Allen West

House Republicans Unprepared For Senate Rejection Of Boehner Debt Limit Plan

Brian Beutler | July 28, 2011, 11:33AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) told his Republican caucus Thursday morning that he doesn't yet have enough committed support to pass his debt limit bill -- a high stakes vote that will take place just hours from the time of this writing.

Most of his members believe he'll get there quickly -- even among the opponents of his bill, it's hard to find anybody who believes with any confidence that Boehner's plan will go down.

Earlier this week, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) -- chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee -- told reporters Boehner lacked the votes to pass his legislation. Today he's not so sure. "[T]hey weren't there at the time, we'll see what happens," he told me.

But if it passes, Republicans will have to grapple with a key question -- one they haven't really considered, and which Boehner hasn't prepared them to answer: What happens when the Senate sends them back a different plan?

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John Boehner

Boehner Is Cautiously Optimistic He Has The Votes

Susan Crabtree | July 28, 2011, 10:30AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) is cautiously optimistic that enough GOP members had fallen in line over the last 48 hours to pass his debt bill. The plan would cut nearly $917 billion in spending over the next ten years, raise the debt-ceiling by $900 billion and avoid sending the nation into default.

While he didn't have the magical 217 Republicans votes as of yet, Boehner told his conference in a closed-door meeting Thursday that he is confident he would hit the threshold when the bill reached the floor Thursday evening, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

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Debt Ceiling

Conservatives Renew Campaign Against Boehner Debt Limit Plan

Brian Beutler | July 27, 2011, 3:37PM

RedState's Erick Erickson

Conservative advocates opposed to House Speaker John Boehner's (R-OH) debt limit plan aren't relenting just because GOP leadership is twisting arms.

Club for Growth president Chris Chocola, and Red State founder Erick Erickson are both continuing to push House Republicans to vote against Boehner's plan when it comes to a vote on Thursday. Indeed, they're opposed to any plan that doesn't guarantee vast spending reductions, and allow conservatives to declare victory in a decades long fight over the propriety of federal safety net programs.

"That's why groups like the Club for Growth and others oppose the Boehner debt reduction plan, the Reid debt reduction plan, the McConnell debt reduction plan (has there been an Obama debt reduction plan?), and any other plan that does not include those basic tenets," Chocola writes in a Wednesday afternoon Politico op-ed. "Even newspapers like the Wall Street Journal that support the Boehner plan point out that 'It's true that the Boehner plan doesn't solve the long-term debt problem.'"

Erickson -- an influential figure among House conservatives -- is taking names.

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Ron Paul

Rep. Paul Says McConnell Debt Plan Is D.O.A.

Susan Crabtree | July 12, 2011, 7:56PM

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) just announced he's foregoing a run for re-eleection to focus full-time on his long-shot bid for the GOP nomination so maybe he's feeling a little emboldened. Then again, Paul is rarely afraid to state it like is.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Debt Negotiations At The White House]

Paul was the only GOP House member TPM found Tuesday afternoon willing to take a firm stand against Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) plan to hand the White House full authority to raise the debt ceiling with Congress only able to disapprove with a two-thirds vote. Conservative groups, Tea Party members outside Congress and activists are reportedly incensed over McConell's fall back plan.

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Planned Parenthood

Indiana Planned Parenthood Loses Tax Credit Due To New Abortion Law

Megan Reback | June 20, 2011, 12:36PM

While a district judge considers whether to grant a preliminary injunction against a new law that seeks to strip Indiana Planned Parenthood of federal funding, the non-profit has taken another hit: the organization recently learned that its application for the 2011 Neighborhood Assistance Program was rejected by Indiana's Housing and Community Development Authority.

The Neighborhood Assistance Program lets nonprofits leverage contributions from individuals. Donors participating in the program receive a tax credit worth half their donation on their state income taxes.

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Mike Pence

Congressman Mike Pence Officially Announces Run For IN Governor

Ian Power-Luetscher | May 5, 2011, 10:27AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

In a highly expected move, Republican Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) has announced he'll run for Governor of Indiana in 2012. Telling supporters in a Thursday conference call, "I'm in this race."

"Our reasons for entering this race are really two-fold," Pence said, according to the Indianapolis Star. "First, as lifelong Hoosiers, we love this state. ... The opportunity to lead the good and great people of this state would be the greatest privilege of our lives. Second, we believe our state is on the verge of an era of growth and opportunity like no other in our lifetime."

Pence announced in November that he planned to step down from his role as House Republican Conference Chairman, a decision many saw as the first step in a run for higher office. The six-term congressman had been rumored as the republican favorite as governor nominee in recent months, a rumor that was reinforced upon his quashing earlier this year of a presidential run.

According to the Star, Pence had planned to make his decision official on Monday but refrained because of the death of Osama bin Laden. His staff filed the paperwork Thursday morning, and a campaign fund raising effort called "Mike Pence for Indiana" is already up and running, according to the Evansville Courier & Press.

The Indiana Democratic Party Chairman Dan Parker released a statement on Pence's announcement, accusing the congressman of being an absentee representative.

"Congressman Mike Pence loves Washington, so much so that he made his campaign announcement from there instead of heading back to the heartland and standing with the Hoosiers he wants to represent," the statement read.

Curiously, Pence, shares credentials as a former lawyer and talk show host with the candidate expected to run on the democratic side of the ballot, former State Rep. John Gregg, who attended Indiana University School Of Law and once hosted an Indianapolis call in radio show.

Health Care

The GOP Proposes 'Obamacare' For Seniors -- Just Don't Tell Democrats Or Republicans That

Brian Beutler | April 15, 2011, 9:38AM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)

If I told you that the chairman of the Republican senators' reelection committee wanted to phase out the existing Medicare system and slowly replace it with Obamacare, would you believe me? No major caveats, no clever tricks. Just a slow transition from Medicare as we know it to the same health care law Republicans have sued and attempted to repeal -- but for seniors only.

You probably wouldn't. But you'd be wrong.

The long-term Republican budget plan proposed by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) phases out Medicare as a guaranteed, universal, single-payer system and replaces it with a government-subsidized private insurance program. If that sounds familiar, it should.

"It's exactly like Obamacare," said NRSC chairman Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the Capitol Thursday. "It is. It's exactly like it. Which strikes me as bizarre that you're seeing so much pushback [from Democrats]."

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Government Shutdown

Mike Pence: Shut 'Er Down! (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | April 1, 2011, 1:59PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) says shut 'er down. The one-time Republican conference chair, turned presidential footsie player, turned potential gubernatorial candidate, and always a tea party favorite told MSNBC on Friday that a looming spending cut deal is not worth it. He'd rather have a government shutdown.

"Well, look, I think that really is, Contessa -- I think that really is the important question. I think if liberals in the Senate are unwilling to embrace even this modest step toward fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C., then I say shut it down," Pence said. "You know, look, I think the American people sent this historic new majority to Congress to see the change in this direction."

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Tea Party Patriots

Republicans Pump Up Tea Partiers At 'Continuing Revolution' Rally (VIDEO)

Ryan J. Reilly | March 31, 2011, 4:55PM

The Tea Party Patriots hosted a rally near Capitol Hill on Thursday afternoon to encourage House leaders to resist compromising with the White House on the budget to avoid a government shutdown.

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Scott Brown

Scott Brown: It 'Goes Too Far' To Cut All Planned Parenthood Funding

Jillian Rayfield | March 22, 2011, 12:08PM

Senator Scott Brown (R-MA)

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) says he opposes the drastic cuts to Planned Parenthood passed by the House in February because "the proposal to eliminate all funding for family planning goes too far."

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Scott Walker

National Republicans Rally Around Scott Walker

Brian Beutler | March 16, 2011, 3:18PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

Ahead of yesterday's House vote to fund the federal government, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) painted the Republicans rebelling against Speaker John Boehner from the right as Scott Walker Republicans -- uninterested in compromise, single-minded in pursuit of a right-wing policy agenda.

The statement quickly diffused through the Capitol, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) -- an influential conservative and former Republican leader, who voted against the spending measure -- took kindly to it. On Twitter, Pence joked, "Sen. Schumer called us 'Scott Walker Republicans?' That's the nicest thing anybody has said about me in a long time!"

Turns out this is a view shared by both the so-called "Scott Walker Republicans" themselves, and Republicans who voted to pass the compromise plan.

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Government Shutdown

Schumer: House GOP Freshman, Conservatives Are 'Scott Walker Republicans'

Brian Beutler | March 15, 2011, 12:14PM

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

The political consequences for Republicans in Wisconsin are paying dividends for Democrats in DC.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is now pressuring House Speaker John Boehner to make a choice: negotiate with us, or side with the conservatives in your party, whom he described on a conference call with reporters Tuesday as "Scott Walker Republicans... using the budget to try and shoot the moon on [right wing] policy measures."

This is of a piece with Schumer's heads-you-lose, tails-you-lose offer to Boehner Monday, to dismiss the tea party constituency in his caucus and reach a bipartisan spending agreement with Democrats. Now he's citing Republican defectors as evidence that the real goal in this spending fight is to impose a conservative agenda via the budget process, just like in Wisconsin.

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Government Shutdown

Conservatives To Defect On Stopgap Funding Measure -- But It's Still Likely To Pass

Brian Beutler | March 15, 2011, 9:23AM

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

House Republicans will face noticeable defections from the right flank of their party when they vote Tuesday to fund the government for three more weeks -- a stopgap measure meant to buy time while leaders of both parties work out a longer-term solution.

But the mini-revolt won't throw the government into turmoil. The last "continuing resolution" passed the House two weeks ago with almost 340 votes, including over 100 Democrats, and barring major, unexpected defections from both parties, should pass again handily.

"I think in the end the Speaker will work out their differences," said Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) -- a freshman, and former House member, who Monday night told reporters he is inclined to support the spending measure. "He is very used to how the House ran under previous Republican speakers, of walking on the floor 20 votes short and picking them up on the floor."

If anything, today's situation is significantly less dire than that. "Everything is a lot less dramatic than it looks," Kirk said.

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Planned Parenthood

Pro-Life Rep: Many GOPers Will Vote Against Spending Bill If It Doesn't Defund Planned Parenthood

Brian Beutler | March 4, 2011, 9:45AM

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH).

A pro-life leader in the House says he and many other Republicans will vote against legislation to fund the government through September if a series of anti-abortion riders, which already passed the House, aren't included in the final bill.

"I'm going to push so hard to make sure those are all in there," Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) told The Takeaway. "You can't back off, from a human rights perspective. If you do so you facilitate the demise of hundreds of thousands of children."

Smith said several Republicans would defect on the spending bill if the abortion riders are removed. He focused specifically on one amendment, authored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), eliminating federal funds for Planned Parenthood.

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Planned Parenthood

House Passes Bill To Defund Planned Parenthood

Jillian Rayfield | February 18, 2011, 3:51PM

By a vote of 240-185, the House passed Rep. Mike Pence's (R-IN) amendment to strip Planned Parenthood of its federal funding.

According to MSNBC, ten Democrats voted to pass the measure, while seven Republicans voted against it.

The bill is not likely to make it through the Senate, where the Democrats have the majority, or to survive a veto by President Obama if it comes down to it.

Read more »

Mike Pence

Mike Pence: Planned Parenthood Videos 'Should Be A Scandal To Every American' (VIDEO)

Melissa Jeltsen | February 9, 2011, 10:19AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is outraged about the undercover "sting" videos targeting Planned Parenthood, and wants to use the footage as ammunition to strip all federal funding from country's largest provider of reproductive health care. He took a minute to speak on the floor of the house yesterday about the videos, produced by the anti-abortion group LiveAction.

"As a father of two teenage daughters, I see the video that came out this morning, I see the video that came out last week, and it's an outrage to me that employees of Planned Parenthood clinics across the country are facilitating the abuse of minor girls in this country," he said. "It should be a scandal to every American."

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Pres '12

Mike Pence Not Running For President

Eric Kleefeld | January 27, 2011, 4:26PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who has become something of a dream presidential candidate for many conservative bloggers and activists, appears to be about to say that he will not run for president.

The respected Howey Politics Indiana reports:

U.S. Rep. Mike Pence has ruled out a run for national office and will tour the state in the next few months, informed and reliable sources tell Howey Politics Indiana. The sources say that Pence has not made a final decision about a run for governor, keeping open the option of running for reelection in the 6th CD.

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2012 elections

Dick Armey: Mike Pence Is The Second Coming Of Reagan (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 27, 2011, 1:55PM

Dick Armey

FreedomWorks chair Dick Armey didn't hesitate when he was asked on Fox News today to weigh in on the 2012 presidential race. There's one man, Armey said, who can unite the fractured GOP. One man who can bring back Morning In America.

"I always thought I'd only get one Ronald Reagan in my lifetime," Armey said. "Maybe Mike Pence could be that second one."

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Pres '12

Pence To Decide On Pres. Campaign This Month

Eric Kleefeld | January 18, 2011, 4:33PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who is being eyed by some conservative activists as a potential candidate for president, now says he will make his decision soon.

The Indianapolis Star reports:

"We've been trying to listen first to Hoosiers and then to other voices around the country about where they think we might best serve in the years ahead," Pence told about 100 people at a conference room at Henry County Hospital in New Castle, Ind. "We'll be making a decision before the end of this month."

A committee was recently organized to draft Pence, using the nondescript name "America's President Committee."

Pres '12

'America's President' Group Formed To Draft Mike Pence

Eric Kleefeld | January 17, 2011, 1:38PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

A new group calling itself "America's President Committee" has been established, seeking to draft one particular individual to run to be America's President -- Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN).

The Daily Caller reports:

The effort is coordinated by Ralph Banko, who worked as a deputy counsel in the Reagan Administration and in President George W. Bush's Office of Faith-based a Community Initiatives. "Mike Pence describes himself as 'First a Christian, then a conservative, then a Republican.' He unifies fiscal, social, and national security conservatives, and will energize the conservative coalition essential to wining back the White House in 2012," said Benko in a press release.

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Mike Pence

Pence: Americans Have A Right To Carry Guns & Protest Loudly

Jillian Rayfield | January 12, 2011, 10:34AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence called it a "slippery slope" to connect guns at political rallies with the Tucson shootings over the weekend that included Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head. Pence referenced "the heat of the debate over the war in Iraq, when I saw people gathering on the national mall and waving placards that spoke strong opposition to the Bush administration."

"All of that is what freedom is all about," he said.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Potential 2012 GOPers Headed To South Carolina

Eric Kleefeld | January 6, 2011, 5:01PM

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

The 2012 Republican presidential race is just starting to warm up, with a whole bunch of possible candidates now set to drop into the key primary state of South Carolina:

• Mike Pence will visit this weekend, to keynote a black-tie dinner by the conservative group the Awakening Conference.

• Newt Gingrich will visit next Thursday, and address the Grand Strand Business Association in Myrtle Beach.

• Rick Santorum will visit next Saturday, two days after Gingrich, appearing at an anti-abortion rally at the state Capitol.

2012 elections

2012 GOPers To Celebrate Reagan's 100th Birthday

Eric Kleefeld | January 4, 2011, 10:00AM

Former President Ronald Reagan

An awful lot of potential Republican presidential candidates will be having one of their first public outings soon in Illinois -- where the state GOP will hold a mega-fundraiser to celebrate the 100th birthday of the great Ronald Reagan.

Roll Call reports:

The fundraising event will be held in Chicago on Feb. 5, the day before the late president's birthday. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga.) will sign copies of one of his books before the dinner, and former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, Indiana Rep. Mike Pence and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum have confirmed they will attend, according to an invitation to the event. The party also invited Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and South Dakota Sen. John Thune. The 12 Republican Members of the state's 112th Congressional delegation will be special guests.

If you think this celebration will be wild, just wait for April 5, 2051 -- the centennial of Bedtime for Bonzo.

2012 elections

Is The Pence For President Dream Over Before It Started?

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 4, 2011, 9:28AM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

RedState's Erick Erickson has a dream. And that dream is for social conservative darling Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) to run for President of the United States.

Sadly for Erickson, there are signs that Pence is turning away from a run for the White House in favor of a run for governor back home in Indiana. The respected Howey Politics Indiana political news service reports that Pence is "scheduling Republican Lincoln Days Dinner all over Indiana," what the site calls "the best clue yet that he is preparing to launch a 2012 Indiana gubernatorial campaign, as opposed to seeking the presidency."

Team Pence is keeping quiet for now, telling the site that Pence "has not scheduled any media events to announce future plans." But with the field for the 2012 gubernatorial race opening up -- former Sen. Evan Bayh (D) defied predictions and decided against running for governor next year and sitting Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman (R) is also sitting this one out -- Pence has a reasonably clear path to the Republican nomination and a strong shot at a general election win.

While that may be good news for Indiana Republicans intent on hanging on to the governor's mansion after Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) vacates it in 2013 (and perhaps sets off on his own bid for the presidency well before that), Pence's recent moves could come as a disappointment to Erickson and other conservatives who have long touted Pence as a presidential dark horse.

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Tax Cuts

House To Vote On Tax Plan Today

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2010, 11:39AM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)

This afternoon, the House of Representatives will vote on -- and likely pass -- the White House's tax cut plan. The legislation, which already passed the Senate, will likely go straight to President Obama's desk, and here's why:

The House's influential rules committee has OK'd a vote on one key amendment -- to stiffen the plan's estate tax provision. The overwhelming majority of Democrats support lowering the threshold, and raising the rate of the estate tax in the plan -- in fact the House has passed estate tax legislation that does just that.

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Pres '12

Poll: 41% Of Dems Want Primary Opponent For Obama

Marc Kilstein | November 24, 2010, 10:39AM

President Barack Obama

While President Obama has fared well at the state level in early 2012 presidential election polls, a newly released national poll paints a more troublesome picture for the president's re-election bid.

The McClatchy-Marist survey finds 41% of Democrats are in favor of a challenge for the Democratic presidential nomination. When Democratic-leaning independents are included, 45% support a primary challenge, 46% don't, and 9% aren't sure.

A November 15 Quinnipiac poll showed much less support for a contested 2012 primary, with just 27% of Democrats and Democrat leaners saying they wanted a Dem besides Obama to run in 2012, while 64% didn't.

In the Marist poll, only 36% of respondents indicate that they would "definitely vote for him" in the general election, whereas 48% state they will "definitely vote against him."

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Stimulus

Republicans Try To Roll Back Fed's Job Creation Mandate

Brian Beutler | November 17, 2010, 9:45AM

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

A growing number of Republicans want to tie the hands of the Federal Reserve, choking off perhaps the last best hope for a speedier economic recovery.

In a sluggish economy like this one, policy makers have a handful of powerful tools at their disposal. The most conventional tool -- fiscal stimulus -- is politically out of reach. Republicans, led by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have vowed to block any more deficit spending bills aimed at injecting demand into the economy.

"[W]e will loudly oppose future stimulus bills that only stimulate the deficit," McConnell said at a recent Heritage Foundation speech.

That leaves monetary stimulus. Under its mandate to promote full employment, the Fed is supposed to use tools at its disposal to spur economic growth. Republicans want to stop that too.

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Sarah Palin

2012 Starts Now: Polls Show Palin, Romney And Huckabee Popular Primary Choices

Eric Kleefeld | November 12, 2010, 6:05PM

Former Governors Mitt Romney (R-MA) and Sarah Palin (R-AK)

So who has the (very early) lead in the 2012 Republican presidential primaries? A big set of polls from key states released this week by Public Policy Polling (D) -- conducted as part of their surveys of various states in the days leading up the recent midterm election -- shows Mitt Romney with narrow leads in most states, followed closely by Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee.

Romney leads in New Hampshire, California, Colorado, Connecticut and Florida. Meanwhile, Palin leads in Maine, Texas, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Mike Huckabee posts narrow leads in Illinois and Pennsylvania

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Tea Party

Republican Leaders Grab The Tea Party With Both Hands

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 11, 2010, 8:46AM

Kristi Noem (R)

The Republican establishment in the House is offering up a big old bear hug to the incoming class of tea party freshmen.

No matter where you go these days, you'll find establishment types on the Hill praising their tea party brethren. There's a good reason for that: if you believe the tea party rhetoric, Republicans have more to fear from the tea party than the Democrats ever did.

Though it was Democrats who the tea party successfully helped remove from power in the House, the GOP may have reason to worry, too. As longtime Republican insider Mike Castle -- among others -- learned over the summer, tea party-style change can be painful for establishment types.

So the House has set off to open the door to the tea party through praise and even a seat at the leadership table.

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Sunday Shows

The Sunday Show Line-Ups

Eric Kleefeld | November 5, 2010, 6:17PM

Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

Here are the line-ups for the Sunday talk shows this weekend:

• ABC, This Week: Sen.-elect Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), former Reagan administration Budget Director David Stockman.

• CBS, Face The Nation: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC).

• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX), Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen.-elect Pat Toomey (R-PA).

• Fox News Sunday: House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI).

• NBC, Meet The Press: Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ).

Michele Bachmann

Infighting! Bachmann To Run For House Leadership

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2010, 3:24PM

Michele Bachmann

Conservative Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) -- founder of the Tea Party Caucus -- will make a bid to be part of House leadership next Congress, likely touching off a tough intra-GOP battle for influence over the new majority.

In a message to her supporters on Facebook, Bachmann writes, "I am pleased to announce that I am running for Chairman of the House Republican Conference! Constitutional Conservatives deserve a loud and clear voice in leadership!"

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Mike Pence

Pence To Step Down From GOP Leadership -- Hints At Run For Governor

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2010, 10:47AM

Representative Mike Pence (R-IN) with GOP leaders

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) will step down from his position as the number three Republican in the House.

In a letter to colleagues this morning, Pence informed his colleagues that he won't seek re-election to his leadership post next Congress, hinting that he may soon be unable to fulfill his leadership duties as he prepares a run for Indiana governor.

"As we consider new opportunities to serve Indiana and our nation in the years ahead, I have come to realize that it may not be possible to complete an entire term as Conference Chairman," Pence wrote. "As such, I think it would be more appropriate for me to step aside now, especially since there are other talented men and women in our Conference who could do the job just as well or better."

Pence's ambitions outside of Congress are well known. He's believed to be considering a run for governor of Indiana, and possibly the presidency. As I reported last week, Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is a top candidate to replace Pence as conference chair. You can read the entire letter below the fold.

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2010 elections

Will The GOP Be Riven By Power Struggles Post Election?

Brian Beutler | October 29, 2010, 8:37AM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) with members of the GOP leadership

In the early days of the 111th Congress, many observers assumed that between repeated electoral defeats and an angry constituency, the existing guard of GOP leaders would not survive into the 112th -- that a power struggle would ensue and new top dogs would emerge. But in the days before the election, that doesn't appear to be the case. Over the course of the last two years, John Boehner has, against expectations, consolidated his power. And GOP sources say they expect a more or less ordinary transition if the Republicans win back the majority.

"The leadership races operate without the same pressure of external forces that normal campaigns and elections operate under," says a former GOP leadership aide. "Blog posts, articles, public profile with the media, etc., don't impact the folks voting in the conference on leadership the way they might in a normal election setting."

Translation: the right flank of the caucus, and conservative activists, might be clamoring for new blood, but this decision will be made transactionally, via secret ballot, and the current leadership team will likely survive.

Read more »

John Boehner

Say What?! Republicans Echo Bill Clinton's Rhetoric In Anti-Pork Crusade

Brian Beutler | October 1, 2010, 4:21PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), and Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)

How untenable is the idea of eliminating earmarks? So untenable that Republicans are now borrowing from Bill Clinton to walk back what was recently one of their top initiatives.

"I am proud to stand with Leader Boehner in calling for an end to earmarking as we know it," Tweeted House GOP conference chair Mike Pence today. The sentiment was echoed -- retweeted, as the kids like to call it -- by Boehner himself, and Pence put out a statement today calling for "Congress to make the hard choices that are necessary to break Washington's spending addiction, and ending earmarks as we know them is a step in the right direction."

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Christine O'Donnell

Pence: O'Donnell 'Has An Obligation To Explain' Witchcraft Comments (VIDEO)

Jillian Rayfield | September 20, 2010, 1:01PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said today that "certainly Christine O'Donnell has an obligation to explain" her 1999 comment, "I dabbled into witchcraft."

Read more »

Values Voter Summit

Mike Pence Sweeps Straw Poll Voting At Values Voter Summit

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 18, 2010, 3:52PM

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) is the valueiest politician around. At least that's what participants in the 2010 Values Voter straw poll think. Pence, whose 2012 presidential aspirations are no secret, swept both the presidential and vice-presidential polls.

Pence gave a raucous and engaging speech to the crowd here Friday, which Family Research Council president Tony Perkins told me was at least partially responsible for his double win. Pence, of course, wasn't the only presidential hopeful to address the crowd yesterday. Rick Santorum spoke, too, though his sixth place finish suggests (by Perkins' logic) that people here were unmoved by his morality-focused speech. Mitt Romney tried to slay 'em in the aisles with a series of one-liners that seemed to amuse the crowd here. He came in third in today's results.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Morals, Morals, Morals! Conservatives Gather For Values Voter Summit]

Last year's winner straw poll winner, Mike Huckabee, also addressed the crowd yesterday, ripping into the health care reform law with what can only be described as true relish. He finished second in the presidential poll.

Sarah Palin, who didn't show up here at all, finished fifth in the presidential poll and second in the veepstakes. Because Pence won both polls, Palin was declared the winner of the VP straw poll, meaning -- if it means anything -- that participants here hope to have Pence/Palin bumper stickers on their cars come 2012.

"What a dream ticket," Perkins told the crowd.

Read more »

Values Voter Summit

Values Voter Summit Kicks Off With Attacks On Gays, Abortion Rights (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | September 17, 2010, 1:25PM

Michele Bachmann

The opening morning of the Values Voter Summit here in Washington followed a predictable script: President Obama and the Democrats in Congress are destroying America, and they're doing it by making it easier for homosexuals to live openly and for women to exercise their right to choose.

There were attacks on health care, spending and taxes, too, but this is the VVS after all, so the fear of ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the specter of government funding for abortion took center stage in a way not seen at most high-profile Republican events this year.

"Washington is assaulting America's values," Mitt Romney told the crowd packed into the ballroom here at the Omni Shoreham hotel. "Values like the sanctity of life and the preservation of marriage."

You can follow my live coverage of the event here. And watch it live here.

Read more »

Bush Tax Cuts

House Republicans Cover For Boehner On Tax Cuts: Did We Mention We're United?

Christina Bellantoni | September 15, 2010, 12:13PM

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA)

Conference Chairman Mike Pence says Republicans are "united" opposing "any tax increases." Minority Whip Eric Cantor thinks the midterm elections will be about "not allowing tax hikes to occur." Rep. Jeb Hensarling says the party is "united" they want "no tax increases on nobody."

Get the picture? They are all on the same page.

Three days after House Minority Leader John Boehner distinctly told CBS that he would vote for an extension of just the middle class tax cuts were that his "only option," the Republicans have a message to convey: Total unity.

TPM tried to press Boehner (R-OH) on his remarks, since we know Republicans attempted to do damage control after Sunday's interview.

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