Rep. Jason Chaffetz for Speaker of the House

I wanted Raul Labrador (R-ID) to run for Speaker of the House.

The Congressman has said nothing. No annoucements. No determinations. Nothing

I called his office. I contacted his media staff. They informed me that Labrador was getting phone calls and positive feedback from all over the country. Labrador had some experience running for House Leadership last year, and even though he failed in his bid, I believed that a second run would prove more successful.

However, after more than a week, with no press releases from his office, it's time for us to remember the wise rule of William F. Buckley: choose the conservative who is the most electable.

And electable includes someone who has elected to throw his hat in the ring.

Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-UT)

That person today is Congressman Jason Chaffetz.

Chaffetz' has a slightly lower Heritage Action Score compared to Labrador (81% to 96%), but he still exceeds the current House average, and particularly Kevin McCarthy's.

He has a more reliable stance as a fighter, too. I will never forget the day when he read his condolences and outrage following the deaths of the four Benghazi diplomats. He wept. He openly blasted Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, when Cummings wanted to end the investigations into the IRS abuses against conservative groups.

The biggest fault against him would be his attempt to remove Mark Meadows from his subcommittee assignment on the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. However, let's not forget that conservative pressure forced him and his leadership colleagues to back off. I want that kind of  leader, one who listens to conservatives and respects his like-minded colleagues.

I have no qualms about Chaffetz as Speaker at this time, then.

I have looked at his positions on his website, particularly immigration:

I have long believed that solving illegal immigration starts with fixing legal immigration. Our immigration system is completely broken and in desperate need of reform. The borders are not secure. The executive branch does not enforce the law.  We do not have a functioning entry-exit system. Our asylum program is being routinely abused.  We have an inept guest worker program, no national e-verify system, and we educate extremely smart and talented high-skilled people only to send them back to their home countries instead of allowing them to stay here to contribute to our economy.

Fixing the legal system is paramount for Chaffetz. He rejects compromise:

Each of these issues needs to be addressed on its own merits. Passing one massive comprehensive bill is not the answer.  Everyone can find something to oppose in a comprehensive bill.  Furthermore, "comprehensive" is slowly becoming a code word for amnesty. History has shown that massive legislation tends to collapse under its own weight because inevitably it contains something for everyone to disagree with.  For that reason I prefer a step-by-step, incremental, one-issue-at-a-time approach.

Works for me. I have more trust in his leadership at this point compared to anyone else's. We need someone not so close to the system, with a more reliable record, willing to fight for conservative values. I do not trust McCarthy, and the latest Breitbart article articulates why:

The division is largely between local agricultural interests, who see McCarthy as a potential ally on water and immigration issues, and the local conservative voting base.

Absolutely. Big Business and Limited Government are no longer strange bedfellows, but in open conflict in key issues, including immigration as well as a general atmosphere of compromise with a President who has aided corporate cronies at the expense of everyone else, literally and figuratively. Another statement from the post shows whom a McCarthy Speakership would benefit:

Ellis quotes Barry Bedwell, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, saying: “The bottom line, this is a tremendous opportunity for California and, specifically, the San Joaquin Valley.” Ellis also quotes local conservative Serafin Quintanar, declaring: “He’s part of the problem.”

A speakership needs to advance a conservative, constitutional agenda, not promote the limited interests of fruit companies, farmers, and one section of one state. He also needs to speak well, communicate effectively. With that, there was McCarthy's gaffe about the Benghazi investigations, which he diminished by calling them political. He admitted his regret about this statement.

Rep. Chaffetz

Chaffetz argued a number of good points on Fox News Sunday, the same day that he announced his bid for the Speakership:

Things have changed. There's really a math problem. You need 218 votes on the floor of the House. There are a growing number of people who cannot and will not vote for Kevin McCarthy. He's going to fall short of the 218 votes.'

We were entrusted by the American People with the largest majority the Republicans have ever had, since Babe Ruth was swinging the baseball bat. But they didn't send us here to perpetuate the status quo. 

He hits every nail on the head. The voters, the conservatives, want a fighter, someone who recognizes that business as usual in Washington, including backroom deals and easy compromises, will no longer get the job done.

They want us to fight. They want us to take the fight to the Senate. They want us to take that fight to the President, and they want us to take that fight to the American People.

I can bridge the divide between are more centrist members and are more far right-wing members.

One thing is certain - leadership in the House must work on bringing together the Republicans and fight the Democrats. Chaffetz understands this conflict, and called out McCarthy because this divide has only deepened under Boehner's leadership.

Here are some other fine moments from Chaffetz the Oversight Committee Chairman:

Investigating Planned Parenthood - do they deserve taxpayer subsidies?

He trashed IRS Commissioner John Koskinen for his professionalized stonewalling against investigations into the rogue, abusive IRS

He faulted the FOIA Czar, who was aiding and abetting the Obama Administration's excessive secrecy, as "Living in La-La Land".

He attacked Jonathan Gruber, the "liberal racketeer"  architect, with: "I don't want to talk to your counsel. I want to talk to you under oath."

Wow! A fighter, not a flighter. I will support Jason Chaffetz of Utah for Speaker of the House.

Contact his office and your Congressional representative, that you support Chaffetz for Speaker:

Washington, DC Office

2236 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-7751

Hours: M-F 9AM-6PM EST

Provo Office

51 S University Ave., Suite 318

Provo, UT 84601

Phone: (801) 851-2500

Hours: M-F 9AM-6PM EST