The Next Ron Paul: Rep. Justin Amash

Travis | December 23, 2012 | 1 Comment

Michigan Republican Justin Amash is already being referred to as “the next Ron Paul,” and he is only just entering his second term in office. Amash, alongside Kansas Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp, made headlines recently when they both found themselves kicked off the House Budget Committee. It seems that they both opposed established Republican Paul Ryan’s budgetary plan. They had offered a conservative alternative to Ryan’s budget, which they both found lacking in real savings.

Their alternative budgetary plan balanced the budget in five years, while Ryan’s budget would take almost three decades. Ryan’s plan barely made it passed the House because of the dissenting voices of Amash and Huelskamp. A total of four Republicans were taken off the committee for apparently not falling into line with the rest of the Republicans. In what has been described as in inability to work well with the rest of the team, Leslie Shedd, spokeswoman for Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, had this to say recently, “It had to do with their inability to work with other members, which some people might refer to as the a-hole factor.” Westmoreland released a statement shortly after saying he should have used better words.

“The fight has obscured an important shift in insider House politics, as these were the first members pulled off committees as punishment for political or personality reasons in nearly two decades,” Politico’s Jonathan Allen reported. “Even Tom DeLay, the fearsome majority leader known for hardball tactics, drew the line there.”

Amash has come out swinging, though, even hinting that he will support a different candidate for the next House speaker. “If Speaker Boehner wants to come back to my district, he’s not going to be met with very much welcome.”

While Amash has echoed Ron Paul’s voting habits in many ways, from voting against bills that contradict the constitution, to wars that do not serve in America’s interests, Amash has been more in line with leadership than Paul was. With the recent expulsion from the budget committee, though, this is no longer the case. “Personal attacks typify DC dysfunction,” he recently wrote. “Politicians find it easier to name-call than to respectfully explain own votes when they disagree…Only in Washington, DC, is a person taken off of the Budget Committee for wanting to balance the budget.”

He continues, ““Old GOP doesn’t tolerate dissent or independent thinking…New Republicans like me are open to people from all walks of life.” Amash has gone so far as to call out House Speaker Boehner by showing that he will increase the national debt by almost as much as Obama’s plan.

One of the other distinctions between Ron Paul and Rep. Amash is that Amash is far more aggressive than Paul ever was. While they vote similarly, Ron Paul was always known for his mild mannered disposition. It could very well be, though, that the expulsion from the budgetary team could elevate Amash and other radical Republicans, therefore posing a threat to the established GOP members.