Posted on 09/26/2010 9:19:11 AM PDT by GOPavenger33
House Republicans have been relatively successful this week at presenting a united front around their “Pledge to America,” but only through a strategic outreach campaign to lawmakers, media and outside groups, that has managed to keep deep dissatisfaction over several key issues largely under wraps.
Still, interviews with Republican aides reveal that many in the GOP caucus are unhappy that there was no earmark ban and no promise to pass a balanced budget amendment in the proposal, which was unveiled Thursday by House Minority Leader John Boehner. The inclusion of a health insurance provision considered to be mandate angered many conservative lawmakers.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Still, interviews with Republican aides reveal that many in the GOP caucus are unhappy that there was no earmark ban and no promise to pass a balanced budget amendment in the proposal, which was unveiled Thursday by House Minority Leader John Boehner. The inclusion of a health insurance provision considered to be mandate angered many conservative lawmakers.
“We’re going to repeal Obamacare and then bring a large chunk of it back. It’s kind of crazy,” said a senior Republican official.
And social conservative leaders said that a commitment to upholding the Defense of Marriage Act was dropped at the last moment.
“They kept talking about realism. They wanted it to be realistic, something we could do, not pipe dreams,” said one House aide who said that while leadership sought extensive input, they threw many of the ideas they received “in the trash heap.”
In addition, a 21-page proposal requiring all legislation to be posted online for 72 hours prior to a vote was not distributed to Republican lawmakers until the night before the rollout. Many Republican offices didn’t even see it until it leaked to the media Wednesday afternoon, leading one aide to write in an e-mail to fellow legislative directors: “We shouldn’t have to get our own agenda from CBS News.”
But skittish rank-and-file members were reassured at a Wednesday night caucus meeting by leadership aides who distributed a National Review editorial praising the “Pledge.” The National Review editorial had been prearranged, however, by Neil Bradley, a top leadership aide* who is close to April Ponnuru, the executive director of the National Review Institute, and Kate O’Beirne, NRI’s president.
O’Beirne denied the allegation, calling it “absolutely, categorically false.”
House GOP leadership aides and lawmakers justified the lack of an earmark ban by telling others who pressed for one that they would implement it after the midterm elections on Nov. 2.
“They said, ‘We don’t want to pick a fight with our appropriators now. That’s a fight we can pick after the election,’” said one House Republican aide.
But the aide said that many in the Republican caucus don’t believe Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, or any other members of the leadership actually want a ban.
“Once we’re in power they’ll say, ‘Let’s find a reasonable way to earmark,’ which of course the Tea Party will see as total capitulation. Most people around here don’t realize the extent to which Joe America sees earmarks as the poster child for out of control Washington spending,” the aide said.
Another aide who was present in meetings to draft the document agreed: “They already have an earmark moratorium, and not to continue that is a pretty huge flag that they want to get back into the earmark business.”
“Leadership doesn’t do anything unless they’re boxed in. So they’ll do small stuff. They’ll repeal stimulus. They’ll do these YouCut votes. But in terms of dealing with entitlement reform, challenging the president to deal with the long term fiscal imbalances, they aren’t willing to at least articulate it in their document. I do not see them willing to legislate and govern in that area,” the aide said.
If they don't get elected, they can't do anything.
It will take a few years to oust the RINOS.
Which has made me truly wonder, and for some time now, whether there’s really a place for true Conservatives in the GOP; I don’t think there is.
Not breaking news.
Balanced budget is a trap that would play into the hands of RINOs and Dhimmicrats. You can “balance” the budget by raising taxes, or in many other anti-taxpayer and anti-Amercan ways. Only economic illiteracy - best case scenario - would make that a hill to die on.
And quite frankly, the Daily Caller hates the guts of the Tea Party and has been playing a dirty game throughot the recent primaries
Oh! stop it your just being reasonable.
The pledge wasn’t enough, but it’s a start.
The pledge that was unveiled is a good start, a bold first step.
The important thing of all is the follow through.
Conservatives will be watching and taking note.
Seems to me that a lot of people are still living under the impression that we should be able to elect republicans and all should be well.
The simple fact is that we’re going to have to stand over them with a whip for the rest of our lives.
We also need to avoid becoming like the democrats in our desire to punish.
Granted to your point but Earmarks are not in that category. Another big issue is “riders” attached to a bill like Harry’s Dream Act attachement to the Defense Approporiations Bill. That would stop of this stupid gotcha legislation.
Ryan stated that the republicans have already signed a no earmarks pledge.
Welcome to Free Republic.
So which Leftist clown posse do your work for?
Nice try at spreading disinformation and dissension in Conservatives ranks Dembot but we know all about your training seminars about infiltrating Conservative websites over there at the Moveon.org
It is a Demobot InfiTraitor not a serious source of news.
A look at your posting history shows you just don't think.
Like the rest of the Hate-the-GOP-Always 3rd party-bots here on Freeper, you would hate what ever the GOP did.
Are you a concern troll?
Repealing Obamacare seems like more than small stuff to me.
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