Payroll Tax Cut

How The Payroll Tax Fight Descended Into Chaos

Brian Beutler | December 21, 2011, 5:45AM

John Boehner

The fight over renewing the payroll tax cut into next year has escalated into a multi-front political war, both between Republicans and Democrats, and within the Republican party itself.

But lost in the gamesmanship and the arguments about process, hypocrisy, and leadership are the issues at stake.

So let's review.

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Republicans

Meet The Five Incoming Republicans Who Might Have GOP Leaders Sweating Bullets

Brian Beutler | November 26, 2010, 9:28AM

Austin Scott, Allen West, Renee Ellmers, David Rivera, and Blake Farenthold

A manual for incoming freshman Republicans, distributed by GOP leadership is meant to help them hit the ground running -- but also to stay out of trouble.

"It is important to keep in mind that even if you haven't violated any rules, the appearance of impropriety can be just as damaging. So always be certain that everything you do as a member is -- and appears to be -- above board," it reads.

With scores of new members, many untested in politics, coming to Washington, it's inevitable that at least a few will keep leadership awake at night, wondering if and how they might embarrass the party. Everyone's been put on notice, but here are five GOPers who, given their past scrapes, will likely be getting the gimlet eye from the top brass.

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NC-02

Dispute Over Video That Undid Dem Rep Pits Tea Party Against GOP Establishment

Evan McMorris-Santoro | November 9, 2010, 9:05AM

Renee Ellmers; Rep. Bob Etheridge (inset)

Last week, while one tea party winner in North Carolina should have been celebrating the final vote tally, she instead found herself at the center of one more battle between insurgent conservatives and elements of the Republican establishment. The National Republican Congressional Committee -- which reportedly had a hand in a devastating video this summer of a Democratic congressman physically confronting college-age men -- is now at apparent odds with the Republican candidate who benefited from the video's fallout. And the NRCC has drawn the ire of tea partiers and big-name conservatives like Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh.

Renee Ellmers, a registered nurse and first-time candidate, squeaked past Rep. Bob Etheridge (D) last Tuesday night, a result that is not yet set in political stone. Both sides are gearing up for a recount, a costly and potentially long process that has publicly pitted Ellmers against the National Republican Congressional Committee and eventually led Palin and Limbaugh -- who spent much of the year taking on establishment groups -- to attack the NRCC yet again. Now, the Republicans swear everyone has made up, but not before a nasty couple of days that played out like a mini 2010.

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Allen West

The Crazy Class Of 2010: Meet The New GOP Stars

Eric Kleefeld | November 4, 2010, 8:38AM

Reps.-elect Allen West (R-FL), Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), Renee Ellmers (R-NC), Tim Walberg (R-MI)

With the 60-odd gains for the House Republicans, let's take a special look at a particular brand of Republicans, whose ranks have potentially been enlarged tonight: The Crazy Caucus, those members of Congress who become especially well known for saying and doing things that are not just very conservative, not just right-wing...but really out there.

[TPM SLIDESHOW: Meet Your New U.S. Senators]

Current folks that we've kept track of have included Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rep. Steve King (R-IA), and Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA). It can be hard, looking at a crop of 60 incoming freshmen, to know exactly who will or won't distinguish themselves in this area. But in particular, four GOP pickups offer a lot of promise.

Other folks could very well pop up in the next two years, but these four bear close watching.

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2010 elections

Broad And Deep: A Quick Look The GOP's Big Victory In The House

Brian Beutler | November 3, 2010, 8:58AM

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

The midwest was the key to the GOP's 60-plus seat victory in the House of Representatives. Where Democrats were able to stave off losses in the west and northeast and even parts of the south, they were creamed by upwards of two dozen seats in states like Ohio, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, where the recession has taken a brutal toll.

Dems had a significant majority going in to yesterday's election, so the greatest losses were suffered by junior members. Most of them were fully expected. But when you lose this many seats, invariably some surprises get swept along with the tide.

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Jack Conway

Six Brutal Ads That Put Conway's Aqua-Buddha Segment To Shame

Brian Beutler | October 19, 2010, 8:51AM

Kentucky Senate candidates Jack Conway and Rand Paul talk with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

The campaign season was rocked this weekend when Senate hopeful Jack Conway (D) unveiled an ad raising questions about the sincerity of his opponent Rand Paul's faith in the deeply Christian state of Kentucky.

The ad quickly became the most contentious of the cycle. On Sunday, the two met for their second-to-last scheduled debate, which ended with Paul refusing to shake Conway's hand and threatening to skip their final encounter.

As is common when Democrats punch below the belt, the episode inspired an earnest round of handwringing among party members and progressive commentators, some of whom went to go so far as to call Conway's segment "illiberal" and "despicable."

Looking back on the past several weeks, though, there have been a number of ads (both Democratic and Republican) that are -- pick your adjective -- harsher, sleazier, bolder and more damning. Here are our top six.

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NC-02

Anderson Cooper Takes On Anti-Mosque GOP Candidate (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | September 27, 2010, 1:06PM

Anderson Cooper and Congressional candidate Renee Ellmers (R-NC)

On Friday night, Anderson Cooper took on Renee Ellmers, a Republican House candidate in North Carolina who has now based her campaign on opposing the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque," the Muslim community center project all the way up north in New York City. And the interview sure was a sight to behold.

Ellmers is running against incumbent Democrat Bob Etheridge. Her ad declared: "After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem, and Cordoba, and Constantinople, they built victory mosques. And now, they want to build a mosque by Ground Zero. Where does Bob Etheridge stand? He won't say, won't speak out, won't take a stand." Ellmers herself then cut in: "The terrorists haven't won. And we should tell them in plain English, no, there will never be a mosque at Ground Zero."

For one thing, Cooper asked Ellmers about how her ad uses the terms "Muslim" and "terrorists" interchangeably. Ellmers actually tried to wiggle out of that: "Well, to be honest, I think that you could make that assumption, but, you know, that's -- that's not giving me the benefit of the doubt."

Cooper replied: "I mean, that's -- your words are very carefully selected."

"The words are carefully selected, but that is certainly not what I'm intending to say. I am not intending to say that all Muslims are terrorists," Ellmers replied. "Basically, what I am saying, sir, is that there were terrorists who attacked us. They were Islamic jihadists. And, as a result of that, we have seen the devastation on 9/11."

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