Tea party hopes to put spine in GOP lawmakers

Republicans vow austerity as they take Congress
Can’t wait for censored version of Huck Finn? Read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim Democrat Nancy Pelosi hands the speaker's gavel to Republican John Boehner as he is sworn in on Wednesday. Sheldon Alberts, Washington Correspondent, Postmedia News · Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011 WASHINGTON — First came the tears. Then came the tough talk. Ohio Republican John Boehner, sworn in Wednesday as the new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, vowed to restore fiscal aust...

GOP House Leaders and New Spending Promises
One of the most explicit promises Speaker John Boehner, R-Oh., and the newly empowered Republicans made was to cut Deficits immediately by returning to 2008 spending levels. "Which, if we were able to do with the whole Fiscal Year, would reduce spending by 100 billion dollars," says Representative Mike Pence, R-In. But Republicans won't have a whole Budget year to work with. Congress failed to pass a current Budget even though the fiscal year began last October. So the government is now operatin...

GOP controls U.S. House
Republicans gained 63 seats in the 435-member House in November's Elections, fueled by Tea Party Candidates in Michigan and elsewhere who want a smaller Federal Government, less spending and a Repeal of the Health Care Reform Bill. But with the Democrats retaining control of the Senate -- and President Barack Obama holding a Veto pen -- the result of a divided government could be gridlock. To pass Legislation, including the Budget, accommodations must ...

Speaker Boehner has Georgia ties
The new Speaker Ohio Congressman John Boehner was sworn in today starting the 112th Congress with a new outlook on how “the Peoples house” will work. The Speaker comes from a large family of 12 siblings in all, most of which joined him at his swearing in ceremony in the house chamber today. Speaker Boehner has a younger brother Greg who did not attend. Greg Boehner owns a restaurant in Macon GA called “The front porch II” that is known for ribeye sandwich’s and othe...

Happy Hour Roundup
* Is Nancy Pelosi openly siding against Harry Reid, and with the House GOP, on Earmarks? That's what Eric Cantor says he took from a Conference Call he had with Pelosi and Obama today. Aaccording to Cantor, Pelosi remarked that she'd like to see Reid join her and the House GOP in doing away with earmarks, a leading House GOP priority. "She would think it would be a big move (if) we could get the Senate to come our way," Cantor said in parahprasing her remarks to a Virginia paper. Cantor's offi...

Rule could endanger transportation budget, building trade jobs sector
House Republicans — despite urging by Democrats, businesses and even members of their own party — didn't change some provisions in their rules package that could jeopardize transportation funding and building trades jobs.  Democratic Reps. Joe Courtney (Conn.), Peter Welch (Vt.) and Laura Richardson (Calif.) sent a letter Tuesday to Republican leaders urging them to adopt an amendment to their rules package that would ensure funding for the Highway Trust Fund and protect building trades j

House Passes Republican Rules Package
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, walks to the floor of the House on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011. (Credit: (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)) The House late Wednesday afternoon passed the rules package for the 112th Congress put forth by Republicans in conjunction with their takeover of the chamber. The vote was 240 to 191. "The passage of these reforms marks a first step towards restoring the House as an institution focused on listening to the people," House Speaker Joh...

Pauls agree to disagree
(CNN) -The 112th Congress is a family affair for GOP Congressman Ron Paul and his son, Republican Senator Rand Paul. But that doesn't mean they always agree. Speaking with CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King, the two Pauls diverge on whether the House Republican pledge to cut $100 billion dollars from the federal Budget in the first year is realistic. In an interview for CNN's "John King, USA," Congressman Paul commented on an apparent backtrack from the original GOP promise. The elder ...

In House, New Republican Majority Plans to Act Fast to Undo Obama's Agenda
© Michael S. Williamson / The Washington Post Almost as soon as they take control of the House at noon Wednesday, Republicans will embark on a 20-day plan aimed at undoing major aspects of President Obama's agenda as they seek to take advantage of the weeks before the Senate's return and the president's State of the Union address. The first move will come Friday, when the House begins the process of repealing the new health-care law. House leaders will then quickly begin to identify tens...

Republicans take over House, dilute cuts
By Thomas Ferraro and Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 5, 2011 12:45pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republicans scaled back plans for deep cuts in Government Spending as they took power in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, diluting a key promise that helped them to victory in November's election. A senior Republican also signaled the party could work with the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat, to avert a Debt crisis in the coming months. "Our spending has caught up...

Republicans vow to repeal Obama's healthcare plan
The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives took power yesterday vowing to open a legislative battle with Barack Obama over the size of government and how much it spends. The Democrat Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a liberal from San Francisco, handed over to John Boehner, a conservative who plans to stage a quick vote to Repeal Mr Obama's healthcare overhaul. He and the new Majority Leader Eric Cantor said the healthcare Repeal vote fulfils promises the party made in the November electio...

John Bambenek promoting 2 State of Illinois Bills
Amends the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004. Provides that no person may practice veterinary medicine in the State except within the context of a Veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Changes the definition of "veterinarian-client-patient relationship" to include a licensed veterinarian who has access to the animal patient's records and has been designated by the veterinarian with the prior relationship with the animal patient to provide reasonable and appropriate medical...

White House Defends Obamas Senate Vote against Raising Debt Ceiling But Warns of Catastrophe If GOP Doesnt Raise Debt Ceiling
Wednesday, January 05, 2011 By Fred Lucas President Barack Obama is saluted as he arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011, from Vacation in Hawaii. Col. Lee DePalo, commander of the 11th Wing, is at left. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Washington (CNSNews.com) - The Obama Administration is warning of catastrophic consequences if Congress does not increase the Debt ceiling, the legal limit on how much the Federal Government can borrow, but Obama held a different view on th...

Tea Party Activists Take Hard Line On GOP Agenda
Republicans preparing to take control of the U.S. House when the 112th Congress convenes Wednesday have been scrambling in recent days to salute the Tea Party Activists who helped drive Democrats from power last November. They've ordered a reading of the Constitution on opening day and required that all new Legislation cite a constitutional provision permitting the proposed action. They've pledged to cut 2.6 percent of the House operations Budget and teed up a largely symbolic vote on repealing ...

Boehner Cries As He Moves To Speakership
WASHINGTON — The chin started trembling partway down the center aisle as the applause rose to a roar. John Boehner, the emotional Ohioan about to become the House's new speaker, took his time, shaking hands with colleagues and their Children on his way to the rostrum. At its foot, the hankie came out. "It's still just me," he told the House after departing Speaker Nancy Pelosi, dry-eyed, handed Boehner his outsized "gavel of choice." It is known to bug Boehner that he can't keep it toget...

"it wouldnt be a Republican majority if they werent taking an African-Americans voting rights away"
From David Dayen of Firedoglake, whose election coverage I enjoyed, comes what may be the first Race Card played during the Boehner era (emphasis mine): The new House of Representatives will be sworn in at noon today. We have a pretty good sense of their schedule of events for the first few weeks before the State of the Union address, and because the Senate is leaving town (another brilliant Democratic tactical decision), they will have Congress all to themselves. First we’ll have the ado...

Ten Questions for Vin Weber
Vin Weber was in the vanguard of conservative change before some Tea Party Activists were born; he won a House seat from Minnesota in the 1980 Republican revolution led by then-President Ronald Reagan. He worked alongside Newt Gingrich in the years-long effort to break the Democrats’ grip on the House. Now a prominent Washington Lobbyist, he spoke with John Harwood of The Times and CNBC about the new Republican majority in the House. Here’s a condensed, edited ...

House GOP's Plan: Vote Early and Often Against The Obama Agenda
A twenty day period of votes against the Obama Agenda, which of course are not effectual on their own (as Democrats still control the Senate). But they hope to both demonstrate that they're carrying through on promises to voters and force Obama and the Democrats in the Senate closer to a Tea Party view of the world. Almost as soon as they take control of the House at noon Wednesday, Republicans will embark on a 20-day plan aimed at undoing major aspects of President Obama's agenda as they seek ...

Boehner, Pelosi, Haley, Ryan, and Others to Watch in 2011
We've ended a fascinating year in politics, and 2011 promises to be just as good. Here's who to watch in the coming year: [See a slide show of 11 politicos to watch in 2011.] David Plouffe. He managed the 2008 Obama campaign and is heading to Washington to take the job of David Axelrod, the White House adviser leaving for Chicago to start up the 2012 re-election campaign. Plouffe, who is known as a clear-eyed strategic thinker, will reportedly be in charge of messaging and press relations&mdas...;

Boehner sends a thank you note to democrats, for reminding us why Obamacare must be repealed
Posted by Jennifer Caballero on Jan 4 2011 Filed under News & Opinion, Politics, Tea Party. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry Boehner is not wasting any time reminding Democrats why he is moving forward with a vote to Repeal ObamaCare. In fact, he sent a hilarious, strong, and effective thank you note to Harry Reid and other democrat senators. ...

Transparency, BipartisanshipJust Words?
Remember how, during the past few years, Republicans repeatedly accused the Democrats of a lack of “openness and transparency” in the legislative process, of not allowing adequate time to either review proposed Legislation or to debate it and—in particular in the case of the Health Care bill—of ramming it down the throat of the GOP and of the American People without going through the Bipartisan process, without holding sufficient hearings or markups? In reality, House Democrats ...

Tea Party Lawmakers: Can They Deliver?
Several dozen members in the new House and Senate were elected with strong Tea Party support. Tea Party Activists created the biggest conservative wave to hit Washington since the 1930s. Now they're getting a wary welcome from official Washington, sitting down with the likes of ABC's Diane Sawyer. "How many of you carry a constitution with you." Sawyer asked eight new representatives on ABC World News, Wednesday. "I've got mine right here," GOP Rep. Frank Guinta answered. Some 40 new congressm...

Hoyer: Tea Party People Come From Unhappy Families
On the eve of his demotion by voters from House Majority Leader to House Minority Whip, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Hoyer offered this insight into the Psychology of the Tea Party movement: There are a whole lot of people in the Tea Party that I see in these polls who don't want any Compromise. My presumption is they have unhappy families. All of you have been in families: single-parent, two-parents, whatever. Multiple parent and a stepfather. The fact is life is about trying to reach accommodation...

Republicans take power in new US Congress
The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives took power yesterday, vowing to open a legislative battle with President Barack Obama over the size of government and how much it spends. As the 112th Congress convened, Representative John Boehner took over as speaker, one of the Most Powerful jobs in Washington. He assumes the gavel from Democrat Nancy Pelosi. As speaker, Mr Boehner is second in line of succession behind vice-president Joe Biden. Mr Boehner said the Republicans' goa...

Constitutional cites, NYT and fundamentalism
The New York Times editorial board wasted little time in attempting to attack the new Republican led House in the way smug elitists usually do … by invoking “Fundamentalism”.   In this case the fundamentalism is an apparent attempt by a party to refocus the Legislation it plans on debating and passing on the “fundamental” legal document of the land. That just won’t do: In any case, it is a presumptuous and self-righteous act, suggesting that they alone understan