Rep. Adam Putnam and Rep. Paul Ryan, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

If yesterday’s House Republican Conference bloggers’ event in the U.S. Capitol taught me one thing, it’s that Republicans have finally found an issue to rally around. Seven conservative bloggers heard from 28 members of Congress (I’ve posted more than 100 photos on Flickr). While some Republicans deviated from the script (most notably former Speaker Dennis Hastert), nearly everyone used the occasion to rail against the Democrats’ budget proposal, which amounts to the largest tax increase in U.S. history.

Rep. Paul Ryan, ranking member on the Budget Committee, got things started when he outlined the staggering numbers: a tax hike of $2,600 on American families that adds up to a hundreds of billions of dollars. Other Republicans cited the various alternative Democrat budgets, poking fun at the diverging views of the majority party.

My fellow RedState contributor Pat Cleary, who blogs at ShopFloor.org, noted how nearly every speaker stuck to the talking points. As great as it was to see the GOP back on track and united against the Democrats, the real test will be if they can deliver when it comes to act. Republicans need to do more than talk a good game. After all, they said the right things in years past when they were running the show. When it came to get the job done, however, Republicans often veered off course, consuming the pork they now disparage.

Yesterday’s event was a postive development for the GOP. Not only did it show that Republicans stand united, but it also allowed members of Congress to bypass the mainstream media by pleading their case directly to bloggers. Meanwhile, the other bloggers who joined me — Mark I, Pat Cleary, Ivy Sellers, Mary Katharine Ham (great video clips!), Steven Spruiell and the Influence Peddler — got exclusive access to some of the highest-ranking Republicans in government. Events such as these can be incredibly productive at creating a dialogue. Kudos to the House Republican Conference for pulling it off.

Here’s a rundown of my 10 posts coming out of the event:

• The Life of a Blogging Congressman
• Zach Wamp, Proudly Pitching Fred Thompson
• Can Republicans Flip Three New York Seats?
• For the Former Speaker, Life Goes On
• Harry Reid’s Choke Hold on Nuclear Power Plants
• Can Giuliani Top Romney on Health Care?
• Blunt Goes to Bat for Conservatives on Education Reform
• Blunt on Blunt: Will Son Follow Father’s Advice?
• For Brian Bilbray, It’s All About Fiscal Responsiblity
• Tax-and-Spend Democrats Haven’t Changed

UPDATE — 5:30 p.m.: Mark I at RedState just sent me his recap of the afternoon. It’s about the most thorough thing you’ll read about it. Also, I link to Steve Spruiell of NRO has a column on the topic today.