Rosa Rebimbas: 2012 Winner — The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Rosa Rebimbas

State Representative Rosa Rebimbas, 35, of Naugatuck is the ranking Republican on General Law Committee in the Connecticut House of Representatives. She won a narrow 72 vote victory in a 2009 special election, and is now seeking her third term without opposition.
Rebimbas, an attorney, received national attention when the legislature passed her bill regarding “sexting” between minors. She appeared on “Fox & Friends,” CNN and numerous other programs to talk about the legislation.
Connecticut is a Blue State and there are no Republicans in its Congressional Delegation. Democrats control the governorship and both houses of the legislature, and conservatives advocating tax cuts have a difficult struggle. She says “We have been maintaining too many services and programs. In our heyday, when we had more businesses and a larger tax base, we could afford them.
“That is not the reality now, unfortunately. This economy has forced residents to trim their budgets, to change the way they live their lives. Government should face the same reality.”
Rebimbas says a major setback was in 2011 when the Democratic legislature passed a budget on party lines that “raised taxes to historic levels, increased state spending and crippled our economic recovery.” She says “They increased state spending and raised taxes on everything. They gave us an unprecedented level of debt, gimmicks and holes that will require even more taxes.
“Then they added even more pressure to middle class families by cutting the property tax credit by 40 percent and eliminating tax-free exemptions.” She says the Democratic budget “lacks intellectual honesty and common sense. We must have a balanced budget.”
The GOP lawmaker believes liberal policies have caused a “brain drain.” This is when young people receive their education in Connecticut and leave the state because of the high cost of living. She is not surprised that “Connecticut has one of the highest rates in the nation of young adults leaving the state to seek permanent residence elsewhere.”
You can read more about the contest rules and background at: The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Will Senator Joe Lieberman (CT) Join The GOP Caucus? by Gregory Hilton

The new University of Delaware Poll has New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) at 61% and Christine O’Donnell (R) at 37% in the U.S. Senate race. O’Donnell received national attention when she upset Rep. Mike Castle (R-DE) in the GOP primary for the nomination to fill Joe Biden’s old Senate seat. Republican had a bad week in Connecticut and Colorado, but West Virginia and Wisconsin have been pleasant surprises for them. This would result in a 50/50 Senate.

Democratic Caucus Rejects Minor Spending Cuts: "We Have Got to Stop This Insanity Now" by Congressman John Adler (D-NJ)

Editorial Note: Freshman Congressman John Adler (D-NJ) and three of his colleagues were rebuked yesterday by a unanimous vote in the House Democratic Caucus. Adler was joined by Reps. Gary Peters (D-MI), Jim Himes (D-CT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) and they were seeking to eliminate $1.4 billion in spending which had been placed on top of President Obama’s budget request.

Connecticut U.S. Senate Race: An Uphill Battle for Republicans

Senator Chris Dodd (D) is retiring and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has a wide lead. This seat is expected to stay in Democratic hands and it is not on any of the target lists. The problems confront the GOP nominee Linda McMahon were emphasized today by Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review. He favors neither candidate. McMahon is the former CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, and he likens her network’s effect on popular culture to “what the BP spill is to the Gulf of Mexico — a relentless gusher of pollution. If decency means nothing, McMahon is the businesswoman par excellence.”

Several Key Senate Democrats Probably Want the GOP's Scott Brown to Win the Massachusetts Special Election

If State Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) wins the special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s vacancy on January 19th, several Democrats might be relieved. The Senate balance would become 59 to 41, and a few moderates would no longer be on the hot seat. They would not be pressured to provide the crucial 60th vote necessary to pass the health care reform bill and other legislation.
Among lawmakers who might breath a sign of relief if the GOP’s Brown wins are Senators Blanche Lincoln (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), Joe Lieberman (CT), Kent Conrad (ND), Mary Landrieu (LA) and Evan Bayh (IN).
These lawmakers worked as a team to stop the House passed version of the public option.
Lieberman spoke for many of them, “If the public option plan is in there, as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a final vote because I believe debt can break America and send us into a recession that’s worse than the one we’re fighting our way out of today.” The Senators won on the public option, Nelson and Landrieu cut lucrative side deals with Majority Leader Reid, but since then the lawmakers have had to cope with outraged voters back home.
Nelson is running 30% behind Gov. Dave Heineman (R-NE) in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, and has said it was a mistake to take up health care this year. Lincoln is 10 points behind her GOP challengers, and Lieberman has seen a 25% drop in his approval rating. It is no wonder all of these Senators are far from happy with the health care bill which passed the Senate.
The pressure on them to once again vote in favor of health care reform is enormous. Every one of these Senators has already made statements questioning the fiscal soundness of the bill. The lawmakers are also well aware of the gimmicks used to get the bill through the Senate. The increased taxes go into effect immediately but people will have to wait until 2014 for benefits. They also realize the bill is not deficit neutral, nor will it save money in the long run.
Finally, if Brown does win on Tuesday he should thank Senator John Kerry (D-MA). Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) was in office when Kerry began his 2004 presidential campaign. Democrats thought Kerry could win the presidential election, and they did not want Romney to have the power to appoint a Republican to fill a Senate vacancy until 2006. They changed the law to require a special election rather than a gubernatorial appointment in the event of a vacancy. If the law had not been changed Gov. Deval Patrick (D-MA) could have immediately appointed a Democrat to fill Ted Kennedy’s vacancy.