House Republican leader John Boehner (R-OH), along with Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), announced today that two seats at the leadership table, plus three seats on the Steering Committee, would be reserved for members of the freshman class.
This unusual step is a signal that the leadership is serious about changing the way things are done in Washington, as the leadership makes clear in their joint statement:
“Two weeks ago, Americans spoke out in a clear repudiation of Washington and elected leaders who refuse to listen to the people. Taking office in January will be a new House majority with more than 80 new members, eager to get to work and do the will of the people by cutting spending and lifting the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the private sector so that small business people can create jobs again.”
The temptation to use “refudiation” instead of “repudiation” must have been considerable. I know I wouldn’t have been able to resist.
Taken with the declaration of war against earmarks, this is a promising start against the decaying system that threatens to consume American prosperity. That “cloud of uncertainty” must be dispelled swiftly. A bloated government hungry for revenue, and unwilling to restrain its spending impulses, is a dangerous presence in the marketplace. A great deal of our current economic situation is due to fear, not the kind of minor glitch that can be addressed by fiddling with the value of our currency.
Voters sent a wave of new representatives to Congress in order to bring our berserk government under control. It’s very encouraging to learn the House leadership sees it that way, too.
