Former Rep. Steve LaTourette (R-Ohio) recently entered congressional retirement after the 112th Congress was gaveled to a close earlier this week, but on Friday he was already expressing concerns about the decisions of Republicans in the new session.
"I really wish these new folks well, but yesterday is not a good sign that that's going to happen," said LaTourette on CNN's "Starting Point," speaking of a contentious vote on Thursday to reelect fellow Ohio Republican John Boehner as speaker of the House. The vote was marked by dissent by a number of Republicans who supported protest candidates or abstained from voting.
"That vote is a no-brainer," LaTourette said. "I mean, it's all about whether or not your party is going to control the agenda in the House of Representatives."
LaTourette, a vocal ally of Boehner's and a frequent critic of the Tea Party wing of the GOP, went on to suggest that no good could have possibly come from the failed coup attempt by Republicans.
"What do these chuckleheads think, that having Nancy Pelosi being the speaker of the House is better for the Republican party?" he asked. "I don't think so. And so they really have to come to terms with why are they here. I mean, if they're just here to vote no, we can train a monkey to come and vote no."
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