Monday, January 27, 2014

Republican Liberty Caucus gains strength in Congress

Libertarian wing of GOP gains strength in Congress | WashingtonExaminer.com - Susan Ferrechio:

January 24, 2014 - "A few times each month, a couple dozen House Republican lawmakers gather in a meeting room in a building adjacent to Capitol to discuss ideas and legislative proposals that focus on limited government, reducing the debt and maintaining individual rights.

"The group considers itself conservative with a libertarian emphasis. They call themselves the Liberty Caucus and believe that in order for the GOP to win more elections in the future, the party must begin embracing their libertarian-minded philosophy because voters are beginning to demand it, particularly in the wake of government data collection revelations that some believe infringe on privacy rights.

"'I think you are seeing a movement in the Republican Party where it is becoming more liberty minded,' Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, a member of the Liberty Caucus, told the Washington Examiner.... Labrador said younger Republicans especially are beginning to embrace this libertarian-minded view point....

"The philosophy of the caucus dovetails with the GOP's conservative wing on some issues, such as debt reduction, reining in government spending and opposition to the new health care law. But it differs on others, in particular on national security. While many Liberty Caucus members are opposed to the government surveillance program that has permitted officials to gather huge amounts of private phone and internet data in an effort to thwart terrorism, most mainstream GOP lawmakers have shown far less opposition and have defended it as necessary for preserving national security."

Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/libertarian-wing-of-gop-gains-strength-in-congress/article/2542802#
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