January 31, 2006
Maj Leader Candidate React
To the surprise of nobody, Shadegg, Blunt and Boehner all quickly issued statements after the speech praising their party's leader and affirming their support for his agenda.
Actually, Shadegg issued his before the speech was even over. And he was the only one of the three to directly raise the lurking elephant (as it were) in the room: the 2/2 Maj Leader election.
Full statements from all three after the jump:
Shadegg's statement was first to arrive. Sent out at 9:47, the missive highlighted the part of Bush's speech that has become the centerpiece of the AZ'an's campaign:
"In addition to the War on Terror, the President talked about two important issues tonight: the need for reform in our earmark process, and using free-market forces to address ever-growing health care costs."
"My campaign for House Majority Leader is based, in part, on the obvious need to bring sunshine and openness to the earmark process. Powerful members of Congress should not be able to slip provisions into bills in the dead of night that benefit their cronies or supporters. The President recognizes how vitally important this issue is to the country. Earmark reform is a key to Congress fully regaining the confidence of the American people."
"Parts of the health care section of the President's speech were very similar to legislation that Rep. Shadegg has worked on for years. The President spoke about the need for tax credits to encourage Health Savings Accounts, which are similar to the tax provisions in the Patient's Health Care Reform Act (H.R. 2203) which Shadegg introduced in February of last year. In addition, the President talked about the importance of portability in health insurance coverage, a concern which echoes Shadegg's Health Care Choice Act (H.R. 2235), which passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July of 2005.
"The rising cost of health care is a threat to the standard of living for millions of families," Shadegg said. "I look forward to working with the President over the coming months to bring free-market reforms to our health care system."
For their part, Blunt and Boehner responded in more general terms and shied away from making connections to the Maj Leader race.
Blunt at 10:12, linking the House GOP's agenda with the President's:
"Once again President Bush spoke clearly and definitively to our nation about a view of our future that relies on the strength and ingenuity of the American people.
"President Bush reminded us that the war on terror has to be fought abroad, so it is not fought in America. We are fighting an enemy who hates what we stand for, but our freedom was hard won, and we cannot retreat from our mission.
"As the president has said, America is the best place in the world to do business, and tonight he laid out ideas for strengthening that competitiveness. From health care to education, he challenged us as a Congress, and as a people, to work to enhance our already competitive workforce.
"House Republicans have an agenda that builds on the president's economic proposals. We will work this year to shore up our already strong economic outlook by making the tax cuts permanent, addressing rising health care costs, and reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy.
"President Bush has already proven his strength in the face of adversity. Tonight he outlined his plans to demonstrate the same steady leadership as we move forward this year, implementing important domestic policies while maintaining our commitment to our nation's security."
Boehner at 10:16, talking up his signature achievement:
"Tonight, in his State of the Union address, the President reaffirmed his commitment to addressing the concerns of American families. Whether it’s confronting terror abroad or strengthening our competitiveness here at home, he outlined a broad vision of an America that is dynamic, compassionate, and hopeful.
"When the President said tonight that we must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity, I could not agree more. With an increasingly mobile workforce and a rapidly expanding global marketplace, it is critical for workers to have the education and skills necessary to adapt to new opportunities. Education is the very foundation of our future economic success. The No Child Left Behind Act is continuing to demonstrate success in many urban school districts across the nation. For the first time ever, taxpayers can be assured that they will be able to track the return on their multi-billion dollar annual investment in public education, and schools are being held accountable for the quality of education they are delivering to our nation’s students. While the early results of NCLB have been positive for elementary and middle schools, I have opposed efforts to expand the law into high schools because such an expansion would endanger the current progress being made in implementing NCLB, and I continue to have this concern.
"In order to strengthen our long-term competitiveness, we also must ensure that the federal government gets its financial house in order. That means taking bold steps to rein in runaway entitlement spending, as well as committing to real budget reform. I’m encouraged the President highlighted this issue in his speech, and I hope Congress answers his call for reform. Our children and grandchildren will be placed at a distinct competitive disadvantage in the global marketplace if they are saddled with the debts left behind by our generation.
"The years ahead are colored in shades of hope and opportunity. We can do as the President has suggested, and face our challenges head on with courage and confidence. Or we can sit quietly, and leave our troubles for another generation. As for me, I’m with the President."
Posted at 11:03 PM
Comments
Interesting that Boehner and Shadegg sat by each other last night...
Nathan | 02.01.06 10:26 AM
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ccl-onlinetr | 02.03.08 04:34 PM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 09:48 AM
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lostyand | 03.01.08 09:48 AM
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