Rep. Daniel Webster, who on Friday was the first to throw his hat into the race to replace outgoing Rep. John Boehner as House Speaker, said Monday that his goal for the seat is to make the House based "on principle, not on power."
"What I'm promising, I can deliver," the Florida Republican told Fox News' "Fox and Friends" program. "I've done it as Florida Speaker of the House."
He explained that if he is elected Speaker, every member will "have the opportunity to be successful, unlike the current "pyramid of power" that exists now.
Under the current system, said Webster, representatives are "dished" out the laws they vote on, until they can offer amendments. But with a principle-driven system, he said, members will be more involved in the process of getting bills passed.
"It's still their job to go out and get the 218 votes to pass their amendment or pass their bill," Webster said Monday. "At least they get a chance. That is a different process."
Webster became a national name after he
challenged Boehner for his gavel in January but drew only 12 votes, as he announced his intentions just two hours before the vote was taken. He said Tea Party conservatives had convinced him to run for the seat.
He told Fox News on Monday that his plan for the House is "not based on personalities or groups or coalitions. It's based on the fact that we make every member successful."
Webster continued that there is a growing demand in Washington for outsiders too, and he believes Republicans can show themselves as leaders by "opening up the process and allowing lots of debate and lots of amendments and lots of opportunities for the members themselves to participate."
But when there are only a few people "sort of dishing up the bills," members get only "a few days to read them and that's it. That's the wrong way to do it, to me," Webster concluded.
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