All The Republicans In Congress Are Not That Dense
Rep. Jim Ryun, who lost his seat to Democrat Nancy Boyda, has penned a piece for NRO today where he hits the Republicans with the cold, hard truth:
If one thing became clear on Nov. 7, it was that the Republican party lost its brand. Once the party of Reagan that believed in limited government and conservative values, those of us who lost became the poster children for what is wrong in Washington, D.C. We became tagged as the party of corruption. With the shameful activities of some of my former colleagues, we more than opened the door to those accusations. This was not a matter of perception becoming reality. It was reality. Republicans gained the majority in the House of Representatives in 1994 after Democrats were viewed as unethical. This year, we lost the majority for much the same reason.
When it came to fiscal restraint, Republicans abandoned core conservative principles — principles developed as part of the Reagan revolution and amplified by the Contract with America. Rather than reforming government, as we pledged to do, too many of our members were seduced by Washington. Even though the American public still supports the principles of limited government, they came to see the Republican party as what was wrong with Washington and no longer as part of the solution.
In the end, we Republicans lost our way. We betrayed our principles. We governed as the party of big government; we governed like Democrats. As a result, we not only lost the mantle of fiscal responsibility we willingly allowed Democrats to claim it. According to exit polling, Americans believe Democrats, and not Republicans, are the party of fiscal constraint. Judging by our agenda, I can understand that conclusion. Republicans passed the president’s prescription-drug bill, which is the largest entitlement expansion in nearly 40 years. We passed No Child Left Behind, which represents a significant federal intrusion into the traditionally locally controlled education system. I voted against both but my party passed them.
The bottom line of this election, though, is that conservatism has not been repudiated. It is alive and well. We Republicans lost touch with our base and our base responded in kind. That is why Republicans find themselves in the position they are in today. After so many election cycles where conservatives faithfully came to the polls to elect and reelect Republicans, on Election Day their message was, “We sent you to Washington to fulfill a promise and you didn't. It is time for someone else to give it a try.” Message received. And so we Republicans must recommit ourselves to the principles espoused by Reagan, the same principles that made our party great and can make it great again.
On Friday, House Republicans will elect its leadership for the 110th Congress. These votes are a critical first step to ensure that the party returns to its core values. While I will not have a vote in these elections, I have spoken to many of my colleagues and have urged them to vote for leaders who will again make us the party of Reagan. We need real change and that starts with new leadership. The country once again needs Republican leaders with a demonstrated commitment to limited government, fiscal responsibility, and conservative values. We do not need leaders who simply give lip service to those principles, as too many of our leaders have done recently. I hope that my colleagues will chose wisely and in doing so that our party, the party of Lincoln and the party of Reagan will once again be able to gain the trust of the American people.
His piece rings true, and sounds pretty familiar right now. Yes, our column addresses some of what he says, and much more. And whereas Sen. McCain prefers lip service the base--represented by conservatives like Rep, Ryun--would appreciate actions that show conservatism rather than words that evaporate into the wind and are forgotten by who spoke them.
Rep. Ryun is quite correct. It is time that the Republicans return to what put them in power in the first place. Moderation has its place within the party, but when it becomes the mainstay--virtually ignoring the conservative principles that we believe in--then it is time to change the song on the jukebox. We hope that the Republicans are paying attention to what their base is demanding. If not, then 2008 could be another bad year for them.
Marcie
Rep. Jim Ryun, who lost his seat to Democrat Nancy Boyda, has penned a piece for NRO today where he hits the Republicans with the cold, hard truth:
If one thing became clear on Nov. 7, it was that the Republican party lost its brand. Once the party of Reagan that believed in limited government and conservative values, those of us who lost became the poster children for what is wrong in Washington, D.C. We became tagged as the party of corruption. With the shameful activities of some of my former colleagues, we more than opened the door to those accusations. This was not a matter of perception becoming reality. It was reality. Republicans gained the majority in the House of Representatives in 1994 after Democrats were viewed as unethical. This year, we lost the majority for much the same reason.
When it came to fiscal restraint, Republicans abandoned core conservative principles — principles developed as part of the Reagan revolution and amplified by the Contract with America. Rather than reforming government, as we pledged to do, too many of our members were seduced by Washington. Even though the American public still supports the principles of limited government, they came to see the Republican party as what was wrong with Washington and no longer as part of the solution.
In the end, we Republicans lost our way. We betrayed our principles. We governed as the party of big government; we governed like Democrats. As a result, we not only lost the mantle of fiscal responsibility we willingly allowed Democrats to claim it. According to exit polling, Americans believe Democrats, and not Republicans, are the party of fiscal constraint. Judging by our agenda, I can understand that conclusion. Republicans passed the president’s prescription-drug bill, which is the largest entitlement expansion in nearly 40 years. We passed No Child Left Behind, which represents a significant federal intrusion into the traditionally locally controlled education system. I voted against both but my party passed them.
The bottom line of this election, though, is that conservatism has not been repudiated. It is alive and well. We Republicans lost touch with our base and our base responded in kind. That is why Republicans find themselves in the position they are in today. After so many election cycles where conservatives faithfully came to the polls to elect and reelect Republicans, on Election Day their message was, “We sent you to Washington to fulfill a promise and you didn't. It is time for someone else to give it a try.” Message received. And so we Republicans must recommit ourselves to the principles espoused by Reagan, the same principles that made our party great and can make it great again.
On Friday, House Republicans will elect its leadership for the 110th Congress. These votes are a critical first step to ensure that the party returns to its core values. While I will not have a vote in these elections, I have spoken to many of my colleagues and have urged them to vote for leaders who will again make us the party of Reagan. We need real change and that starts with new leadership. The country once again needs Republican leaders with a demonstrated commitment to limited government, fiscal responsibility, and conservative values. We do not need leaders who simply give lip service to those principles, as too many of our leaders have done recently. I hope that my colleagues will chose wisely and in doing so that our party, the party of Lincoln and the party of Reagan will once again be able to gain the trust of the American people.
His piece rings true, and sounds pretty familiar right now. Yes, our column addresses some of what he says, and much more. And whereas Sen. McCain prefers lip service the base--represented by conservatives like Rep, Ryun--would appreciate actions that show conservatism rather than words that evaporate into the wind and are forgotten by who spoke them.
Rep. Ryun is quite correct. It is time that the Republicans return to what put them in power in the first place. Moderation has its place within the party, but when it becomes the mainstay--virtually ignoring the conservative principles that we believe in--then it is time to change the song on the jukebox. We hope that the Republicans are paying attention to what their base is demanding. If not, then 2008 could be another bad year for them.
Marcie
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 4:38 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home