Posted on 09/23/2010 8:52:35 AM PDT by jessduntno
Rep. Paul Ryan dismissed the president’s criticism that the Republican’s new "Pledge to America" is just more of the same – instead Ryan promised a “stark contrast” to the current administration as well as previous GOP agendas.
“We need to own up to the fact when we were in the majority we spent too much money. We lost our way and we are going to get that back,” the Wisconsin Republican said. “We’re not here offering a plan to reinvent America. We are here trying to reclaim our country by rededicating ourselves to those timeless principles that made us exceptional.”
The “Pledge to America” - the Republicans' plan if they win back Congress - calls for extending the Bush era tax cuts, reduce spending, repealing the health care bill and cancelling unspent stimulus money, among others goals. But when I asked Ryan why Republicans have not outlined how they will pay for everything he said they will -- it just takes time.
“We do actually have a plan to get this country back on track. We want to cut and control spending. The deficit is such a mess right now,” he said. “It’s going to take us time to balance the budget. But what is the current government doing? They’re making it worse.”
Republicans received surprising criticism from conservatives such as Redstate.com's Erick Erickson, who called the lack of an earmark ban in the pledge "terrible."
But Ryan, the ranking member of the House Budget committee, said they will ban earmarks– they just didn’t include it.
“It’s something we already initiated of our own volition within our own conference that we are intending on continuing. That’s why it’s not on our new pledge,” he said.
Watch my interview with Ryan here and weigh in below.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.abcnews.com ...
There fixed it for him.
This type of thing would have been great prior to the 2008 election. Now it almost looks like the GOP is trying to play catch-up with the tea party movement.
If nothing else, it gives moderate voters who don’t really get what the tea party is about something to latch onto.
Would that he would have also looked into the camera and said:
"And make no mistake about it, Mr. President, America is an exceptional country, a fact for which we have no reason to apologize."
It ain’t gonna happen overnight and it ain’t perfect but it is a starting point.
We’re gonna have to play a big part in the rebuilding of America even if it means sacrifice.
Conservatives must hold the GOP to the grindstone!....NO MORE BIG SPENDING!!!!
it’s missing a flat tax ,term limits and a balanced budget amendment...be bold or go home and let someone lead who is.
reduce spending and repeat
No money to the UN!
What good is any of this, if Barack Obama will be able to veto any to all of it? Conservatives/GOP must, also, push for a veto-proof majority in, both, the House and Senate.
I have no problem with the omission. Let's focus on the big ticket important stuff prior to the midterms. Pork is a problem and always will be, but it is not the cause of our massive deficit and out of control spending.
It’s about time. I will believe it when I see it.
Not sure, but I thought “Pork” spending was < $50 Billion - closer to $35 Billion. About the cost of a good sized military program.
I like Paul Ryan. He did vote for TARP, the AIG bailout and some other dumb stuff, but he seems to have realized he was taken and wants to turn it around.
God bless him.
Hey Jess, do you think that Ryan would be a good candidate for the next Speaker of the House?
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