Republican Lawmakers Fear Potentially Embarrassing Exchanges

When Congress recessed last August, the then-nascent Tea Party movement appeared at various town halls and — mainly through screaming and shouting — took control of the headlines.  Fox News and many other conservative groups played a prominent role in directing angry conservatives to these events.  Many Democrats, perhaps not anticipating the coordinated effort, came out looking bruised.

Heading into the summer recess after a year of Republicans stalling or blocking important legislation, from unemployment benefits to health care and Wall Street reform, the shoe is suddenly on the other foot.  Last summer, Republicans falsely accused Democrats of hiding from their constituents.  This year, many Republicans are actually hiding.

"Several House Republicans," reports Roll Call, "are balking at a request by their leadership to offer us a copy of their August schedules for a GOP Conference online database."

GOP leaders have asked Members to submit their schedules as part of their "America Speaking Out" agenda project, but some Republicans said doing so would only create opportunities for their opponents to embarrass them.

Rep. John Campbell said Thursday that his recess calendar wasn't finalized yet and that he had no plans to give the Conference a copy even when it is completed.

"I just don't know why there needs to be a national advertisement of everything I'm doing," the California Republican said.

Likewise, Rep. Mike Simpson said he would not be submitting his schedule to leadership either, in part because he felt it was not "the Conference's business."

"I do my schedule, and I do it according to my district and what I need to do. I don't necessarily want it published," the Idaho Republican said. "If I was going out and had a tough re-election and was asking the Conference and the [National Republican Congressional Committee] to help me ... then maybe they have the right to say, 'OK, what are you doing in August?' but I'm not asking them for a dime."

And Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking member on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said he isn't giving up his schedule either. The California Republican said he plans to spend several days in August "driving down Route 66 in his RV" to visit different parts of the country. Issa said of the leaders' schedule request: "It was whipped; there were a lot of noes."

Since Republicans have yet to put out an agenda, it's completely understandable that many of them don't want to give "opportunities for their opponents to embarrass them."  Here are some things that Republicans probably aren't looking forward to answering:

• Why do they support the extension of tax cuts for the rich, especially given their rhetoric on the need to reel in the national debt?
• Why do they oppose school lunches or vote against efforts to protect seniors from financial fraud? 
• Why do some Republicans want to repeal the 17^th Amendment and take away the power of the people to elect their Senators? 
• Rep. Steve King's (R-IA) discharge petition calls for repealing health care reform in its entirety.  Most Republicans are on board with his effort.  Do they actually want to do away with the ban of lifetime caps?

With millions of Americans out of work, the unemployed will surely be among those who show up at various town halls around the country.  Republicans worry that they'll be asked to explain their objections to extending unemployment benefits.  Or maybe, they fear that seniors will ask them to either repudiate or defend Rep. Raul Ryan's (R-WI) plan to privatize Social Security.