A member of the conservative caucus that effectively forced House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) out of the speaker’s race said Friday one of the GOP’s true “Valley Forge Americans” should succeed John Boehner.
In an interview with MSNBC, Freedom Caucus member Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), offered a roll call of acceptable candidates for speaker. He named Reps. Paul Ryan (R-WI), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Tom Price (R-GA), and Jim Jordan (R-OH). He even mentioned Newt Gingrich, who was speaker from 1995 to 1999.
“I hear a lot of names. All of those men are Valley Forge Americans that would serve this country very well,” Franks said, referencing the winter military camp where more than 2,500 of George Washington’s troops died of starvation and exposure during the Revolutionary War.
Franks also said Ryan “is somebody that I have great respect for and believe could be a magnificent speaker.”
Ryan said again Friday he was “still not running” for speaker, despite party leaders gunning for the former vice presidential nominee to enter the race.
Watch the exchange below:
I’m confused. Are “Valley Forge Americans” the ones who did or or the ones who didn’t survive that winter?
¨Valley Forge Americans¨?
Maybe Donner Party Americans?
To be sure, let’s put their feet to the fire.
I say, send them shoe-less to Penna from Thanksgiving to Groundhog Day and see who rises to the occasion. Boehner can cover until this crucial test is complete.
They’re from states not remotely near Valley Forge, who’ve never served even one day in any branch of the military, and have never suffered even a paper cut in the service of their country, or state, or any cause.
But there was this one time … a late delivery of fresh coastal seafood to the Congressional dining room kitchen meant a couple of these dudes may have had to wait up to 15 even 20 additional 20 minutes at their tables before learning of the Catch du jour and how the head chef decided to present it. The horror … the horror …