Republicans

Top 5 Republican Retro Refrains They'll Sing For Recess

Brian Beutler | July 16, 2010, 5:01PM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

For 18 months, Republicans have been torn between their ideological nature, and their need to appear different from the party that ended the Bush era in the crapper. In a sign of just how confident they feel that their electoral fortunes have turned, that tension is seemingly now gone. In the last two weeks, unabashed Republicans have started revealing the details of their governing agenda -- one that will be familiar to those who were alive between 1994 and 2006, and which remains broadly unpopular with voters.

In the words of Mitch McConnell, Republicans feel like they've gotten their groove back. After the jump we run through the top 5 Republican retro-grooves we expect they'll be playing throughout the August recess.

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Lobbying

Republicans, K Street Plot Tax Cuts And Deregulation For 2011 (VIDEO)

Brian Beutler | July 16, 2010, 12:30PM

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

As promised, House Minority Leader John Boehner, along with Reps. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Peter Roskam (R-IL), huddled this morning with representatives of the most powerful conservative business and trade groups in the country to field policy ideas and build a legislative agenda ahead of the November elections, when Republicans could retake the House. If what they discussed in any way resembles the coming GOP platform (and, of course, it does), then get ready for more tax cuts and deregulation.

Dan Danner of the National Federation of Independent Businesses spoke up, outraged about "a whole host of new proposed regulations that are going to add costs to...business."

All the invitees, which also included the Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, and several others, were in broad agreement over steps they hope the government takes if Republicans regain power. Many of them once supported President Obama's stimulus plan, but now want to go back to the way things were.

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K Street

Zombie K Street Project: The GOP Turns To Lobbyists To Draft Policy Agenda

Brian Beutler | July 8, 2010, 5:07PM

Zombies walking down K Street, Washington DC.

John Boehner twisted himself into a pretzel this week when he told the Washington Post he had "no idea" whether Republicans would once again attempt to privatize Social Security if they retake the House in November. He couldn't just say "no" -- he followed up with the explanation that he couldn't say because he didn't want to prejudge the outcome of the GOP's voter survey.

"We're not going to prejudge what's going to come out of this listening project," he said.

Turns out that the project also includes soliciting recommendations from representatives of the most powerful business and trade groups in the country -- in other words, it's a "House Republican efforts to produce a new policy agenda with a small group of trade association leaders." Call it the Zombie K Street Project.

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