President (To Win Colorado) See Full Big Line

(D) Kamala Harris

(R) Donald Trump

80%↑

20%

CO-01 (Denver) See Full Big Line

(D) Diana DeGette*

(R) V. Archuleta

98%

2%

CO-02 (Boulder-ish) See Full Big Line

(D) Joe Neguse*

(R) Marshall Dawson

95%

5%

CO-03 (West & Southern CO) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Hurd

(D) Adam Frisch

50%

50%

CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado) See Full Big Line

(R) Lauren Boebert

(D) Trisha Calvarese

90%

10%

CO-05 (Colorado Springs) See Full Big Line

(R) Jeff Crank

(D) River Gassen

80%

20%

CO-06 (Aurora) See Full Big Line

(D) Jason Crow*

(R) John Fabbricatore

90%

10%

CO-07 (Jefferson County) See Full Big Line

(D) B. Pettersen

(R) Sergei Matveyuk

90%

10%

CO-08 (Northern Colo.) See Full Big Line

(D) Yadira Caraveo

(R) Gabe Evans

52%↑

48%↓

State Senate Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

80%

20%

State House Majority See Full Big Line

DEMOCRATS

REPUBLICANS

95%

5%

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
October 12, 2015 04:04 PM UTC

Ken Buck Plays Both Sides in Red-on-Red War in Congress

  • 18 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

(Promoted by Colorado Pols)

Ken Buck presses everyone's buttons
Ken Buck presses everyone’s buttons

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck snapped at his fellow House conservatives, telling a Denver radio host Oct. 9 that any new Republican House speaker is “immediately going to be cast as someone who is compromising.”

On the radio, Buck likes to present himself as a hard-core Tea Partier, all about principles all the time, but in reality, Buck likes to have it both ways.

Buck previously voted for House Speaker John Boehner, who resigned under pressure by uncompromising Republican warriors. And Buck was set to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, a compromiser-to-be, who was under pressure by the same uncompromising Republican warriors when he withdrew from the race to replace Boehner as House speaker.

Buck told KHOW 710-AM’s Mandy Connell that the current situation is so difficult, with Boehner and McCarthy out, that some House Republicans are considering “forming a coalition government” that would keep conservatives “out of the mix in terms of choosing a speaker.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Buck condescendingly told Tea Party Republicans who might have been listening:

Buck: “I have to tell you though, be careful what you wish for, because we’ve gotten rid of John Boehner, and Kevin McCarthy has decided not to do it. There are Republicans now, because they are so frustrated with conservatives holding this up, talking about forming a coalition government, talking about working with Democrats to create a majority and keep the conservatives out of the mix in terms of choosing a speaker… It would be horrible. It may very well form a 3rd party. And I strongly believe, if you split the Republican Party into two parties, and the Democrats win for the next  [inaudible] years. Listen to Buck on KHOW 10.9.15.

Interestingly, Buck apparently doesn’t consider conservatives like himself among those who’d be iced out, since Buck voted for Boehner. Neither did Buck say on air how many Republicans were considering a move against the uncompromisers.

But he indavertantly made the case for dumping Tea Partiers (not him though), which he said he was against doing, when he told Connell how difficult the coming weeks will be for the next House speaker, if he or she is elected by the Republican caucus.

Buck (@11:25) : “The next month or month and a half will be a very difficult time for whoever is in that position. I say that because we’ve got a debt-ceiling vote that President Obama has moved up specifically because, not because we are running out of money, but specifically because John Boenher has stepped down. And he knows that the Republican House is in dissaray at this point and he wants to take advantage of that. And we have other votes. We have an omnibus vote on Appropriations that’s coming up. So we’ve got some very difficult decisions to make, and whoever steps into this is immediately going to be cast as someone who is compromising and it’s going to be tough.” Listen to Buck on KHOW 10.9.15.

Tweet
Share

Comments

18 thoughts on “Ken Buck Plays Both Sides in Red-on-Red War in Congress”

  1. I know it is not going to happen, but if we engage in Buck's "thought experiment," how many "Independent Republicans" would have to declare their willingness to caucus with the Democrats to shut the Republicans out? 30?  There would have to be serious concessions from the Democrats by way of committee chairs and leadership positions, and possibly a promise not to support Democratic challengers in the Independent Republican's districts, but it seems like it would be worth it to the Democrats.  Congressmen have changed parties in the past (see Nighthorse Campbell), and this scenario would not require the defectors to become Democrats. It seems like the primary structural barrier is fundraising.  Are there enough deep pockets in the middle of the road?

  2. All of this is typical for Mr. Buck. He is trying to be on both sides simultaneously so whichever one comes out on top, he'll say; "I was with you all the way."

  3. Oh, the horror: a coalition that might actually…govern?  The fact we have less than 10% of the US House of Representatives holding this country hostage – and the fact that but-not-for gerrymandering they'd be nothing more than a barrel of screech monkey's – is an indictment on our political system.  I'm guessing the word 'coalition' coupled with the knowledge that politicos with 'R''s behind their names are having grown-up conversations with Pelosi on how to transcend this crisis has Shorty's shpincter muscle about as tight as it has ever been.    

  5. Congressman Buck is a lying liar. He is today, he was a year ago, he was in 2010.  I think Caroman dubbed the Buck-pedal right here in this domain.

     

    Mr. Buck does not believe in the U.S. Constitution, or at least the Amendments he prefers to ignore- 4th, 5th, 10th, 14th.

     

    I am not proud to say it, but the voters of the misshapen 4th elected Buck. And his seat is safe through 2022, and beyond if we can't draw a more balanced map.

    1. Let me remember, who drew up that map?

      The Dems were in charge as I seem to recall.

      The Dem candidate did not break 30% which is precisely what the Dems had in mind when they created the district lines.

  6. Buck's dominant strategy is to be MIA when controversial votes come up. This is what he's done on most of the EPA and climate change votes. He just doesn't show up to vote.  If his rightie base gets hip to that shit, he will be seen as a RINO.

    1. Just three weeks ago he was 'unavailable for comment' on Boehner's resignation because of an upcoming back surgery. Has he already recovered?  All that hate for POTUS can be hell on the spine. 

        1. In either case (whether it's to strengthen or remove it) – it's with no lack of irony that it will be paid for by his gold-plated Congressional insurance plan.

  7. Are we really just in the calm before the storm?  Ken Buck's third party scenario would send us to a whole new world of wacky, in a good way.  But, I have trouble believing that anything that would so profoundly shake our political system is coming after such a long period of time defined by gridlock.

  8. David Brooks: The Republican Party is producing "leaders of jaw-dropping incompetence"

    Over the past 30 years, or at least since Rush Limbaugh came on the scene, the Republican rhetorical tone has grown ever more bombastic, hyperbolic and imbalanced. Public figures are prisoners of their own prose styles, and Republicans from Newt Gingrich through Ben Carson have become addicted to a crisis mentality. Civilization was always on the brink of collapse. Every setback, like the passage of Obamacare, became the ruination of the republic. Comparisons to Nazi Germany became a staple.

Leave a Comment

Recent Comments


Posts about

Donald Trump
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Lauren Boebert
SEE MORE

Posts about

Rep. Yadira Caraveo
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado House
SEE MORE

Posts about

Colorado Senate
SEE MORE

117 readers online now

Newsletter

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay in the loop with regular updates!