If not Boehner, then who?

Last week, American Majority Action kicked off the trending #FireBoehner hastag on Twitter and began to pressure House members to abstain from voting for Speaker.

After speaking with the House Parliamentarian, we discovered the House precedent is actually interpreted to mean an absolute majority of votes cast for a specific candidate. So, House members do nothing by abstaining. However, the core idea remains: Without a majority (50% +1), the House is speakerless. If neither Boehner nor Pelosi win 50%, the House keeps voting until a new leader arises with a majority.

To get Boehner under 50%, we need to unite behind a candidate—or candidates. We have more than three weeks to choose.

American Majority Action is endorsing Tom Price, Jim Jordan, and Jeb Hensarling as candidates for Speaker and senior leadership.

Though Price has announced that he does not plan to run, all three would be a welcome change. All three have been staunch conservatives—standing up against the Bush spending sprees. They have each been in leadership and have significant support in the caucus.

The #FireBoehner movement has become a threat: If Speaker Boehner compromises with Obama and they propose a tax-hike together, Speaker Boehner will be finished.

#FireBoehner started after Boehner proposed a tax-hike and purged four key conservatives from their committees. The movement has had tremendous support so far, and more House members will join our cause if Boehner capitulates.

We cannot raise taxes on our small businesses right now. Any Republican who votes for a tax-hike will be primaried—we can guarantee that.

If Obama continues to force the issue, we agree with Senator Rand Paul: Let Democrats eat the tax-hikes. Republicans should vote “present” and let liberals own these awful polices.

We shouldn’t—conservatives shouldn’t—endorse any policy that will destroy jobs for normal Americans, as tax hikes would. We should be fighting for what works. Frankly, we should be looking at tax cuts. Reagan cut taxes 25% in 1981, during both a recession and fiscal crisis, and by the end of his term: Revenue from the highest bracket doubled, Americans created 20 million jobs, and youth unemployment fell 43%.

That’s what we should be fighting for—not a smaller tax hike.

Boehner be warned.