Posted on 12/29/2003 4:14:36 PM PST by Federalist 78
Alexandria, VA – Conservatives will honor the 25 Republican members of the U.S. House who voted against the recent Medicare entitlement expansion as part of the Conservative Political Action Conference's (CPAC) historic Ronald Reagan Banquet on Friday, January 23, 2004. CPAC, the nation’s oldest and largest annual gathering of conservatives, will be held January 22--24, 2004 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia.
"These 25 courageous Representatives stood for principle in the face of intense pressure and arm-twisting," said ACU chairman David A. Keene. "Their collective willingness to adhere to limited-government conservatism--our Founders’ conservatism--is a message that will stir and energize the more-than 4,000 conservative grassroots activists expected to attend the conference."
The Republican congressional heroes voting "NO" on this bad bill were: Akin (MO), Barrett (SC), Burton (IN), Chabot (OH), Culberson (TX), DeMint (SC), Emerson (MO), Feeney (FL), Flake (AZ), Garrett (NJ), Gutknecht (MN), Hostettler (IN), Jones (NC), Miller (FL), Moran (KS), Musgrave (CO), Norwood (GA), Paul (TX), Pence (IN), Ryun (KS), Shadegg, (AZ), Smith (MI), Tancredo (CO), Toomey (PA), and Wamp (LA).
CPAC is a project of the American Conservative Union Foundation, in association with Young America’s Foundation and Human Events. The conference is co-sponsored by over 70 of the nation’s leading conservative organizations. For continued updates on the program or to register online, visit www.cpac.org.
"CPAC" is not a "political action committee (PAC)" as defined by federal law. The conference name and initials predate the creation of those entities and is merely coincidental.
Republican aides said conservatives who voted against the bill, including Reps. Mike Pence (Ind.), John Culberson (Texas), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Roscoe Bartlett (Md.) and Jim Ryun (Kan.), would suffer for their votes against the Medicare bill.
Leadership aides said those members "can expect to remain on the back bench" in the months ahead.
"Health savings accounts are the most dramatic reform of health care in 30 years," Feehery said. "Conservatives said they all loved it, but once in the bill they forgot about it."
The fallout over the conservative resistance included some lawmakers who are considered rising stars in the party, as well as a major conservative think tank that aided House Democrats in nearly derailing Bush’s top domestic initiative.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.