The first day of the 111th Congress marked the first vote at which Republicans took aim, marking an opening salvo in their 2010 electoral efforts.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) sent out a release in 54 districts, many of them held by newly-elected, first-term members of Congress, criticizing them for voting in favor of a House rules that abolishes term limits for committee chairmen and limits the GOP’s opportunity to present alternatives to Democratic legislation.
The NRCC said the Democrats “quickly toed the party line” after being elected, and alleged the lawmakers reneged on campaign promises to foster an open and ethical Congress.