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It's no secret that Republicans aren't enamored with Rep. John Boehner's debt ceiling bill. The Tea Party has come out strongly against it too. What is Boehner going to do? Apparently, they want to go out and beat up some Democrats, or something like that.
TPM's Brian Beutler writes a great piece about how the Republicans in the HOUSE used a gangster movie clip to try and rally the troops with none other that Rep. Allen West leading the charge.
I get that reporters are hungry for color and that members of Congress and their staffs sometimes err when they decide what to reveal. But it's hard to imagine who was thinking what when House aides leaked to the Washington Post this eye-popping anecdote about a House GOP caucus meeting today in which leadership got their troops pumped up to support the Boehner debt bill with a scene from a gangster film where loyalty trumps morality and justifies brutal assault.
Check out how House Republican leaders are reportedly whipping support for John Boehner's troubled debt limit bill.
From the Post ...
House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the party's vote counter, began his talk by showing a clip from the movie, "The Town", trying to forge a sense of unity among the independent-minded caucus.
One character asks his friend: "I need your help. I can't tell you what it is. You can never ask me about it later."
"Whose car are we gonna take," the character says.
After showing the clip, Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.), one of the most outspoken critics of leadership among the 87 freshmen, stood up to speak, according to GOP aides.
"I'm ready to drive the car," West replied, surprising many Republicans by giving his full -throated support for the plan.
A couple things. First, that's not the complete movie quote. Here's the complete quote:
Doug MacRay: I need your help. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we're gonna hurt some people.
James Coughlin: ...Whose car we takin'?
Second, having rallied their troops with the clip of a scene of two guys agreeing to a revenge attack, the man who rises to the moment for GOP leaders is...Rep. Allen West.
We all know about Allen West's background in Iraq:
CNN.com reported on December 13, 2003, that West threatened to kill an Iraqi policeman his soldiers were interrogating. West also reportedly "watched four of his soldiers ... beat the detainee on the head and body." CNN.com further reported that military prosecutors said West's actions "amounted to torture." According to a December 14, 2003, Boston Globe article, military officials said that West "disobeyed laws, ignored orders ... and mortgaged future discipline in his unit."
So it's not shocking that this scene in Ben Affleck's movie would rouse him into action. Boehner's plan is in real jeopardy as I write this post. Looks like a rewrite is happening.
Moments after the Congressional Budget Office released an analysis finding that the House Republicans' debt limit bill falls far short of one their key goals, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) decided to rewrite the legislation, and according to GOP leadership, an expected Wednesday floor vote on the package will be delayed until Thursday at the earliest.
What movie clip will the GOP use to sway the base back in Boehner's favor this time? How about Tarantino's Stuck in The Middle With You?
