FroshUpdate: Reps Criticize Obama on '67 Borders

The Associated Press has a good story on how some freshmen collaborate to manage town halls; and an in-depth look by the Las Vegas Sun at how Rep. Joe Heck has such strong tea party support despite more moderate stances in Congress. Meanwhile, freshmen seem to be universally condemning Obama’s use of ’67 borders as the starting point in a future Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

This is FroshUpdate for May 23, 2011.

HOW FRESHMEN MANAGE TOWN HALLS: Reps. Andy Harris (MD-01) and Paul Gosar (AZ-01) are the subjects of an AP story on how freshmen are navigating through their respective town hall meetings, especially when they blow up into confrontation. Though many GOP freshmen are taking heat - both spontaneous and organized by the DCCC - for supporting Paul Ryan's budget plan and its alterations to Medicare, Harris and Gosar confirmed that they're learning how to handle crowds. Gosar admitted the freshmen often confer, saying "That's one thing about the freshmen lawmakers, we do talk. We spend some time (on) `What happened to you, did you have a town hall, how'd it go, what was the major issue of the day, how did you respond?'" http://bit.ly/jdgDXO

WHY HECK GETS TEA PARTY BACKING: Why does Rep. Joe Heck (NV-03) have such strong Tea Party support? That's the question asked by the Las Vegas Sun on Friday. Though Tea Party groups claim credit for Heck's election, he has often strayed far from Tea Party or even Republican orthodoxy over his time in office, declining to add his name to several freshman class petitions and urging his fellow Republicans not to threaten to shut down the government. Heck's district leans slightly Democratic, and the article quotes UNLV political science professor David Damore as saying, “you run a conservative Republican against Joe Heck in the primary, you can give that district to the Democrats.” http://bit.ly/jqg7Ei

FroshUpdate is a regular look at how the freshman class is making news. Add us on twitter strong>@freshmenFF<, or tell others to join our mailing list by emailing strong>frosh@frumforum.com< with ’subscribe’ in the subject line.

NOEM BACKS ETHANOL: Rep. Kristi Noem (SD-01) is extolling the virtues of ethanol fuel in this time of high gas prices. Noem maintains that ethanol's relative lack of penetration into the domestic fuel market, despite numerous credits and subsidies, is an "access problem" and that the federal government needed to make sure that "consumers can get to ethanol and utilize it if they want to." http://bit.ly/iDT2NT

FITZPATRICK VISITS GITMO: Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-08) inspected the Guantanamo Bay detention facilities and deemed them safe and humane. “The United States Department of Defense has proven its commitment to ensuring that all detainees are kept in a safe, secure and humane environment and that the terms of treatment are to provide a safe, humane, legal and transparent custody of the unlawful combatants,” he said. http://bit.ly/kuTrgA

HULTGREN PUSHES FOR MIDEAST STABILITY: Rep. Randy Hultgren (IL-14) has returned from a visit to Israel, Afghanistan and Germany, referring to the trip as further emphasis of the need to strengthen alliances and work for greater stability and accountability in the Middle East. Hultgren:  "I am convinced that progress has been made, but we must continue to work for stability in the region. Although Osama bin Laden is dead, terrorists and extremists continue to look for safe havens and Afghanistan cannot be permitted to serve that purpose again." http://bit.ly/mItgqE

FRESHMEN CRITICAL OF OBAMA ’67 BORDERS STANCE

1. Rep. Justin Amash (MI-03), himself the son of a Palestinian refugee who immigrated to the United States in 1956, is unhappy about President Obama's recent comments endorsing the 1967 border as a starting point for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement. Amash, who opposes a large American footprint abroad, said that President Obama "is making  is making it seem like the United States is dictating to Israel what the borders should be." http://bit.ly/mNntKo
2. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (MS-04) has criticized Obama’s proposal for Israel to return to its pre-1967 borders. Hartzler: “President Obama’s call for Israel to make more sacrifices in the pursuit of peace in the Middle East is unacceptable. The borders that were established in 1967 followed three wars launched against Israel. The territory acquired by the Israelis after they were subjected to unprovoked attacks serves as a buffer between Israel and enemies intent on destroying her.”http://bit.ly/l0HKiG
3. Rep. Robert Dold (IL-10) disagrees with Obama's statement on pre-1967 Israel-Palestinian borders. “I am disappointed in the President’s decision to dictate terms to our ally in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace process… I have just completed a four day trip where I spoke with Israeli citizens, government ministers and journalists about the political, economic, and cultural challenges of a country caught in the center of a changing Middle East. Israel is our one true ally in the Middle East and must do all we can to support her.” http://bit.ly/iFY6Wy

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