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Rep. Tom Cole was the keynote speaker last Saturday night at the MO Republican Party’s annual Lincoln Days banquet in Kansas City.
From Examiner.com:
Two Of Oklahoma’s politicians – one current and the other former – weigh in on the Employee Free Choice Act, or as it’s better known “card-check”. The measure would allow the formation of unions without a secret vote if a majority of employees sign authorization forms.
From The Hill:
“It inspires both our grass roots and our business allies, so for us it’s a dream issue,” said former National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.).
The issue “incentivizes businesses to invest in the NRCC and in the [NRSC],” Cole said. “It’s stuff particularly your small donors love, and it reminds business why there needs to be a viable Republican Party.”
RNCC chairman Tom Cole and former MO. state Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer in Columbia, Mo. today. Chairman Cole talked about the GOP’s commitment to Missouri’s Ninth District contest.
Related:
STL Post Dispatch: Coburn, the anti-Ridge, to visit Missouri for McCain
Hat tip: jasonrosenbaum
The open letter to Pelosi as seen on the HotAir Blog
John Boehner’s office has started a live blog to keep up with the events today. Keep checking back during the day. Here are a couple of nuggets from today’s debate:
“The oil might not flow for a year or two, but the jobs will start immediately…Right now, this House is an obstacle, not a platform.” – Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK)
It’s an ominous sign for your party’s election success when your congressional campaign chair suggests to congressional hopefuls that their two best options for winning are: (1) Throw your party under the bus while you’re in your district. (2) Don’t bother showing up for the convention because it would be a “waste of your time.”
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told GOP congressional hopefuls on Thursday that they should not be afraid to criticize both political parties – including Republican members of the House.
During a conference call, the National Republican Congressional Committee chairman instructed candidates, campaign managers and press secretaries that given the anti-incumbent environment, it could be beneficial for House GOP candidates to distance themselves from politicians they may be serving with next year.
“These [congressional approval] ratings are worse than we had on the eve of losing the majority,” Cole said. “Don’t be afraid to say you are disappointed in fellow Republicans… don’t hesitate to be anti-Washington, D.C.”
The NRCC chief discouraged candidates from attending the national convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, saying that spending days there would be a “waste of time,” and they would be better off campaigning. Read more…
Related:
The Hill: The Culinary Inquisition: Rep. Frank Lucas (R-Okla.)
We guess Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment doesn’t apply when the person you’re bashing is dead!
By Rep. Tom Cole
Obama has been compared to many iconic figures in American political history. But last week we saw another aspect of the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s character and political style that ought to give every seasoned observer across the political spectrum pause. Obama’s decision to break his word and opt out of the public financing system and the manner in which he justified that decision were Nixonian to the core.
The facts of the matter are simple enough. Obama made verbal and written promises to accept public financing in the general election campaign if his Republican opponent would agree to do the same. John McCain has indicated he will do so, even in the face of Obama’s reversal. So, in his first consequential decision since becoming his party’s nominee Obama chose to break his word to the American people. Richard Nixon would understand. Obama is betting that his liberal allies and the media will too. Read more…
The Politico:
After a week of tension and recriminations following a special election loss in Mississippi, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner and NRCC Chairman Tom Cole will unveil a series of changes Wednesday aimed at quelling criticism and positioning their party for November’s elections.
Cole is expected to add veteran Republican political operative Ed Brookover to his staff as a consultant and liaison with lawmakers, GOP insiders said. Brookover, who served as a National Republican Congressional Committee political director, has close ties to Boehner, Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri and Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam of Florida, according to one GOP aide.
A source with knowledge of the discussions between Boehner and Cole said the minority leader has insisted that Cole also give more power to an advisory committee formed after the GOP lost a special election in Louisiana earlier this month. Under the plan Boehner and Cole will announce Wednesday, that advisory committee will meet weekly with NRCC staffers to monitor operations and help coordinate fundraising and other campaign activities. It is possible that former NRCC Chairman Tom Davis of Virginia will play an expanded role in guiding the advisory committee and, through it, the NRCC.
The moves represent a modest détente between Cole and Boehner, but they might not be enough to mollify a restive party rife with fears that November 2008 will be a replay of November 2006. Read more…
After several days of speculation, Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, is giving a public vote of support to National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chair Oklahoma Congressman Tom Cole.
Cole, the 4th District representative, had come under fire after yet another special election loss, the latest one last week in Mississippi.
Most observers think Cole is being set up for blame by Boehner, who has criticized Cole in the past. “I don’t know what Tom Cole is supposed to do about visionless dolts like John Boehner,” one Washington insider tells OKPNS.
From The Hill:
“Boehner’s leadership has been lacking,” a GOP lobbyist and strategist said.
Boehner last year reportedly called for staffing changes at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), but none happened after NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) refused to make them.
After the party’s devastating loss last week in a Mississippi special election, Boehner did not directly answer the question about whether Cole would stay on at the NRCC. With some of his GOP colleagues calling for quick and decisive action, Boehner lauded a 20-page strategic memo crafted by Rep. Tom Davis (Va.), a former NRCC chairman.
It wasn’t until five days after the Mississippi loss that Boehner provided clarity on whether Cole would be ousted.
“He’s staying,” Boehner said on “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” on Sunday. “And we know the kind of changes that need to be made in order to help our members and help our candidates go out there and do their best in a very difficult environment.”
Boehner said he met with Cole late last week to discuss those changes, but the minority leader’s office declined to detail them on Monday. Read more…
The man tasked with retaking the House of Representatives for Republicans, Oklahoma 4th District Congressman Tom Cole, is on the hot seat after yet another special election loss, but this time after a loss Tuesday night in a Mississippi district President Bush once won by over 25%.
It’s no secret that Cole, the National Republican Campaign Committee chair, is disliked by Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, and Boehner sees Cole as the perfect fall guy in the event House Republicans lose significant ground in the November congressional elections. According to reports, the long knives are coming out.
From Politico.com:
The House Republican Conference was rife with rumors of quick fixes. According to one rumor, retiring Rep. Tom Davis (Va.) would replace Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Another had Boehner recruiting a top White House political aide to revamp the NRCC. Neither seemed likely to happen. Both underscored the desperation Republicans felt to do something, anything, to avoid the November disaster that the special election losses seem to portend.
Cole and his top staff at the NRCC were at the center of this quickly churning rumor mill, but the griping also touched Boehner, who spoke privately with his campaign chief Wednesday.
The two leaders, who sparred last fall over operations at the committee, offered contradictory messages about what changes were afoot.
Cole said speculation about his resignation or the firing of NRCC staff amounted to nothing more than a “Washington parlor game.” Boehner, hinting that a shake-up was coming, said Wednesday morning that he expected House Republican leaders would discuss the party’s problems, and what “changes” might need to be made to address them, in a meeting later in the day. Read more…