Politico is reporting today that conservative discontent that has been brewing just under the surface toward Speaker John Boehner and the House Republican leadership has now hit the boiling point. At least three powerful conservative groups have now publicly expressed their opposition to Boehner. The last straw, according to the conservative groups, was the retaliatory removal of four key conservative congressmen from plum committee assignments. Their removal was said to be punishment for bucking the GOP leadership establishment "too often."
The congressmen in question, U.S. Reps. Justin Amash, R-Mich., Tim Huelskamp, R-Kan., David Schweikert, R-Ariz., and Walter Jones, R-N.C. openly criticized Boehner for offering to go along with President Obama's proposal for increasing revenue to the federal government in the current negotiations concerning the so-called fiscal cliff.
When the House Republican Steering Committee retaliated against the four, FreedomWorks, one of the most powerful and influential conservative organizations in the country, blasted Boehner and the Republican leadership, referring to the purge as "a remarkably hostile act by leadership."
But FreedomWorks is not the only conservative organization up in arms. The Club for Growth, a longtime conservative group that stands for small government, stated they would use their most powerful weapon against the House leadership -- money. The Club plans to pump millions of dollars into the campaign coffers of the congressmen who got the ax from their committee assignments.
In addition, yet another conservative group, Heritage Action, went as far as to accuse Boehner of trying to find creative ways to fund President Obama's runaway spending proposals and "big government agenda."
Congressional insiders have told the Examiner that the growing opposition to Boehner could result in a direct challenge to his remaining as Speaker of the House when the 2013 session begins in January. But so far no one has come forward to announce their intention to oppose Boehner for the position.