Bass Calls for House GOP to Elect New Leaders
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 – Congressman Charles Bass (R-N.H.) Monday called for House Republicans to select new leaders at the beginning of next year.
“We ought to have new leadership as soon as the session resumes in January just because I think it would be good for our conference to begin the second session of Congress under a new leadership,” Bass said Wednesday. “The leadership isn’t as clearly defined as it should be.”
Former Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-Texas) has been temporarily replaced by interim House Majority Leader Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a situation that Bass said takes the focus off important issues.
“Tom Delay has his issues in the Texas judicial system which need to be worked out, but his problems should not be the main agenda items of the Republican conference in the second session,” Bass said. “It should be the agenda that we want to pursue.”
While Bass acknowledged that he was speaking only for himself, other moderate Republicans agreed with his assessment and see him as taking on the role of a leader in Congress.
Congressman Joe Schwarz (R-Mich.), who sees Bass as not only being a leader among the moderate Republicans, but also as a potential national leader of the party, agrees that there should be leadership elections in January.
“It doesn’t serve the party itself to be in a situation where leadership from the majority leader down has an asterisk by it and then at the bottom it says temporary,” Schwarz said. “For the purpose of moving the agenda forward it probably would be appropriate to have a leadership election after the first of the year.”
“Charlie Bass has really blossomed as a leader in Congress,” Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), who co chairs the moderate Republican Tuesday Group with Bass, said in a press statement Wednesday.
Bass said that he had spoken with the current House leadership about the need for a new election and did not want to criticize Blunt, who he believes is doing a “great job.” He said that newly-elected leadership might provide “a little bit more unity” among Republicans.
“I want our Congress to have a productive and successful second session and I think part of the key to that will be to have a stable leadership.” Bass said.
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