A top Iowa Republican has harsh words for his party’s representatives in the U.S. House, where the GOP has so far been unable to agree on a new House Speaker to replace the outgoing John Boehner.
Opposition from a cadre of conservatives known as the Freedom Caucus helped lead Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to withdraw from the race for the top post.
Former Iowa Republican party chair Matt Strawn says it looks like Republicans don’t know how to govern.
“We’re looking around at each other trying to get someone to take the third most powerful position in government and it’s mind boggling,” Strawn says. “t’s time for Republicans to show leadership and Americans haven’t seen it in Washington this week.”
The Freedom Caucus is demanding a speaker with more conservative credentials than the outgoing John Boehner. Matt Strawn urges the conservative minority to compromise.
“It’s the tail wagging the dog in a large majority,” Strawn says. “They need to keep in mind how success is defined. We may not get what we want when we want it.”
Strawn says he hopes that a leader will step forward and “rise above the wreckage.”
The GOP majority is headed toward showdowns with President Obama over spending and borrowing, and a new speaker will have to reconcile warring factions.
