Reactions to House Republicans' Pledge to
America
PRESS RELEASE from the Libertarian Party
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2010
Contact: Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarians
say Republicans owe apology, not pledge, to America
WASHINGTON - In
response to the recent Republican "Pledge to
America," Libertarian Party executive director Wes Benedict released
the following statement:
Instead
of a "Pledge to America," the Republicans should
have written an "Apology to America." It should have gone something
like this:
"We're sorry, America. Sorry we grew the federal government budget from
$1.7 trillion to over $3 trillion. Sorry we added $5 trillion to the
federal debt. Sorry we doubled the size of the Department of Education.
Sorry we started two incredibly costly foreign wars. Sorry we supported
the absurd and costly TARP bailouts. Sorry we created a huge and costly
new Medicare entitlement. Sorry we did nothing to end the costly and
destructive War on Drugs. Sorry we did nothing to reform the federal
government's near-prohibition on immigration. But hey, at least we
helped you by shifting a lot of your tax burden onto your children and
grandchildren."
There are so many lies, distortions, hypocrisies, and idiocy in this
document that it's hard to know where to start.
It is deeply insulting to see the Republicans refer to "America's
founding values" on their cover. The Republican Party has no
understanding whatsoever of America's founding values. They have proven
and re-proven that for decades.
The document talks a lot about "tax cuts." Unfortunately, the
Republican "tax cut" proposals would really do nothing to cut taxes.
All their proposals achieve is to defer taxes, pushing the burden onto
our children and grandchildren. The only real way to cut taxes is to
cut government spending, and the Republican document does almost
nothing in that regard.
The Republicans say they want to "roll back government spending to
pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels." In other words, to re-create the
situation near the end of the Bush administration, after Republicans
had massively increased federal spending on almost everything.
Republicans must love it when Democrats expand government, because it
gives them the opportunity to propose small "cuts," while still ending
up with huge government.
One shocking aspect of the document is that it actually includes subtle
Republican proposals to increase government spending.
The Republicans offer no plan whatsoever to reduce military spending,
America's foreign wars and nation building, or our military defense of
rich foriegn nations. On the contrary, the Republicans apparently want
to increase military spending, promising to "provide the resources,
authority, and support our deployed military requires, fully fund
missile defense, and enforce sanctions against Iran."
The Republicans also appear to want to increase government spending on
border control. They say "We will ensure that the Border Patrol has the
tools and authorities to establish operational control at the border,"
a costly proposition.
Furthermore, as expected, the document complains about "massive
Medicare cuts," implying that Republicans want to make sure Medicare is
kept gigantic.
The bulk of federal spending is in three places: Social Security,
Medicare, and the military. The Republicans propose absolutely nothing
to reduce spending on these three things, or even to slow down their
growth.
There must be a typo in the document where it says "Undeterred by
dismal results, Washington Democrats continue to double-down on their
job-killing policies." That probably should read "Washington Democrats
continue to double-down on Republican job-killing policies."
The best way to restore American prosperity would be to implement the
straightforward 28 planks of the Libertarian Party platform, or even
just follow the Constitution. I mean the actual Constitution, not the
Republican re-write that allows for every federal government program
imaginable.
I suppose the one positive aspect of the document is that it finally
dispels any illusion that Republicans want to shrink government in any
meaningful way.
Apparently the Republicans are hoping they can "fool some of the people
all of the time." The Libertarian Party is ready to point out
Republican lies and hypocrisy to American voters, and we hope that
Americans who actually want small and constitutional government, not
just hypocrisy and worthless rhetoric, will vote Libertarian this
November.
The Libertarian
Party has 21 candidates for U.S. Senate and 170
candidates for U.S. House in the upcoming November 2010 elections.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive
Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.
The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The
Libertarian Party stands for free markets and civil liberties. You can
find more information on the Libertarian Party at
our
website.
###
WHITE HOUSE TRANSCRIPT excerpt from briefing
Q Robert, what’s the White House
reaction to the Republicans’ Pledge to America?
MR. GIBBS: Well, I know that you’ve
probably seen or heard
a lot about this back in Washington. Look, I will say this, from
what
I’ve read, if it sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same litany or
catalogue of failed policies that got us into this mess: tax cuts
for
the very rich that cost trillions of dollars; putting banks and
insurance companies back in charge of Wall Street and your health
care.
I think John Boehner said, and I think most
of the American
people will see, that this is very much in line with what the
Republican Party has proposed for the past many years. It’s the
same
policies that got us into this financial crisis. The document was
written by somebody with a -- written by a lobbyist and rolled out at a
small business even as Republicans went back to Capitol Hill to vote
against tax cuts for small business.
So I think it was just another -- it seems
like just another
day -- could have been any of the days of Republican ideas for the last
10 years.
PRESS RELEASE from the Democratic
National Committee
For Immediate Release
September 23, 2010
Contact DNC Press
DNC Chairman Tim Kaine:
The New GOP Agenda is the Same as the Old GOP
Agenda
Party Chairman Says Republican
Policies will Take America Back, Explode
the Debt and Deficit, Ship More American Jobs Overseas
WATCH the DNC’s New Video: "GOP: Same Old Agenda":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQYbxoFeCS4
Washington, DC – Today, Republicans issued a “Pledge to America,”
laying out what their agenda would be if they win control of Congress
in November. That “Pledge” is purportedly based on submissions
from the Republicans’ “America Speaking Out” website. In response
to the release of the “Pledge to America,” DNC Chairman Tim Kaine
issued the following statement:
“Today’s roll out of the GOP’s campaign
agenda is as we
predicted: it has no new ideas, would return America to the
failed policies that nearly sank our economy into a second Great
Depression and would saddle this and future generations with crushing
debt and deficit to satisfy the Republican Party’s urge to give tax
breaks to millionaires and billionaires.
“But at least Republicans have finally decided to acknowledge in stark
terms the fundamental choice for American voters in this election: Do
we go backward with a $4 trillion Republican tax plan that gives more
tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and doubles the national debt,
or do we go forward with Democratic tax cuts that will promote job
growth, provide relief for the middle class, and create greater
opportunity for small businesses to expand?
“Do we elect Democrats who will listen to Americans and deliver the
change they’re asking for by ending loopholes for corporations that
ship jobs overseas; or do we elect Republicans who ignore this priority
that Americans overwhelmingly want addressed?
“Do we elect Democrats who will follow through to deliver change that
matters or Republicans who within hours of making a pledge to cut taxes
for small businesses will have broken that pledge by standing against
middle class tax cuts in Congress?
“Do we hand the keys back to the insurance companies and Wall Street
banks that drove the American economy into the ditch or do we keep
climbing out with 700,000 new private sector jobs and laws that put
patients and consumers first?
“Do we continue to have Democrats making it the job of the government
to fight for working families or do we permit Republicans to use
government to benefit special interests at the expense of the American
people?
“The voters’ choice is now crystal clear, and we look forward to
talking about that choice in the remaining days of this campaign.”
###
September 23, 2010 11am
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich issued the following statement about
the House Republicans' Pledge to America:
Like with the Contract with America in 1994, a new
generation of reform Republicans is offering the American people a
clear choice about America’s future. Reconnecting Congress to the
Constitution and based on listening to citizens in every part of the
country – especially the 2010 Contract FROM America -- the reform
Republicans offer a choice between the job killing, big government,
high tax agenda of the Democratic Party and a Republican Party agenda
to reverse out-of-control spending, restore fiscal accountability
leading to a balanced budget, create confidence in the private sector
to spur new job creation, and strengthen the family.
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
CONTACT: Alex Conant
September 23, 2010
Pawlenty Statement on House Republicans'
"Pledge to America"
“The American people are saying ‘enough’, and House Republicans are
listening. The new 'Pledge To America' promises to stop Washington’s
spending spree, reform Congress, and grow jobs – exactly what
conservatives should expect from the Republicans we send to Washington.
“I’m especially pleased to see the House Republicans reaffirm their
commitment to stopping the Federal takeover of health care. Six months
after President Obama signed the legislation, it’s clearer than ever
that his reforms fail to control health care costs and only expand
access to a broken system. Stopping Obamacare from going into effect
must be a top priority of the next Congress.
“To encourage businesses to grow and create jobs, Congress must also
stop any tax increases. Democrats are pledging to increase taxes to pay
for even bigger government. The House Republicans’ pledge to stop tax
increases is welcome news for the millions of Americans seeking jobs.”
# # #
BLOG POSTING
from Richard
Viguerie, ConservativeHQ.com
GOP’s
NEW PLEDGE GETS 1 ½ CHEERS
Written by Richard
Viguerie
on September 23, 2010, 12:03 PM
Concerning the Republicans’ Pledge to America document:
Republican House leaders are to be congratulated on a pretty good 2010
election campaign document.
The “Pledge to America” is an improvement on the 1994 “Contract with
America” that was little more than promises to vote on poll-tested
issues.
The clear purpose of the 21-page “Pledge to America”
is to help Republicans in the 2010 congressional elections. And to that
end it will have some small benefit.
Of course, it is
asking too much of politicians to expect them to put forth meaningful,
bold, new ideas weeks before a major election.
This new promise is mostly about Republicans promising not to do things
they relished doing in the last decade.
But if the GOP does not push hard in the new Congress to return America
to small, constitutional government, expect most Republican incumbents
to be seriously challenged by Tea Party candidates in 2012.
Once again, conservatives are in Congressman Mike Pence’s debt for
insisting that the pledge include references to the life and family
issues. How sad that it required pressure from conservatives before
Republican leaders, only at the last minute and begrudgingly, added one
token line in the preamble about life and family.
While the
U. S. House Republican 2012 ‘Pledge to America” falls far short of a
road map of how we will return America to the vision of our Founders,
it is a good first step and will increase Republican votes on November
2nd and help keep the new Congressmen’s feet to the fire in 2011.