Posted on 8/5/2011, 3:19:18 AM by neverdem
The Un-Radical Freshmen
They have consistently demonstrated the ability to weigh their options.
To hear Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) tell it, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) is a “reasonable man” tragically beholden to the “extreme” proclivities of his freshmen members. From the moment the 112th Congress was sworn in, Schumer and other Democrats have been imploring Boehner to “abandon the Tea Party” and its unruly representatives in Congress, who are standing in the way of sensible, bipartisan solutions. In their view, and in the eyes of much of the mainstream media, the GOP freshman class is little more than a radical bloc of wanton rabble-rousers intent on, shall we say, terrorizing the country’s political system at any and all costs.
For the Left, it’s a convenient narrative, but it’s simply not borne out by the facts.
It’s true enough that the freshman class has made a significant impact on the spending debate in Washington. Whether by challenging leadership to accept a full $100 billion in spending cuts in accordance with their campaign “Pledge to America,” or securing a vote on the conservative “Cut, Cap, and Balance” legislation and later lobbying for the inclusion of a balanced-budget amendment in recent negotiations over the debt ceiling, new members have certainly pulled the conversation to the right. But veteran members — such as Republican Study Committee chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), as well as Jeff Flake (R., Ariz.), Scott Garrett (R., N.J.), and Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah) — have also played an important role. And in truth, the GOP freshmen — 87 of the House’s 240 Republicans — are far more practical than advertised.
When it comes to the issue most dear to their political hearts — reining in government spending — they have consistently demonstrated the ability to weigh their options, and they know to accept a partial loaf when there are no better alternatives. And when the time comes to cut a deal, Boehner doesn’t abandon his freshman members; rather, they typically refuse to abandon him.
In April, when Boehner negotiated a budget deal with the White House to avoid a government shutdown, freshman Republicans were far more likely than their more senior counterparts to refuse the deal: About the same number of freshmen and non-freshmen opposed it (27 and 32 respectively), despite the fact that non-freshmen far outnumber the newcomers. But that’s still less than a third of the freshman class. And while many were left disappointed when scoring from the Congressional Budget Office revealed spending cuts that were significantly less than advertised, but never once was there a real possibility of the “open revolt” many in the press had predicted.
One reason is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the freshman class is not a singular entity indistinguishable from the tea-party movement, which itself is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon. “I’ve always felt we’re 87 individuals,” says House freshman Alan Nunnelee (R., Miss.). “We were all elected from different districts, and there are some common threads, but we’re 87 independent thinkers.”
The freshman class has been reasonably resistant to some of the hard-line members in the caucus. Tensions flared at a recent GOP conference meeting when it came to light that a Republican Study Committee staff member had been e-mailing conservative activist groups urging them to pressure fence-sitting freshman, many of them dues-paying RSC members, to oppose a deficit plan drafted by Speaker Boehner that fell short of the strict requirements outlined in “Cut, Cap, and Balance.” But when it came time to vote on the plan, all but eleven GOP freshmen supported it.
“So many of you like to write about our freshman class [as if] we’re radical, we’re extreme, we’re uncontrollable,” freshman Sean Duffy (R., Wis.) told reporters at a gathering of House freshmen to announce their support of Boehner’s plan. “But today is important because this freshman class is coming together to get around a proposal, an idea. Is it as big as we wanted to go? Heck no! We wanted to go bigger. We were elected to go bigger.” But many had come to realize that there wasn’t a better alternative given the circumstances.
Even the outspoken tea-party favorite Allen West (R., Fla.) threw his support behind the speaker. “One thing they tell you in the military — if you sit around and wait to come up with the 100 percent plan, then the enemy has probably already attacked you,” the retired Army lieutenant colonel told National Review Online. And when his position drew fire from tea-party groups, West pushed back. “One minute they’re saying I’m their tea-party hero, and three, four days later I’m a tea-party defector — that kind of schizophrenia I’m not going to get involved in,” West said on Laura Ingraham’s radio show.
As for the new members who routinely buck party leadership, even they are quick to jump to Boehner’s defense. “I would not take [Boehner’s] job for quintuple the salary,” said Rep. Trey Gowdy (R., S.C.), echoing a common sentiment among freshman conservatives. While they may be disappointed with the end result, they do not envy the task of negotiating with President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.).
In fact, Boehner’s resilience and willingness to go toe-to-toe with the president served to rally freshman behind the speaker. They were, after all, elected as a rebuke to Obama and his policies. “Do we want to stand with the president, or do we stand with the speaker of the House?” Rep. Reid Ribble (R., Wis.), a freshman member of the House Budget Committee, told NRO. “If those are my two choices right now, I’m going to stand with the speaker of the House.”
“Everyone in that room loves him,” Rep. Joe Walsh (R., Ill.), a frequent and outspoken critic of party leadership, told reporters after a recent conference meeting. And when Boehner held a conference call with members to announce the final deal, sources say, the outpouring of support from freshman members was overwhelming.
The feeling is mutual. Boehner told members on the conference call that without the input and influence of the freshmen, “we never would have gotten this far.” Even those who voted against the final deal — 66 Republicans, including 28 freshmen — acknowledge this much. “This is clearly a win for all these troublesome conservative Republicans who came here to change the world,” Walsh joked.
“I think the freshman class has been very valuable to this process,” says Rep. Dennis Ross (R., Fla.). “Without them, without us, I don’t believe we’d be where we are today.” Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) concurs. With “the most liberal president we’ve ever had” occupying the White House, he tells NRO, the Tea Party and the conservative movement have done all right for themselves. “I think the Tea Party needs to take credit for changing the dialogue in Washington to be about cutting spending.”
If Chuck Schumer and the media’s portrayal of the freshman class were at all accurate, such change would never have been possible. They may be tough to satisfy, but they’re not crazy. “Look, I’m a former federal prosecutor,” Gowdy said. “We’re not the caricature the press would like us to be. We’re not a bunch of knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing Neanderthals.”
— Andrew Stiles is a 2011 Franklin Fellow.
Never trust a guy who looks like he had a lead role in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”
Chucky seen here fresh from his starring role in “Who Screwed the American People (Again!).”
If we can double the number of Tea Party representatives and senators, you’ll really see the establishment GOP and Progressive/Socaialist/Democrats crap their pants.
A partial loaf of socialism is another crap sandwich.
...Above all, if you wish to be strong, begin by rooting out every particle of socialism that may have crept into your legislation. This will be no light task...
"The Law" - Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850
Legislatures (state and federal) can be part-time jobs with 1/10th pay, NO retirement, NO perks, NO insurance. These POS politicians can get a job doing something productive not “progressive”.
...That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness...
Declaration of Independence
ALTER it.
I think this article is quite accurate. Of the 87 Freshmen Republican Freshmen elected — over 65 of which were clearly swept into office as “Tea Party” candidates, when Boehner deserted the “Cut, Cap & Balance” plan and began to capitulate and compromise, only less than 18 of these “Tea Party” Freshmen and a handful of veteran Conservatives voted against his “Boehner Plan.”
These so-called “Tea Party Freshmen were very “practical,” very “pragmatic” — and clearly devoid of any REAL Principles that resembled those of the Tea Parties that sent them there. That’s why most — hopefully ALL — will face Primary opposition in their districts next fall, and if the Republicans manage to defeat the Tea Party and keep them outside the “Machine,” then I hope they face 3rd party opposition as well.
If we elect Republicans, and GET Democrat deficit spending policies ANYWAY, then voting for a 3rd party WON’T hurt — and it might even HELP.
There was no way the GOP could have done better, IMHO, while we only 47 pubbies in the Senate. We got no new taxes, we kept the full faith and credit of the USA solid, a major achievement, IMHO, and Obama came out looking like the loser. Cut, Cap & Balance or a balanced budget amendment had no possibility of passing.
There are 87 new House GOP freshmen, but wasn't our net pickup in seats only 63. That means there were probably 24 replacements in safe seats due to retirements, IMHO. That also means the majority of those 63 seats were in swing districts. I don't want the the perfect to be the enemy of the good.
I'll take Bill Buckley's advice anytime. Give me the person who is as conservative as possible who can win. I want to keep Tea Party idealism going, but beating the rats is just as important. They do too much damage when they have control, e.g. Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, etc.
Let's keep Tea Party efforts limited to primaries in supposedely safe seats. 3rd party efforts in supposedely safe seats gave the rats the last 3 special Congressional elections in NY.
When will Cut, Cap & Balance have ANY possibility of passing?
Cut what?
Cap what?
Balance what?
DEFUND socialist collectives, foreign and domestic...NOW. Republicans control our house. STOP spending on socialist collectives...NOW.
Why kick the can down the road? Identify the problem. Do something about it.
When we have a friendly White House, then it's when we have a simple majority in the House and 60 votes in the Senate, the number needed to end debate.
When we have a hostile White House, then it's when we have 2/3's majority in the House. 290 votes, and a 2/3's majority in the Senate, 67 votes, the numbers needed to override a presidential veto.
Thosee are the numbers just to repeal Obamacare or any prior act of Congress. The GOP is about 50 votes shy in the House and 20 votes shy in the Senate, assuming no defections, a big assumption, for a veto override.
That's why we need to pray that the Supreme Court says that its mandate to buy insurance is not Constitutional.
Capping Medicaid, a joint fed/state welfare program, might be the best that can be done. People have had specific tax deductions for Social Security and Medicare. That's why people claim they're entitled to them. Modifying them will be the only possibility, and even that will be hard.
They are very popular. I don't want to commit political suicide. It's trite, but politics is the art of the possible.
Remember NY's last special election for Congress. The pubbie was hammered for endorsing Paul Ryan's budget plan which would change Medicare for those younger than 55 years old. The rats got a phony Tea Party candidate who previously ran as a rat to run as a third party candidate. The pubbie lost.
Mark Steyn: When Obama Hands You Lemons . . .
Why the Gender Gap Won’t Go Away. Ever. Women prefer the mommy track.
Drugs Found Ineffective for Veterans’ Stress
Iran Plans AWorld Without America
Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
"To preserve [the] independence [of the people,] we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessaries and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our callings and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses, and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes, have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow-sufferers." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:39
"I deem [this one of] the essential principles of our government and consequently [one] which ought to shape its administration:... The honest payment of our debts and sacred preservation of the public faith." --Thomas Jefferson: 1st Inaugural, 1801. ME 3:322
"I sincerely believe... that the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity under the name of funding is but swindling futurity on a large scale." --Thomas Jefferson to John Taylor, 1816. ME 15:23
"[With the decline of society] begins, indeed, the bellum omnium in omnia [war of all against all], which some philosophers observing to be so general in this world, have mistaken it for the natural, instead of the abusive state of man. And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1816. ME 15:40
chuck you schumer
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