Steve Scalise becme the 3rd. top man in the Republican controlled U.S. House when he was elected to replace Kevin McCarthy who became majority leader replacing Eric Cantor. News commentary in the Times Picayune was varied as to what it means for Louisiana and the country.
This writer sees little change in the U.S. House since the only difference in Scalise and McCarthy is Scalise's right wing tea party ideology is more extreme. Scalise is head of the Republican Study Committee to advance conservative solutions in a way that actually unites the party as a conference. That committee says it has a GOP alternative to the Affordable Care Act worked out and chairman Scalise said he would introduce it to the U.S. House for a vote but that was months ago and has yet to be introduced. So no one knows what it is all about. To top it off, republicans said they will not take it up until after the November elections are over. In other words, vote for me in November and I might tell you what the republican health care proposal is all about after the elections.
Scalise was one of the 3 House members from Louisiana to vote against opening the federal government after voting to shut it down. The other two were Bill Cassidy and John Fleming. Charles Boustany of Louisiana voted to open the government. Cassidy, Fleming and Scalise were also 3 of the 80 republicans to sign a letter to vote against any thing that did not defund the ACA.
Scalise receives most of his campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. And of course he was against the moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico after the BP spill and blow out that took the lives of 11 rig workers. He also opposed the Levee Boards suit against 97 oil and gas companies for their damage to Louisiana's environment and did nothing to hold them accountable during his 12 years of service in the state legislature.
One can see that Scalise"s study committee is about putting conservative solutions to their ideology and not an American solution which is needed to solve problems. The conservative ideology during the last republican administration in which Scalise served gave the country and its people the second great republican depression. And a more severe conservative ideology by the tea party during the Obama administration has given the country and its people obstruction.
There was a time congressional leaders of their party were judged on their accomplishments, not for their party but for the country. Can any one think of any accomplishments by John Boehner for the country? President Kennedy once said, sincerity was always subject to proof. Well time will tell what Steve Scalise will stand up. The conservative for conservative causes or the U.S representative for the country and its people. Time will tell.
This commentary written by John Lucia.
