A new book coming out Tuesday contains an inside account of Idaho Congressman Raúl Labrador’s conflict with ranking members of the House. The Washington Post reports the book details the rift between GOP leadership and freshman Republicans pursuing a Tea Party agenda.
The book in question is “Do Not Ask What Good We Do,” by Robert Draper. In it, Draper chronicles infighting between the GOP old-guard and the freshmen class of Republican House members that helped the party gain a majority in 2010.
According to the Washington Post, Draper found that the House leadership struggled to get the new-comers to “fall in line.” Meanwhile, the freshmen House members -- including Raúl Labrador of Idaho -- became frustrated with what they saw as a lack of support for the small-government platform they campaigned on. The author says at one point during last summer’s impasse over the debt ceiling, Labrador suggested ousting House Speaker John Boehner.
Labrador declined to be interviewed about the book. But in a written statement, he said that he was critical of senior rank-and-file GOP members. He says they encouraged House leadership to “punish” new members who didn’t conform. But Labrador says in the end, the GOP leadership did not side with what he calls the Washington Establishment.
Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
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Copyright 2012 Northwest News Network
