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1. Repeal is Real
2. Paul Ryan slices and dices Obamacare.
3. Could Offshore Drilling Reduce the Deficit?
4. Marsha Blackburn declares war
5. The Return of the Lunch Bunch
1. Repeal is Real
As its first major act, the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives voted today on a bill promising the complete repeal of Obamacare. The bill passed with a unanimous Republican vote along with the support of 3 House Democrats, proving that the demand to repeal Obamacare is a real, bipartisan fight that will lead to a serious debate in the Senate.
While many have tried to downplay the vote as merely symbolic, it is far more important than that: repeal is real. I believe that repeal is achievable, and in fact likely, because the American people want and expect it. The new class of Republicans campaigned on repeal in this election, and we intend to hold each and every one of them accountable to their own promises.
From here, we need to keep in mind that while this is the first giant step in the right direction, this fight is far from over. From here we must continue to build momentum and push Harry Reid to bring it to a vote in the Senate. Ultimately, we will push forward until this is on the desk of President Obama.
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2. Paul Ryan slices and dices Obamacare.
You know, the Democratic party is probably really regretting not targeting Paul Ryan’s seat last quarter. Not that it would have actually worked, but at least they could have told themselves that they tried to avert events like these.
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3. Could Offshore Drilling Reduce the Deficit?
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) wants the Obama administration to provide Congress with data on the federal government’s offshore drilling revenue — information that would show just how much President Obama’s anti-drilling policies are impacting the budget.
Based on recent projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, production in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to drop this year by 220,000 barrels per day. With oil currently at $90 a barrel and the government’s royalty rate at 18.75 percent, that equals $3.7 million in lost federal revenue each day.
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4. Marsha Blackburn declares war
Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, has put out a two pronged announcement of what America needs conservatives to achieve when it comes to the the Internet, new technologies, and the regulation of them all. It’s fun to watch just how strong she’s come out on these critical issues.
First she had a very well-written piece in the Washington Times explaining how the Internet and related tech issues have gone from a “niche in public policy” to being essential “to keep America free and prosperous.” She gives a great overview of the problems with the FCC and Net Neutrality, then goes on to explain how she, Fred Upton, and other Republicans can do something about it. It’s worth a read, or a link, if you ever need a summary of where we stand today.
The big story though came the next day, when she gave the keynote address to the State of the Net conference held by the Congressional Internet Caucus advisory committee. That’s where she drew the line, bright and clear.
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5. The Return of the Lunch Bunch
That didn’t take long. Charlie Bass and other Republican “moderates” are already polluting the new House Republican majority.
In yesterday’s Washington Post, Bass—the former head of the Republican Main Street Partnership, which is made up of typically economically and socially liberal Republicans—attempts to balance out the perception that the freshmen are all conservative. He guesses that up to 50 of them will attend Tuesday Group meetings. The Tuesday Group, or the “Lunch Bunch” as it used to be called, is the Congressional sister organization to the Main Street Partnership, and if Bass is correct about the attendance numbers, that is a horrifying sign of things to come.
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