Visits Home Fire Up GOP

[Valin]

WSJ:

JANET HOOK
2/16/11

Conservative House freshmen, who pushed their party to approve unprecedented budget cuts this month, are returning to Washington next week with their resolve to cut federal spending strengthened by a weeklong tour of their home districts.


Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle talks with constituents following a town hall meeting in Liverpool, N.Y., this month. AP

Many freshmen say they received more kudos than complaints this week for the House's vote to cut more than $61 billion from the federal budget, defying predictions that voters would complain about cuts hitting close to home and would damp the lawmakers' enthusiasm for budget-cutting.

"Full steam ahead!" said Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a Republican freshman from Kansas, who like most members of Congress traveled his district this week while Congress was in recess. "We cannot back down."

(Snip)

[pollyannaish]

I think that in general, people are seeing the handwriting on the wall and any effort at all to really cut the budge (even if one's own sacred cows are gored) are appreciated and supported.

 

There is a general sense of panic and a belief that we are really on the precipice still in many parts of the country. And we KNOW we can't spend our way out of them.