November 11, 2008

A Challenger for House GOP Leadership?

First, if you haven't heard, Mike Pence (R-IN) has rejected rumors that he's done a secret backroom deal to support present Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and has in fact stated that he will support a conservative challenger to Boehner if one steps up to the plate.

Enter Dan Lungren (R-CA). Word on the street is that Lungren may challenge Boehner for the leadership:

Several House conservatives have courted Lungren in the past two days, seeking change in leadership after demoralizing losses in Tuesday's election and two years of tussling with Boehner over earmarks, spending and most recently the $700 billion financial rescue package.
Looking at their voting records, while both are conservative overall, Lungren has a somewhat better track record than Boehner on taxes and spending, and a dramatically better track record than Boehner on border and immigration issues. Both are solidly pro-life. That's all good news.

Unfortunately, Lungren has a significantly weaker track recond than Boehner on the Second Amendment. Lundgren's 2008 NRA rating was 71% (vs. 93% for Boehner).

Gun rights is one area where the present House GOP has been excellent. I'd need to hear more about Lungren's views on gun control before I'd jump in with both feet, but I'm certainly willing to be persuaded.

One area where Lungren is ahead of Boehner is in understanding the islamic jihadist threat:

Dan's lifetime belief that America's national defense is the number one responsibility and priority of the federal government was affirmed on 9/11. While he believes that America responded to 9/11 with resolve, determination and a ferocity born of our love for freedom, Dan asserts that we must continue to adapt to the changing tactics of our enemies and directly fight the transnational Islamic fascism of those who elect terrorism as their weapon of choice.
Although it comes across a little bit in the quote above, their extemporaneous comments offered during our leadership interviews two years ago showed a dramatic difference between Boehner's fairly shallow understanding of the islamic threat and Lungren's much deeper appreciation of the threat and related issues.

In other words, anyone who considers the War on Terror the #1 issue can support Lungren without reservation.


By Ragnar Danneskjold, Typical Bitter Gun-Clinger at November 11, 2008 04:52 PM | | l digg this