I thought the readers of the Flash Report would be interested in reading the following letter. It is a letter I sent a couple minutes ago to my fellow Republican House members endorsing Mike Pence for the position of House Minority Leader:
Dear Republican Colleague:
I would like to ask you to join me in supporting Mike Pence for Minority Leader. My support of Mike is not due to any real or perceived shortcomings of either of his opponents. They are both fine men with excellent records, but I believe Mike will bring a new voice to leadership that can lead us back into the majority.
An axiom in politics is to win by securing your base then extending from it. Arguably, we did neither in this past election. First and foremost, we must show the country and our base that we have gotten their message and understand that change is necessary. By putting a fresh face in leadership who is dedicated to the core principals of our party and can skillfully articulate these principals, we can restore the country’s confidence in the Republican Party. Mike Pence is the fresh new face and voice to do this.
Second, the role of the minority leader is very different from the role of the majority leader. I served for 5 years in a legislative minority in California from which we successfully recalled a governor. At the risk of oversimplification, the majority leader runs the floor and moves an agenda. The minority leader negotiates with the majority but more importantly he presents and messages an alternative view of what we would do if we were in charge. Without an effective leader in this role there is no hope of winning back the majority. As chair of the RSC, Mike Pence has been an excellent advocate for its agenda even when it was met with resistance. In that role, he has exhibited the skills required of a minority leader. I have no doubt that he would lead our entire caucus with the same skill and diligence he has exhibited at the RSC.
Mike Pence represents the start of a completely, and sorely needed new look for a conference on our way back to the majority in 2008. I urge you to join me in supporting him.
I remain respectfully,
JOHN CAMPBELL
Member of Congress
November 14th, 2006 at 12:00 am
I am proud to have John Campbell as my Congressman. I hope that California’s other Republican Members of Congress follow his lead.
November 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Mike Pence can take his amnesty plan and stick it.
Of course, he is a perfect compliment to Mel Martinez who loves to pimp Bush’s amnesty plan.
A perfect match.
Nice to see the GOP getting its house in order.
November 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Mike Pence is clearly the best choice for leader. His admittedly flawed proposal in the immigration debate is DOA, and he solidly opposes the Bush/Kennedy bill. Most importantly, Pence has a track record of opposing the GOP love-fest with spending increases. We need his credibility to bring GOP voters back. Who’s going to believe Boehner? Not me.