A small group of House Republicans has pledged to vote against John Boehner’s reelection as Speaker of the House, and Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Florida, have thrown their hats in the race.
The two challengers have earned reputations as far-right politicians even among the deeply conservative House GOP conference. Conservative media pundits have cheered on the two congressmen, both of whom have quite a history of wild rhetoric and policy positions:
Ted Yoho
- Insisted Obamacare is racist against white people because it taxes tanning beds: “It’s a racist tax and I thought I might need to get to a sun tanning booth so I can come out and say I’ve been disenfranchised because I got taxed because of the color of my skin.”
- Opposed immigration reform because he believes Hezbollah smuggled 1,500 terrorists into the U.S. through the border.
- Sponsored the bill to block Obama’s executive action on immigration (which passed 219-197), explaining: “To vote no against the bill is to vote no against the Constitution.”
- Endorsed massive cuts to the food stamp program while admitting that his family used food stamps for a couple of months after falling on hard times.
- Doubted the constitutionality of the Civil Rights Act but compared his efforts to repeal Obamacare to the Civil Rights Movement.
- Floated the idea of impeaching President Obama.
- Suggested that only property owners should be allowed to vote.
Louie Gohmert
- Warned Obamacare would create a stealthy security force and “absolutely kill senior citizens” after government bureaucrats “put them on lists and force them to die early.”
- Feared the prospect of “terror babies” invading America, suggested that Democrats are hoping for new terrorist attacks, and accused Obama (and John McCain) of “supporting Muslim Brothers and Al Qaeda.”
- Tried to fight environmental bills by bringing up caribou sex and China’s supposed fondness for “moo goo dog pan.”
- Concocted several bizarre conspiracy theories surrounding the Ebola virus.
- Warned that gay rights will usher in Nazism, bestiality and necrophilia and linked sex-ed to communism.
- Speculated about gay people’s need for massages and railed against faith groups that fight for LGBT rights “ despite the plumbing that God created.”
