Yesterday, freshman Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., emphasized to me that his colleagues were getting a bum rap from the media.
“I think they mischaracterize the unity and the drive that comes from our freshmen class,” he said, “and I think as the next 24 hours roll forward, they’ll see a different freshman class than that which is written and talked about.”
Take that into consideration when you read a report about GOP freshmen holding a unity event endorsing the Boehner bill. There are 89 GOP freshmen in the House. There are 22 votes against the Boehner bill, according to The Hill, and some larger number of undecideds. But most of the freshmen are voting “aye.” Of the 22 “no” votes, only 11 are freshmen, and the rest are staunch conservatives, presidential candidates, or U.S. Senate candidates. Of the 27 undecided votes, only 13 are freshmen. So at the moment, 65 of the 89 freshmen are being counted as “yeses,” and if the bill passes, it could get as high as 78 of them.
