Posted on 07/20/2010 4:56:33 AM PDT by Kaslin
One of the lines we've heard again and again from the Left and even from mediocre Republicans like Bob Bennett and Lindsey Graham is that the Tea Party has no agenda. The idea is supposed to be that the Tea Party is just a bunch of slack-jawed, backwoods hillbillies who are rallying against progress and a black President. Of course, this is not true. The reason the Tea Party exists is because patriotic Americans all across this country are deeply concerned about our nation's future.
Now, there is no "Tea Party leader" or any one person who can speak for the Tea Party. Still, I've attended Tea Parties, I've spoken at Tea Parties (here and here) and I think I have a pretty good grip on what people at the Tea Parties want. It goes without saying that they want to get the deficit under control, they want Congress to start paying attention to the Constitution, and they’re going to ferociously oppose any big new government programs like Cap and Trade.
That being said, Tea Partiers tend to be considerably more informed than the average person about politics; so most of them are well aware of the legislative limitations we'll face if the GOP takes back the House, but doesn't control the Senate or the presidency. Additionally, it's no secret that the American people and the Republican base have very little confidence in the GOP. So, let's be honest here: if the GOP takes the House back, it will be because of the American people's deep dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party, not their love for the Republican Party.
With that in mind, it makes sense to have a humble, limited agenda that helps rebuild the American people's confidence in the GOP's ability to govern. Here are seven doable agenda items that can help make that happen.
1) Kill earmarks: Earmarks don't make up a large percentage of the budget, but they have become a tremendous corrupting influence on Congress. The American people believe, quite correctly, that campaign contributors give money to congressmen and they pay them back for the favor by funneling millions of dollars in earmarks their way. We will not have an honest government in this country as long as this practice continues.
2) Read the bills: During Obama's tenure, we've been treated to massive bills that have been passed without ANYBODY actually reading them from end-to-end. This is simply unacceptable to the American people. Yes, every congressman might not read every bill, but at least their staff should read the bills so that they can inform them about what they're voting on. When I interviewed him, Rand Paul said he believed Congress should have to wait one day for every 20 pages of a bill before it’s voted upon. That seems to be a fairly reasonable proposition.
3) Kill the funding for Obamacare: To fully repeal Obamacare, you need to control the House, have 60 votes in the Senate, and control the Presidency. That's not going to be the case in 2011. Still, the GOP won't be helpless. To the best of my knowledge, I was the first person to suggest that the GOP simply refuse to fund Obamacare if it takes back the House,
"The IRS might have to hire as many as 16,000 new employees to enforce all the new taxes and penalties the bill calls for! And that doesn’t include all the other government jobs from the 159 new agencies, panels, commissions and departments this bill will create."What does it take to fund all those government jobs, agencies, panels, & commissions? Tax dollars.
Now, who controls the purse strings? Congress. …So, can we gut Obamacare by refusing to fund it? YES. WE. CAN. Is this a viable strategy? Yes, it is.
Defunding Obamacare isn't as good as repealing it, but it can stop the bill in its tracks until we do have the votes to repeal it.
4) Security first border proposal: Even the most diehard advocates of amnesty and open borders in Congress claim to be for security when they're called on it. So, if the GOP takes back the House, there will be an opportunity to separate the wheat from the chaff by passing a tough new security law that finishes building the fence, adds more border patrol agents, beefs up interior enforcement, severely penalizes businesses that knowingly hire illegals, ends catch and release programs for people of all nationalities, and does a better job of tracking people who come into America on VISAS. Then, the American people will be able to see once and for all who on Capitol Hill wants to actually end illegal immigration -- and who just gives lip service to the idea while privately doing everything possible to make sure the border remains open.
5) Investigate, investigate, investigate: The Obama Administration has been engaging in more than a few questionably legal maneuvers with no oversight of significance from Congress. If the GOP takes over the House, it will get subpoena power and it can start to get the sort of answers the public has been waiting for in the Sestak/Romanoff bribery case, the dropped Black Panther prosecutions, and the partisan corruption of the census -- among other issues. Barack Obama has been treated as above the law by the Democrats in Congress and it's about time that his administration is forced to start playing by the rules.
6) Get the government out of private industry: Congress controls the purse strings and it can make sure that not another dime goes to fund bailouts at private companies or at Freddie and Fannie. Moreover, the GOP needs to do what it can to move the government out of private industry as quickly as possible. We need to work to get the government out of the banks, the car companies, and student loan industry by 2012. If that means some companies go out of business, that's unfortunate, but any corporation that can only survive with the government's help deserves to go out of business. Although it's probably too much to hope for, that should apply to corporate welfare for farms and inefficient alternative sources of energy as well.
7) Pay for all new spending: Here's a simple rule: Any NEW spending, including "emergency spending," has to be paid for by cutting spending from other places in the budget. This will flatten the growth of government, impose spending discipline as the "new normal" in D.C., and get people used to the idea of cutting government programs -- something that has rarely happened in recent years. If the GOP can do at least that much, in combination with stopping earmarks and preventing Obamacare from being implemented, it can restore its reputation for responsible governance and fiscal discipline while setting the stage for the sort of gains we need in 2012 to get the country back on track fiscally.
Tax Cuts DO NOT need to be “paid for”, as they pay for themselves, by virtue of the increased revenue created by encouraging risk taking and job creation.
Don’t ever get sidetracked by libs citing “higher deficits” ocurring following tax cuts.
THE DEFICITS ARE CAUSED BY AN INCREASE IN SPENDING!!!!!
Tax Cuts DO NOT need to be “paid for”, as they pay for themselves, by virtue of the increased revenue created by encouraging risk taking and job creation.
Don’t ever get sidetracked by libs citing “higher deficits” ocurring following tax cuts.
THE DEFICITS ARE CAUSED BY AN INCREASE IN SPENDING!!!!!
I likee likee!
In 1937, the nation experienced an economic recession, and partisan lines blurred as Republicans and conservative Democrats formed a coalition to protest Roosevelt’s attempt to “pack the court.” That year, FDR placed the “responsibility for pulling the nation out of economic recession on business interests,” writes historian John Robert Moore. However, President Roosevelt offered no economic recovery plan nor lifted restrictions so that businesses could rescue a collapsing economy. In this time of economic uncertainty, Bailey fostered bi-partisan opposition to FDR’s New Deal programs. In hopes of revitalizing the national economy, reluctant New Dealers and anti-New Dealers drafted the Conservative Manifesto to serve as the blueprint for economic recovery and offer what they considered practical solutions.
The planning and writing of the manifesto were done without the knowledge of FDR. Eventually the secretive work of the bi-partisan alliance was leaked, and fearing political repercussions, many Senators denied any involvement with the creation of the Conservative Manifesto. Bailey, however, accepted responsibility.
According to Moore, the Conservative Manifesto’s ten points were as follows:
1. Immediate revision of taxes on capital gains and undistributed profits in order to free investment funds.
2. Reduced expenditures to achieve a balanced budget, and thus, to still fears deterring business expansion.
3. An end to coercion and violence in relations between capital and labor.
4. Opposition to “unnecessary” government competition with private enterprise.
5. Recognition that private investment and enterprise require a reasonable profit.
6. Safeguarding the collateral upon which credit rests.
7. Reduction of taxes, or if this proved impossible at the moment, firm assurance of no further increases.
8. Maintenance of state rights, home rule, and local self-government, except where proved definitely inadequate.
9. Economical and non-political relief to unemployed with maximum local responsibility. 10. Reliance upon the American form of government and the American system of enterprise.
The document was soon labeled as anti-New Deal. Bailey wrote the manifesto, however, because in his mind Roosevelt needed to help provide a proper balance between enterprise and government. Bailey also wanted to remind FDR that bi-partisan opposition to further collectivization was possible.
Good list as a start. I would add that the media needs to be treated as an enemy whose main goal is to support the 0bama agenda, demonizing all the good work that the GOP might do to beat back the damage that has been done in the last 18 months.
I would also add that the GOP has to have conservative solutions rather than allow the media to portray it as the party of NO. Fight back. As Karl Rove said in a WSJ article last week, his biggest mistake in his years as adviser to President Bush was not fighting the lies. The GOP has a powerful media that has for years taken the Dems talking points and run with them. Fight back. Hard.
Oh yeah. One more big one. Reinstate the Bush tax cuts. 0bama will likely veto it, but they have to keep pushing for economic growth and tax cuts will help. they need to fight the economic destruction that 0bama/Reid and Pelosi have dumped on us over the last 18 months.
You’re dreaming if you think the rats will reinstate President Bush’s tax cuts. There isn’t a tax the liberals don’t like
Good list
God has a special place in his heart for slack-jawed, backwoods hillbillies. The subtext is an argument for elitism. In order for this to work we must all identify ourselves as rednecks.
This is on the right track. Simple, concise, easy to communicate to the swayable. Do not allow ourselves to get peeled off into a thousand secondary issues.
BTTT!
If we “pay” for them by cuts in unneeded programs, then we’ll actually have a government starting to get under control.
12) Institute a Taxpayer Appreciation Day - essentially a day where those living off of taxpayer money (public sector workers, welfare recipients, politicians) are forced to acknowledge the contributions made to their well-being by mostly private sector taxpayers. In particular, remind the public workers and pols who it is that they work for. Start changing the culture of D.C.
Well ... I might be a redneck.
We have accepted enough immigrants (illegal from south of the border)! BUILD A DOUBLE FENCE/WALL ON THE BORDER!
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