Online Poker Foe Spencer Bachus Likely to be Ousted
Rep. Spencer Bachus could find his role as the senior Republican on the Financial Services Committee concluding if the GOP has anything to do with it post election time.
According to Politico.com, House Republicans are plotting again to oust Bachus from the position of senior Republican on the Financial Services Committee. This time, the challenge is likely to come after the November election from conservatives, including some on the committee.
This news comes following a heated debate Wednesday afternoon in which Bachus fought with online poker representative Annie Duke over the legalization of Internet gambling. Buchus is a long time opponent for legalization and compared online poker players to heroin addicts.
GOP Members have been frustrated with Bachus’s weakness in challenging Chairman Barney Frank during a major overhaul of financial regulations.
“Spencer is aware that he’s not in a strong position because he’s not a strong leader,” said a GOP committee member who has been a frequent critic of the Alabama Republican. Bachus barely survived a challenge to his ranking-member status in late December 2008, which was pushed by Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Although House Republicans — backed by sympathetic lobbyists — have been privately buzzing about possible challenges to Bachus, most aren’t ready to talk about it publicly. And Bachus could not be reached for comment Wednesday, according to the Politico.com website.
“We won’t know any of that until after November,” Royce said. Other prominent committee conservatives — including Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price of Georgia — declined to comment for this story.
In addition to Republican criticism that Bachus has been a weak spokesman on financial issues, some GOP colleagues say he is a poor manager and is sometimes slow in responding to the aggressive chairman from Massachusetts.
Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
