Every election cycle, candidates make promises to their constituents – but many times, those promises are rarely fulfilled. To make matters worse, once in office, politicians have a 90+% chance for re-election – which is why the swamp never gets drained.
We (the voters) keep repeating this insane cycle. It’s like when Lucy promises to hold the football for Charlie Brown and then pulls it away at the last second. We know exactly what will happen, but Charlie Brown falls for the same false promise every time.
And when it comes to voting, we are a lot like Charlie Brown. We don’t have that same clarity when we cast our votes – and fall for the same unfulfilled promises every election.
This is a never-ending cycle that needs to end.
Up until recently, I could not make sense of our collective naivety. Then it hit me after I heard NH’s Congressional Candidate Tim Baxter identify the importance of the Speaker of the House – and the authoritarian power he has to halt/limit/control all legislation that is brought to the House floor for a vote:
“There’s no amendments, there’s no Bills that are voted on unless the Speaker of the House consents to it.”
“The vote for Speaker is not just about getting a conservative, but about getting someone who isn’t corrupt in office.”
Watch: GIP’s Ken Eyring and Tom Murray Talk with NH Congressional Candidate Tim Baxter
That’s when it dawned on me that there may be self-proclaimed America First Congressional candidates who might be intentionally gaming the system by telling voters they are America First candidates in order to get elected – but plan to cast their Speaker of the House vote for Kevin McCarthy who they know will block the America First agenda from ever coming to the floor for meaningful votes. That way, they can have their cake and eat it too – without voters realizing they were had.
Other candidates may be sincere in their commitment to the America First agenda, but their pledge to vote for McCarthy nullifies their intent – and, more importantly, their effectiveness.
Either way, candidates who pledge to elect Kevin McCarthy to Speaker of the House don’t deserve our votes.
That’s why I believe Tim Baxter is justifiably hammering two of his opponents – Matt Mowers and Karoline Leavitt – for their pledge to elect Kevin McCarthy to Speaker of the House – and essentially empower him to unilaterally block their America First campaigns.
Conservative Review provides “Liberty Scores” for Congress. According to their website,
“Conservative Review’s Liberty Score® grades members of Congress on the top 50 votes over a rolling six-year term. A letter grade is assigned to each member to help you quickly determine whether a lawmaker is supporting conservative principles.”
Kevin McCarthy failed with a score of 52%. An “F.”
Elise Stefanik, the Congresswoman who Leavitt said she would align herself with – failed with a score that is lower than McCarthy’s: 44%. Another “F.”
To put those scores into context, both McCarthy and Stefanik scored LOWER than Liz Cheney, who received an “F” with a Liberty Score of 53%.
We can and must do better! If voters want real change in Washington, then someone other than a Liz Chaney clone needs to be elected to Speaker of the House.
Baxter has pledged to cast his vote for someone like Chip Roy or Andy Biggs. Both received an “A” with a Liberty Score of 100%.
If Mowers or Leavitt help elect McCarthy to Speaker of the House… they would, in essence, be Deep State enablers.
That is why Mowers and Leavitt must renounce their support for McCarthy NOW because McCarthy will kill the MAGA / America First agenda on day one.
Mowers and Leavitt need to step up and be leaders like Tim Baxter and set the example for other Congressional candidates across America… and that means dumping McCarthy as their choice for Speaker of the House.
This post was first published by the Government Integrity Project
