Republican Leader John Boehner | Washington Post Op-Ed: Republicans’ Road Back

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Washington Post Op-Ed: Republicans’ Road Back

Posted by GOP Leader Press Office on November 7th, 2008

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/06/AR2008110602568.html

While Republicans are disappointed by Tuesday’s results, we respect the American people’s decision and pledge to work with President-elect Barack Obama when it is in the best interest of our nation. Some Democrats and pundits may want to read Tuesday’s results as a repudiation of conservatism — a sign that Republicans should give Democrats on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue a free ride. I don’t see it that way, and neither should Republicans across the country.

The next four years are critical to the future of our families, our economy and our country, and we have a responsibility to rebuild our party by fighting for the principles of freedom, opportunity, security and individual liberty — the principles upon which the GOP was founded. Recommitting ourselves to these principles means two things: vigorously fighting a far-left agenda that is out of step with the wishes of the vast majority of Americans and, more important, promoting superior Republican alternatives that prove that we offer a better vision for our country’s future.

America is still a center-right country. This election was neither a referendum in favor of the left’s approach to key issues nor a mandate for big government. Obama campaigned by masking liberal policies with moderate rhetoric to make his agenda more palatable to voters. Soon he will seek to advance these policies through a Congress that was purchased by liberal special interests such as unions, trial lawyers and radical environmentalists, and he’ll have a fight on his hands when he does so.

In record numbers, Americans voted on Tuesday for a skillful presidential nominee promising change, but “change” should not be confused with a license to raise taxes, drive up wasteful government spending, weaken our security, or give more power to Washington, Big Labor bosses and the trial bar. Americans did not vote for higher taxes to fund a redistribution of wealth; drastic cuts in funding for our troops; the end of secret ballots for workers participating in union elections; more costly obstacles to American energy production; or the imposition of government-run health care on employers and working families.

Republicans have a responsibility to offer a better way. We must reaffirm Americans’ faith in our party by reminding them why ours traditionally has been a party of reform rooted in freedom and security. This will not happen overnight. We must make the case one issue at a time, offering solutions to our country’s biggest challenges to earn back the American people’s trust and rebuild our majority.

Our most immediate challenge is creating new jobs and getting our economy moving in the right direction again. While Republicans have put forward a plan for economic growth and job creation, congressional Democrats are proposing hundreds of billions of dollars in new government spending masquerading as “economic stimulus.” To rebuild 401(k) plans and keep jobs here at home, we’ll offer tax relief for families and small businesses. And to lower fuel costs and create as many as a million new jobs, we’ll offer a comprehensive plan for more American energy.

We’ll also offer health-care reforms that empower patients and doctors, promote a strong military that keeps us on offense to protect the American people, and demand fiscal and ethical reforms to fix a broken Washington tarnished by scandals on both sides of the aisle. We have a responsibility to the American people to make sure our ideals are heard, and we expect these to be vigorous debates.

I wasn’t born a Republican. I grew up outside Cincinnati as one of 12 children. Our dad ran a bar. I became a Republican because I believe that if you work hard and believe in yourself, there is nothing you can’t achieve. That’s the American dream. And I look forward to leading Republicans in fighting for it. If we return to our roots, to our belief in freedom, opportunity, security and individual liberty, our party will come back stronger than ever.

In Congress, Republicans will work across party lines to find solutions to the immense challenges that confront our nation. But we’ll also stand firmly against policies that violate our principles — the same principles held by the vast majority of American families. We Republicans must renew our nation’s trust in us by offering better alternatives rooted in the reforms that define our party and by fighting for the American dream.

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16 Responses to “Washington Post Op-Ed: Republicans’ Road Back”

Susan G Says:
November 7th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I’m sorry but “working across the aisle” hasn’t been working. In fact, that is a primary reason we lost an election. The congressional members of the GOP are so disappointing that I’m considering never supporting any of them again. These are not times for weakness in principle. The GOP needs to put it’s efforts into reducing government spending and fighting the onslaught of liberal proposals that are killing our economy. I hold the GOP leadership responsible for permitting the Dem majority to threaten you all into submission on Fannie/Freddie and I think you know how everyone feels about the illegal immigrant and energy dependence situations.
Julie Says:
November 7th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
I want our Party to move back to the “right”. I do not want any more “wishy-washy” Republicans calling themselves Republicans….when they obviously are not.

We do not need two Parties that are nearly the same!
Cynthia Powers Says:
November 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am
It sounds like you have made up your mind to make things as difficult as you can for our new President.
It also sounds like you have a closed mind when it comes to anything that does not have Republican stamped on it.

That’s too bad..We need all of you - Democrats and Republicans alike working together to get this country out of the economic mess that we are in.

The future heros of the House and Senate will be those who forget about red states, blue states, whether they are democrat or republican and focus their time, words and energies on healing this country. The real heros will be the ones who put the interests of the people of the United States before their own political advancement or reelection.

The “chickens” of the House and Senate will be the ones who continue to exhibit the divisive attitudes you have shown in this blog and in others.

Republicans and Democrats need to be doing everything they can to work together to encourage unity to solve this country’s problems.

Your rhetoric does neither, it reeks of bias, nonpartisanship and narrowmindedness. Your words encourage division not unity.

We are all going to have to make sacrifices. My sacrifice is living a retirement lifestyle quite different from the one I had planned. Your sacrifice should be forgetting about party lines and your own political future in the interest of creating hope and a better tomorrow for millions of Americans.

Do you have the courage to do this ? Or are you going to be a “chicken” ?
Cynthia Powers Says:
November 8th, 2008 at 5:00 am
It sounds like you have made up your mind to make things as difficult as you can for our new President.
It also sounds like you have a closed mind when it comes to anything that does not have Republican stamped on it.

That’s too bad..We need all of you - Democrats and Republicans alike working together to get this country out of the economic mess that we are in.

The future heros of the House and Senate will be those who forget about red states, blue states, whether they are democrat or republican and focus their time, words and energies on healing this country. The real heros will be the ones who put the interests of the people of the United States before their own political advancement or reelection.

The “chickens” of the House and Senate will be the ones who continue to exhibit the divisive attitudes you have shown in this blog and in others.

Republicans and Democrats need to be doing everything they can to work together to encourage unity to solve this country’s problems.

Your rhetoric does neither, it reeks of bias, nonpartisanship and narrowmindedness. Your words encourage division not unity.

We are all going to have to make sacrifices. My sacrifice is living a retirement lifestyle quite different from the one I had planned. Your sacrifice should be forgetting about party lines and your own political future in the interest of creating hope and a better tomorrow for millions of Americans.

Do you have the courage to do this ? Or are you going to be a “chicken” ?
Tracy Says:
November 9th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I believe that “crossing the aisle” too many times are what lead to our defeat this election cycle.

When you give up your basic platform on social and fiscal issues, as many RINO’S (Republican in name ONLY) did over the past few years, you weaken our stance and erode any support.

You create a position of expected “back downs” on social and fiscal issues that is expected by Democrats. That should cease immediately! Stand up for traditional Republican values! Stand up! Becoming more ‘leftwing” only hurts the Republican Party and destroys support from within.
texas Says:
November 9th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
“Some Democrats and pundits may want to read Tuesday’s results as a repudiation of conservatism….”

Yeah, that’s why 55 million Conservative voters went to the polls. That premise is not true.

This is a time for Republicans to redefine the Party and be the checks and balance of Congress. Remember that you have a lot of supporters out there that will stand by you if The party returns to our original principles, ideals and values.

We’ll watch your back if you watch the 55 million voters backs. (I believe the number is higher. Thanks to the media, some Conservatives stayed home and did not vote.) We’re all in this together and now more than ever Conservatives need representation.

Thank you all for the pursuing the drill, baby, drill campaign (Drill here, drill now). Thanks for fighting the good fight. Please don’t stop now.

P.S. A lot of us supported Gov. Palin, she WAS a breathe of fresh air. We do not like the way the MSM is trashing her image. Republicans need to stand by each other in the future when they are being wrongly chastised by the media.

God bless you!
God bless America!
anthony Says:
November 10th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Bailing out Fannie and Freddie were things that had to be done, we could have taken the republican approach and let the strong survive and the weak fall. We chose to help out some of these smaller corps to re-insert financial backing to these companies that lead to spreading the wealth nation wide. If we let Fannie and Freddie fall under these economic struggles, we see a lot more people taking their savings out and falling deeper into this upcoming recession.
Phil Booker Says:
November 11th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
you say… but “change” should not be confused with a license to raise taxes, drive up wasteful government spending … I had to admit his powerful words won him the election, but as you mention he’ll have to be good at talking soon when he the world on his shoulders and he’s crawling on the floor.
Eric Roy Says:
November 11th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Please dont let them bail out the auto industry.
every dollar spent bailing out these failed businesses is a slap in the face and penalizes auto manufacturers like Honda who realy try and help by paying employees well and having a high quality competitive product. that is completely madde here in Ohio.
Honda as I recall is Ohio’s biggest employer. This will realy hurt Ohio…..
Julie Says:
November 12th, 2008 at 10:24 am
Republicans…..get back to your roots! WE DO NOT NEED TWO PARTIES THAT ARE TOO MUCH THE “SAME”! If we want only “one party” then lets just have a King with a kindom instead……THAT IS NOT THE AMERICAN WAY.
Republican’s pay attention, you only lose when you try to be too “leftwing” and blurr the line between the parties!
franco Says:
November 19th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
Bailing out Fannie and Freddie were things that had to be done, we could have taken the republican approach and let the strong survive and the weak fall. We chose to help out some of these smaller corps to re-insert financial backing to these companies that lead to spreading the wealth nation wide. If we let Fannie and Freddie fall under these economic struggles, we see a lot more people taking their savings out and falling deeper into this upcoming recession.- good point!
Jon Says:
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:26 am
#

The auto industry should not be bailed out. They fought for decades fighting better fuel standards and shipped jobs overseas for years. They know because they have so many jobs that we will be forced to bail them out no matter what risky decisions they make. Spending 4bil a month between the big 2 would barely give them 10 months, and that’s not counting retooling. They have had many many years to retool but failed to want to claiming loss of jobs and costs. Well, now that we have more loss of jobs then they claimed and more losses what do they have to show for it? Nothing.
Eric T. Roy Says:
December 15th, 2008 at 8:34 am
Hey world;

I’m tellin Ya . Screw the unions and lets go. Tell Nasa to design it and were on the Moon, and Mars with our own stations and exploring the heavens and making a living at it. with a totally repowered USA as well within the next 20 years. I jusk know we could do it . We the people are saying we know how better to spend our money on the future, and were not going to get the future in an automobile. By 70% the people are saying No, to bail out or loan either one and still our representitives continue to vote for it. Can we trust them to be sure the failures fail and the winners win……

http://www.ericstoolroom.com
rick Says:
February 27th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
George Bush and Republicans gave the election to the Democrats by insane managment over the last 8 years.

We have never declared war on Afganistan nor Iraq. If we did, the prisoners would be POWs and subject to the Geneva Convention.

Hank Paulson and George Bush and Congress gave away $350 billion with ‘NO STRINGS ATTACHED”. Hmmm, Goldman Sacks survives and Lehman Bros goes BK. What a surprise.

We were suppose to set up a RTC dispose of bad assets and buy bad assets failed banks.

Instead John Thain gives out $1.1 bil in bonuses and Lehman Bros BK court is spending $1 bil plus to BK advisors and $400,000 a day to one law firm.

Republicrats and Democans, the same coin, just a different side.

Perhaps we should drop the health coverage provided to Congress and let them find in the free market place.
Robert Joseph Shannon Says:
June 8th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I am sorry but anyone that does not understad that the debt is the entire problem needs to leave and stay away from Wshington. We say that we need to do this and we need to that; well here is reality; if those that called themselves leaders 40 years, 30 years ago and 20 years ago would have lived within their means we would have hundreds of billion more with which to help our people but just like those that faild us then this current group continues to walk in those same footsteps. People do not get rich off bporrowed money they build wealth through investment and just the same governemnts can not spend their way into prosperity; you get there by making the difficult decisions and living within one’s means; that is a foriegn concept with the current group in Washington. For years the republicans were on the right track but they never had the courage to stabnd up and just say no to the spenders who were doing nothing but buying votes; how much of our confiscated tax dollars have been wasted buying votes and building monuments to a politician like this airport with Rep. Mirtha’s name on it.

Enough; it is time to draw a line in the sand and say no; we are going to get baqck on a track to having no debt and stay there swo that those that come later can truely live a better life as the AMERICAN PROMISE always has held to be.
Privacy Says:
June 20th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Interesting Article. Thanks for the read!