it take to ‘get’ that this guy is just another run of the mill RINO?
Agreed. Upton? How stupid is that?
Boehner still has a dream of crafting an overarching deal that raises taxes and maybe gets some revenue cuts down the line. He also wants to offer an out to Obama, because he thinks that Democrats are capable of gratitude; i.e. if he takes a thorn out of the lion’s paw, the lion may spare him someday in the future. Upton’s loyalties are to himself and the Political Class. He is more than happy to lie to the Republican Base and the TEA party to get and hold power. Just like the rest of the Institutional Republicans. I have no idea who or what Camp is. Anybody know? Was he TEA Party endorsed in 2010?
Upton is the Democrats’ 7th vote, set up by Boehner. The only restraint left is if the TEA Party starts setting up a preemptive primary challenge to him, NOW. The prospect of the loss of his cushy job if he rolls over may give him pause.
Just to get it out in the open, if the Republicans cave on this, given that this is the Institutional Republicans’ “leadership’s” process from the get-go [designed by McConnell]; there will likely be a third party. There are an awful lot of people who are tired of knives in the back from what is supposed to be their own side.
Subotai Bahadur
Scott Garrett (R-NJ5) should have been included!
Might Camp and Upton being from a Michigan be a bid to get the legendary Reagan-democrats of that post blue collar state? If we can’t have Ryan, why not Connie Mack and his Penny Plan?
At least the Republican members are competent and knowledgeable. Kerry and Murray are clueless and stupid.
the game’s over
republicans in congress have shown they can’t be trusted
not even with super-majorities in both houses, and the presidency
time for a third party after all
Now thats the most valuable comment on this site in awhile!
But let us consider why the Tea Party won’t run as a legitimate legal political party of their own. Lets consider why the Libertatians/anarchists won’t run on their own political party ticket. Lets consider why the socvialist/progressives won’t run on their own political party ticket.
Be interesting to see the responses to this!
won’t the Tea Party run blah blah blah . . .
won’t Libertarians run blah blah blah . . .
won’t Progressives run blah blah blah . . .
You tell us, smart guy.
Actually, the question was directed to folks like yourself! Obviously, the answer to the question is not in your handbook of talking points, eh?
in yours neither, smarty-pants
Any bets that Pelosi doesn’t pick Pelosi?
Goodbye Leftist machinations…nobody wants to share that kind of misery equally!! The progressive death spiral has already begun and the closer it gets to the drain hole the louder it’s gonna sound; but it’s just noise. The one thing that the Left underestimated is the spirit of the American people and the protection bestowed upon us by God Himself.
Welcome to the U.S.A.!!!
I think that the reason why Ryan and a few others both chose not to be on the committee and were not asked, is because on of Obama’s manipulative re-election tactics will be to blame the Committee for what it comes up with and what it does not come up with.
Obama is setting himself up as a Pure Being, distancing Himself from the ‘dust and dirt’ of ordinary people..such as Congress. He’s going to define Congress as a major source of all problems…and that includes congressional committees. [Of course, he'll continue to blame the Japanese earthquake, the Arab Spring, Bush, Europe, AGW and sun flares...we know that].
Ryan and others who really know the economic situation in America, have worked hard on plans to deal with it (such as Ryan’s budget, such as Cut,Cap and Balance) have to keep themselves out of Obama’s Blame Focus. He’s going to blame this committee no matter what they come up with – and people like Ryan have to be free to comment on Obama, on the Committee, on the economy.
IF one actually believe in the constitution they tirelessly tout, then of course the nation should be blaming the ‘congress’ for failing to govern on behalf of the nation. A presidents job is very clearly defined in the constitution and nowhere does it give a president the mandate to legislate and appropriate….nor, does it mandate a president to mediate over a dysfunctional congress.
So yes, any rational president facing a dysfunctional congress of zealot party loyalists in times of national peril will go straight to the people just as President Reagan and others have done on so many occasions…putting the blame precisely where it justly belongs on the issues at hand.
The Christian Coailition/Tea party not only built the trap, they marched into it. Let them deal with it now!
would never bow to a wahabi saudi arab potentate