Pollster Frank Luntz interviewed about 20 newly elected House Republicans on Fox News Tuesday night. These are the men and women who put themselves forward in 2010 to run for office, get elected, and produce the strong majority in the 112th Congress that has given Rep. John Boehner the speakership.
A telling moment came when Sean Hannity asked the members whether they were Republicans first or conservatives first. Unanimously, they said they were conservatives first. But then one member interjected, “I consider myself an American first. We are Americans.”
The main passion that both the new freshmen and the experienced speaker share is their love for and belief in the promise of America and the American dream.
Speaker Boehner clearly intends not only to listen to these new members but to give them a voice in leadership decisions. And he hears loud and clear the message from the mid-term elections that the American people want action to repeal and replace Obamacare.
These and dozens of other members of Congress were elected with a pledge to repeal this hugely unpopular law. They will be looking for every opportunity to show progress toward that goal before they face the voters again in two years.
After the repeal vote on January 12, the members will get to work in committees to defund, dismantle, and delay whatever they can in the new law, as well as to shine a light on the straightjacket of regulations the Obama administration has been issuing. They also will work with the states to help them in defending their citizens against Obamacare’s sweeping mandates.
Great start, everyone!
Published on National Review Online: The Corner, Jan. 5, 2011.