Whoa, we will soon get to see just how much influence the Tea Party has on the Republican leadership in Congress. With Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) resigning his office on May 3rd, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell must find a replacement for Ensign on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over taxes, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. According to The Hill, guess who are the two major contenders? Jim DeMint (R-SC), a leader of the Tea Party movement, and Johnny Isakson (R-GA), "a well-liked member of the Senate Republican conference who is respected for his pragmatic approach to solving policy problems."
DeMint has slightly more seniority so it will be hard for McConnell to pick anyone else, but we all know DeMint would be a "no compromise, shut-it-down" force on a very important Committee. Isakson would be a voice of reason (comparatively). I'm sure the sane people in the Republican party would much prefer Isakson, including McConnell. If he picks DeMint instead, we will know the Tea Party is calling the shots in Congress.
--Trakker
Comments