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Friday, December 12, 2014

U.S. House chairmanships go to libertarians' foes

The Hawks Strike Back: Libertarians Routed in GOP Committee Races - David Wiegel, Bloomberg Politics:

November 19, 2014 - "There is no more acrimonious relationship in the House GOP conference than the one between Michigan Representative Justin Amash and California Representative Devin Nunes. After Amash nearly succeeded in passing a bill that would have de-funded the NSA's metadata collection program, Nunes basically called him a traitor. 'This is a guy willing to work with San Francisco Democrats to protect baitfish,' he told Politico, 'and at the same time he’s Al-Qaeda’s best friend in the Congress'....

"On Tuesday, Nunes was elected to chair the House Intelligence Committee. 'Over the past four years, Devin has been instrumental in ensuring that our intelligence professionals have the resources they need to keep America safe,' said Speaker John Boehner in a statement.

"Amash didn't respond to a request for comment, but there was more bad news for the libertarian wing of the GOP on Tuesday. In a true upset, Texas Representative Bill Flores overcame South Carolina Representative Mick Mulvaney to take over the conservative Republican Study Committee. According to Lachlan Markay's reporting, Mulvaney was done in by hawkish conservatives who had organized for months against the elevation of a more libertarian-minded member. In a July letter, 25 hawks stated 'that any candidate for Chairman of the Republican Study Committee be thoroughly vetted to have demonstrated a clear, principled and unequivocal voting record in support of our national security.'

"That functionally meant Mulvaney. He was one of a loud but small minority of Republicans who argued that defense cuts needed to be part of a fiscally responsible budget. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul campaigned for him. Last week, Mulvaney was spotted in the hotel where Paul had gathered supporters to talk about his progress so far and the possibility of a 2016 White House run."

Read more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-19/the-hawks-strike-back-libertarians-routed-in-gop-committee-races

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