Three Republican "Young Guns" Fire Off Book

On one of election season's big Tuesday primaries, three of the House Republican up and comers are firing at Democrats in a new book titled, " The Young Guns: A new Generation of Conservative Leaders."

Released Sept. 14, the 191-page paperback was penned jointly by House Republican leaders Eric Cantor of Virginia, Kevin McCarthy of California, and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. The book lays out broad conservative talking points and tackles Democrats on health care legislation, taxes, and social security. It makes little to no mention of fellow Republican heavy-hitters John Boehner (R-OH) and Mike Pence (R-IN), instead showcasing "young, reform-minded Republicans" as the key to overhauling Washington.

The congressmen founded the book's namesake organization, Young Guns, during the 2007-2008 election cycle. By the end of Aug. 2010, the National Republican Congressional Committee's associated program, which recruits and assists congressional hopefuls to "build a foundation for victory," showcased more than fifty conservatives - of all ages - with "young gun" status.

"We were fired in 2006, and part of what this is about, Young Guns, is finding candidates that will run on ideas, and actually solve problems using conservative beliefs," McCarthy, who is the chief recruiter for House Republican candidates, told NBC's TODAY Show Tuesday morning. "I think that's one of the fundamental differences you'll find in this election."

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in July and August press releases volleyed back at the program, asking, "What low bar do these candidates have to pass to get included in an NRCC program anyway?" and citing "anemic fundraising" against the DCCC's "battle-tested" candidates. On Tuesday, DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen put out a statement on the book's release, "House Republicans' defense of their ‘roadmap' to privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare is a dead end for seniors. These aren't just pages from a book."

After publisher Simon & Schuster posted a dramatic promotional video for the book on their website, DCCC lawyers sent them a letter suggesting that the company was violating campaign finance laws. The video was produced by Cantor's "Every Republican Is Crucial" (ERIC) PAC and linked to a website soliciting monetary campaign contributions.

But it's Chapter 6 - Ryan's roadmap for tackling entitlement programs - that has Democrats most up in arms. The Budget Committee ranking member and "thinker" of the group lays out his "Roadmap for America's Future" and warns that Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security's "exploding costs will drive our federal government and national economy to collapse."

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's office Monday night released a "sneak peek" of the book, slamming the three congressmen for their "efforts to drastically privatize and cut Social Security and eliminate Medicare as we know it." The release said, "We will not go back to the failed policies of the Bush-Republican era when seniors and working Americans were forced to battle back threats to dismantle Social Security time and again."

The congressmen are slated to hold a launch party for the book Tuesday night on Capitol Hill.