This Photo Of A Congressman's Text Is Hilarious

Say what you will about him, but John Boehner deserves to have "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" as his theme song. Before he was reelected as Speaker of the House for a third term, a group of more than two dozen conservative Republicans attempted a haphazard rebellion against Boehner, which turned Congress into a suited-up circus and ultimately availed them nothing. One conspiratorial Representative abstained from acting a fool by changing his vote, and Politico caught him in the process of throwing in the towel. The outlet snapped a pic of Rep. Raúl Labrador texting the reason why he ended up voting for Boehner, essentially saying, "Hey, I tried. So don't call me a sell-out."

According to spokesman Dan Popkey, Labrador was texting "a longtime constituent and supporter" and trying to explain his vote in hopes of retaining her loyalty. The text read:

The votes are not there against Boehner. I led the effort last time and we had the votes to dethrone home [sic] but 8 left us. Now we need 35 and they only have 15 at most. There is no way to get to 35.

Thus, Labrador became one of the 216 out of 408 who voted Boehner into a third term. And now he's working overtime to defend his decision while reiterating his conservative position.

Labrador issued a statement after Tuesday's vote:

Today, I made a difficult decision in voting for John Boehner for Speaker of the House.... I understand that many of my most loyal supporters are angry with my vote. I ask them to remember that for the last four years I have stood tall for the conservative cause.

Just two years ago, Labrador was at the front lines of another rebellion against Boehner. In 2013, there was more support to oust the Speaker, but several last-minute vote changes sabotaged their efforts. This year, like his text indicated, the votes just weren't there. Labrador noted in his statement, " I think it is unwise to marginalize yourself when there is no chance of victory, which was the case today."

However, it looks like his constituents and the American public don't see it that way. In the comments under Labrador's statement on Facebook, users are slamming the Representative for selling out. One person wrote, "You trust Boehner do you? Looks we misjudged your integrity!" Another wrote, "I don't think we are your supporters any longer. If you can't support the people then you don't need to be there. Voting for him was only a means to cover your own butt. It is going to backfire. We promise." And one simply gibed, "Hack."

As if this backlash wasn't bad enough, getting caught texting his excuse is just plain awkward. But can anyone really blame him? The man is scary. You do NOT want to feel the wrath of a Boehner scorned. But some of the anti-Boehner rebels already are, and Labrador perhaps had the foresight to avoid this fate.

After all, Boehner makes no secret of doling out punishment when necessary. When he accepted the gavel for the third time, he hinted at the rebellion by saying:

Every day you and I come out here, try to plant good seeds, cultivate the ground and take care of the pests.

Like I said, can't nobody hold him down.

Images: Getty Images (2)