Tag: Tom Cole

From The Hill:

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) chastised his colleagues Tuesday for not contributing to the GOP candidate in an increasingly crucial Mississippi special election, saying those who have not helped “ought to be ashamed of themselves,” Republican sources said.

The harsh admonition from the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) was the latest rallying cry from GOP campaigners, who have repeatedly cited a lack of enthusiasm and giving from members. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told his colleagues earlier this year that they needed to get off their “dead asses” and raise money for the NRCC. […]

In another conservative district in Mississippi, the vast majority of members have not given to Southaven Mayor Greg Davis (R), even after he nearly lost to Democrat Travis Childers late last month.

Because it sure feels that way to me:

“This should come as a warning shot to Democrats,” the NRCC said in a post-election press release. “The elitist behavior of the Democratic front-runner and the liberal and extremist positions that he and his fellow Democrats in Congress have staked their claim to, do not appear to be as salient as they once hoped.”

Talk about lowering the bar.  Suddenly Democrats should be on the defensive for winning Republican-held R+6.5 open seats in the South?

Hang in there, Tom Cole and friends.  I know this must’ve been a rough night for you.

Remember when John Boehner hollered at his fellow caucus-members to get off their “dead asses“? It looks like that necrotic Republican ass-flesh is staying firmly put:

Senior Republicans have ignored the impassioned plea of House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) that they help the party raise more money for the November election.

While the ranking Republicans of several committees have given tens of thousands of dollars to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), others have given nothing or very little.  

…

The appeal eventually moved Rep. Jim McCrery (La.), the senior Republican on the Ways and Means Committee. He gave $100,000 to the NRCC from his personal campaign account on the last day of March. He gave $500,000 in 2007.

But other ranking Republicans have not given anything since Boehner’s pep talk.

McCrery, of course, is retiring, so he doesn’t even need the money.

Anyhow, no matter that the exhortation came from Boehner, Tom Cole will almost inevitably take the blame for the NRCC’s shoddy performance, as well he should. But could misfortune eventually redound to Boehner as well? May the gods of schadenfreude smile upon us!

From The Hill:

Some GOP insiders have bemoaned the NRCC’s recruiting shortcomings. One top GOP consultant said the effort has “been a disaster.”

“The approach to recruiting has been weak, and it’s driven by a staff that doesn’t know the districts they’re recruiting in,” the consultant said. “[Chairman Tom] Cole [Okla.] can’t do everything, and he’s been let down by those who serve him.”

From The Hill:

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) saw its cash on hand decline $1.3 million between January and February, as it spent more than $1 million on an unsuccessful special election and uncovered that hundreds of thousands were lost in alleged fraud.

The NRCC invested heavily in the race of Republican Jim Oberweis, who unsuccessfully ran for former House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) district earlier this month. Almost all of the $1.2 million the NRCC spent was recorded in its February report, which was filed Thursday. The alleged illegal funneling of money by one of the committee’s former employees, Christopher Ward, was revealed in a briefing last week.

All told, the NRCC raised $4.6 million in February, but it spent $5.1 million. Its final cash dropped from $6.4 million at the end of January to $5.1 million at the end of February, with $1.9 million in still-unpaid debt.

The NRCC reported its actual cash on hand at the beginning of the month to be $5.7 million, about $700,000 less than previously thought. It paid down just $400,000 in debt.

Tom Cole, the chair of the NRCC, just lost an R+5 district formerly held by none other than Dennis Hastert, aka Denny the Hutt, aka the immediate past Speaker of the House – a district that the Hutt himself helped re-draw after the 2000 census as part of an incumbent protection plan. Tom Cole spent over a million bucks on this race from his shrinking kitty. Tom Cole is now one seat further from retaking a majority that is so, so far out of reach.

And, I suspect, there’s a good chance that Tom Cole will be out on his ass before long.

Brownsox recently took note of rumors that an Oberweis loss here would lead to Cole getting sacked. And the signs are all there. Remember this?

Apparently, House Minority Leader John “Small Price” Boehner is upset with NRCC Chair Tom Cole’s stewardship of the organization, and is heavily pressuring Cole to make some significant personnel changes.  Cole has said privately that he would rather resign than bow to such demands.

And just a ten days ago, there was this:

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is clearly not content to sit this one out, as he exhorted his colleagues to get off their “dead asses” and pony up for the party.

However unhappy Boehner was last week, he is a lot more pissed off tonight. Pissed enough to can Cole’s sorry ass? He may just be.

So, cast your predictions in this thread and vote in the poll below the fold. Will Cole get fired? If so, when? The deathwatch begins!

P.S. The GOP is stuck with Oberweis for November, too! Hahaha suckers!!!

With a barrage of scandals, retirements, and recruitment woes, it’s no shock that the National Republican Congressional Committee is not a fun place to work this cycle, but could it really be this bad?  The Politico’s John Bresnahan and Patrick O’Connor report that things are getting nasty both within the NRCC and between the committee and House Republicans.  Apparently, House Minority Leader John “Small Price” Boehner is upset with NRCC Chair Tom Cole’s stewardship of the organization, and is heavily pressuring Cole to make some significant personnel changes.  Cole has said privately that he would rather resign than bow to such demands.  From the article:

Neither Boehner nor Cole’s offices would comment on the meeting or struggle, but Boehner spokesman Brian Kennedy did say the two leaders have “very frank and candid conversations” about regaining a Republican majority.

The Boehner-Cole fight came to a head during a Sept. 10 meeting, which included “a lot of yelling back-and-forth” between the two over the campaign committee’s operations and effectiveness. House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also attended but “they didn’t say much,” said a GOP strategist familiar with the session.

Following the meeting, an angry Cole called together the NRCC staff and told them that if they were not happy working at the committee, they might want to consider leaving immediately, said several GOP insiders. That Cole outburst occurred last Monday, said the sources.

But wait, there’s more!

Inside-the-Beltway Republicans have grown frustrated with the NRCC for its unrealistically rosy assessments of an ever-eroding landscape for congressional Republicans.

Lawmakers are frustrated with Cole and his top aides for casting their net too wide by targeting Democratic-controlled seats that Republicans have little chance of picking up next year.

Some also gripe that Cole fails to manage expectations on the Hill when he refuses to acknowledge that the GOP’s chances for regaining the majority fade with every retirement or negative news story about President Bush or other scandal-plagued Republican lawmaker.

The most interesting revelation here is that some House Republicans believe that the Cole and the NRCC are “casting their net too wide”.  I’d be curious to know which recruitment efforts House Republicans consider to be lost causes.  State Sen. Nick Jordan, who is running against Kansas Democrat Dennis Moore, perhaps?  Or state Sen. David Cappiello, who is challenging Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT) after his stunning victory over incumbent Nancy Johnson last year?  One can only guess.

(H/T: TPM EC)