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John Boehner Fiscal Cliff Proposal Opposed By Powerful Conservative Groups
WASHINGTON — Two of the most powerful and politically active conservative groups in Washington are not pleased with the fiscal cliff proposal put forward by Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Monday.
Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks stated their disappointment and opposition to the proposal put forward by Boehner as a counter to President Barack Obama’s offer because it contains $800 billion in new tax revenue and not enough spending reductions.
“The President’s proposal and Speaker Boehner’s counteroffer fail to seriously deal with the reality of the problems facing the nation,” Americans for Prosperity president Tim Phillips said in a statement Monday.
Matt Kibbe, president of FreedomWorks, told CNN on Tuesday, “I think (Boehner) is negotiating with himself. I wish Republicans would lay out a more substantial vision.”
The two groups are among the top 10 most politically active conservative groups in the 2012 elections having combined to spend $59 million. In 2009, they helped mobilize the Tea Party movement and propelled the Republicans into the majority in the House of Representatives with massive campaign spending.
FreedomWorks, along with the similarly conservative Club for Growth, have used their political might to enforce conservative orthodoxy in primary elections. In the most recent elections they helped Sens.-elect Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) win tough primary battles against better funded opponents. They also aided Indiana Treasurer Richard Mourdock (R-Ind.) as he unseated Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and then went on to lose in the general election.
These conservative groups have opposed deals and proposals from Boehner and House leadership in the past and aren’t going to oppose the latest plans silently.
“If the deal is a bad deal, then this will be a big part of our scorecard and we’ll work very hard to educate the grassroots about why it’s a bad deal,” FreedomWorks legislative counsel Dean Clancy told The Huffington Post. “We’re not going to be loyal soldiers and just fall in line because it’s the best that could be gotten, if it’s a truly bad deal.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06…50903.html
2012-12-06 17:23:10
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