Republicans Must Give America More Than That
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Republicans Must Give America More Than That
Posted by Bobby Eberle
February 25, 2009 at 7:34 am
On Tuesday night, Barack Obama delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress. Standing before the legislators and the American people, Obama presented a laundry list of spending programs and made the call for even more government intervention. What ever happened to capitalism and the American way of life?
Yes, the speech was everything I thought it might be. But, I'm not sure what made me more angry and frustrated: Obama's tour de force of socialism or the Republican response. Republicans are supposed to offer an alternative to the Democrats, right? We are the party of smaller government, lower taxes, equal opportunity, and freedom. I heard none of that. How are Republicans supposed to win back seats if America can't tell the difference between the two?
During his address, Obama used the word "crisis" about 12 times. With each utterance of the word, he is reminding the American people that the only solution lies with more government spending and more government control. As noted in the story Obama vows to lead US from dire 'day of reckoning', Obama said, "So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary. Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession."
Excuse me, but has the United States of America ever been in an "open-ended" recession? No. And we will come out of this one as well. The key question to ask is, "When we do come out of the recession, will we have less freedom than before." Unfortunately, the answer is yes. We will also have more debt, more government control, and more class warfare. And this is a solution?
In addition to the record-breaking stimulus bill, the president made the call for even more funds for the mortgage "crisis." Then there's "healthcare reform." The president made the call to address "the crushing cost of healthcare." You can bet that the crushing costs will be met with crushing taxes.
The president also talked about the U.S. auto industry. First, he said, "As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices."
Sounds pretty good, right? But then, he immediately said, "But we are committed to the goal of a retooled, reimagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it. None of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy."
So, first he says the auto industry will not be protected or bailed out from bad practices. But then he adds that "we" are committed to a goal of a rebuilt auto industry? Who is "we?" It is the government, and if the government is "committed to a goal," then that means government intervention and taxpayer funds. Sounds like some kind of bailout to me.
Obama's speech goes on and on and on in similar fashion. You can read it for yourself. But we can't let Tuesday night pass without addressing what the Republicans said. The official Republican response was delivered by up and coming "star," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. In my opinion, the speech was absolutely terrible. The beginning of it was the worst.... I didn't know if it was a speech or a stand-up routine, as Jindal's delivery was very strange.
Then, of course, there was what was actually said. First, Jindal went on and on with the obligatory, "Isn't Obama's life story great? We are all so proud." Ugh. He said, "Tonight, we witnessed a great moment in the history of our Republic. In the very chamber where Congress once voted to abolish slavery, our first African-American President stepped forward to address the state of our union."
Can we please move on from this? Jindal talked about the completion of a "redemptive journey that took our nation from Independence Hall ... to Gettysburg ... to the lunch counter ... and now, finally, the Oval Office." Fine. Now let's please move on and address the fact that we are spending ourselves into oblivion and handing over massive power to the government. Can we please address those items???
Jindal continued by saying, "Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions. Here in my state of Louisiana, we don't care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation's capital. All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper. So where we agree, Republicans must be the President's strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward."
As Republicans, we have an obligation to stand up and provide real solutions to the issues that face America. Solutions that return power to the people and move their hard-earned money back into their pockets and away from the coffers of Washington.
Jindal did point out some of the wasteful spending items in some of the recent legislation, but what are we doing about it. The American people hate corruption and earmarks, so take a real stand against. Walk out of Congress... stage a real protest. Show the American people that we are more concerned about them than we are about playing nice, nice with Obama.
I guess what really was the last straw for me with the "Republican" response was when Jindal talked about creating jobs and said part of the plan was "lowering income tax rates for working families." What in the hell? I'm sorry, but that is a line straight from the Democrats. Lowering taxes on "working families?" What about lowering taxes for all Americans? Taxing Americans at rates such as 35% of their income is crazy, yet that is what is being done. And you can bet that when Jindal was talking about tax cuts for "working families," he is not talking about the higher tax brackets. So... now even Republicans are dividing the country by saying only "certain" people deserve a tax cut? Wrong! Everyone who pays taxes deserves a tax cut... plain and simple.
The new Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele added more of the same with his statement following Obama's speech:
"Watching President Obama address our nation -- and feeling the pride that is in every American's heart -- it's worth pausing to celebrate our nation's achievements. Yet even as we mark this historic event, we recognize the deep problems that continue to face our nation. Republicans are eager to work with President Obama on the challenges he discussed, especially restoring fiscal responsibility and growing our economy.
"After last year's State of the Union, then-candidate Barack Obama asked the nation to imagine a time when a President's agenda would draw standing ovations from both sides of the aisle. That sort of bipartisanship is an admirable goal -- and one that unfortunately continues to elude Washington. The Democratic leadership in Congress must be willing to work with Republicans to stop out-of-control spending, promote the creation of jobs, and to keep our troops properly funded.
"Now would be a good time for this young Administration to ask the Democrat leaders in Congress to actually consider working in a bipartisan way to solve the real problems Americans are facing.
"I am more confident than ever that the American people will stand up for the principles our nation was founded on and will hold their representatives accountable to overcome the challenges that this nation faces."
I don't even know where to begin. The "feeling of pride that is in every American's heart?" Am I the only Republican out there who is completely freaking out at what is happening in Washington? Massive spending and government intervention which will be followed by massive taxes. The Republican Party must step forward and provide a positive, alternative message. I'm not filled with pride at anything that is happening. We are going in the wrong direction, and it is up to our Republican leaders to point that out and provide a better plan.
Not once in Steele's statement did he say ANYTHING to provide a contrast between Republicans and Democrats. America is clearly hurting. They want the problems to go away. Thus, they are looking for answers. The Democrats are providing their "answers," and Republicans are saying that we are eager to work with the president. That's one hell of a contrast.
The Republican Party is the party of ideas, of hope, of the promise of a better future. We believe in the strength and ingenuity of each and every American. With real leadership, we can get through any challenge. America is clearly facing challenges. Now, all we need is the leadership.
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