JoAnn Fleming: Louie Gohmert is Our Hometown Hero

This writing was authored and contributed to Breitbart Texas by JoAnn Fleming.

Grassroots America – We the People, the largest constitutional conservative organization in East Texas and one of the largest in the state, thanks Congressman Louie Gohmert for his courage in leading a revolt against Speaker John Boehner. Due to our Congressman’s candor, the American people know much more about the inner workings of the House because Gohmert doesn’t cover up for the GOP. The 24 votes against Boehner is the largest defection in a US Speaker’s race since 1923. (Grassroots America does not consider the vote “present” to be a courageous vote. It is the sign of a double-minded man.)

Conservatives were looking for 29 votes against Boehner in order to trigger a second ballot and a stronger chance to replace Boehner. Counter to GOP House leadership scare tactics, the only way a Democrat Speaker could have been elected is if 59 Republicans voted “present” and not for any adult American citizen for Speaker.

Grassroots America supported a change in leadership because Boehner’s dismal record runs counter to what voters have expressed at the ballot box. Boehner supported the more than $1 trillion Cromnibus spending bill crafted behind closed doors. Boehner voted for a 2014 omnibus appropriations bill that exceeded spending caps by $45 billion. Boehner supported raising the debt limit in 2014 until March of 2015, without any accompanying spending reforms. Boehner voted for nearly a trillion dollars in corporate welfare and food stamps in the Farm Bill. Boehner voted for the Ryan/Murray budget that broke spending caps by $63 billion. Boehner brought forth three bills, each made further concessions to ObamaCare when he should have held the line. Boehner allowed the Massie Amendment, which would have restricted the NSA from collecting metadata on innocent Americans, to be stripped from the 2014 government-funding bill, despite its passing the House with a bipartisan majority. Boehner voted to raise the debt limit in 2013 without any accompanying spending reforms. Boehner removed four fiscal conservatives from their committees because they stood up to leadership (Tim Huelskamp, Justin Amash, David Schweikert, and Walter Jones). Boehner voted for the Fiscal Cliff deal that raised taxes and rewarded special interests.

John Boehner is a serial over-spender who likes Big Government as long as he and the establishment Republicans are in charge of it. The fact that he believed it perfectly acceptable to pass a vulgar $1 trillion spending bill (the Cromnibus), which was crafted behind closed doors, shows how out-of-touch he is with the American people. Boehner’s record proves he does not believe in true transparency, in reducing the size and scope of government, clearing out government waste, holding the IRS accountable for persecuting American citizens, restricting NSA data-mining on American citizens, repealing every syllable of ObamaCare, or border security. Apparently, Boehner cannot see that America is on the verge of a constitutional crisis.

As for the rest of the Texas Congressional House Delegation, we were five votes short on the vote against Boehner. Five votes short of an opportunity to put the U.S. House on the side of the Constitution and the good of America. Every single member of Congress who voted “present” or for Boehner’s re-election, voted for the continued decline of the US. We desperately needed a new Speaker who would actually fight Big Government spending, fight to reduce the $18 trillion debt, fight the IRS, fight NSA spying on American citizens, fight to repeal every syllable of ObamaCare, fight amnesty, and fight for border security.

The American people sent a message in the November 4th election – they want a reversal on the lawlessness of the Obama Administration. They want border security – not amnesty. The overwhelming majority of the Texas Congressional House delegation failed to heed that message today. They failed Texas. They failed America.

Grassroots America applauds Congressman Louie Gohmert for leading the charge to oppose Big Government Republicans who participate in the shredding of the Constitution, growing the $18 trillion federal debt, and keeping in place the security risk of a wide-open southern border. We heartily thank Texas Congressman Randy Weber for his principled vote. We are embarrassed by every single remaining member of the Texas delegation who voted present or voted for Boehner. They should be fired the next election.

JoAnn Fleming is the Executive Director of Grassroots America and a Breitbart Texas columnist.