July 31, 2006
Boehner Urges His Troops To Recognize Voter Anxiety
As they wrapped up summer's work on Saturday morning Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) left his Republican conference with some parting thoughts about the August recess.
Quoting legendary OSU football coach Woody Hayes, Boehner likens the past few months to a steady stream of "three yards and a cloud of dist." The grind has provided a "vital backstop" against "misguided Democrat policies."
But Americans, he acknowledges, are anxious.
Boehner: "Despite the continued growth of our economy, however, too many American families continue to feel anxiety about the high cost of living. Our economic engine is firing on all cylinders, but too many American families are still feeling the pinch of rising health care costs, high gas prices, steep college tuition rates, and uncertainty about their retirement savings."
"International threats" are also contributing.
So the GOP's mission in August is "to engage our constituents in a dialogue about their hopes and anxieties and our majority's efforts to address them."
More Boehner: "Massive challenges lie ahead for our nation, domestically and internationally - challenges that will require bold Republican leadership in the years ahead. These challenges will require us to throw deep. Our willingness to change the congressional earmarking practice is a glimpse of what our majority is capable of doing when we identify a big goal, and set out to achieve it - but only a glimpse. The true challenges before us are national and societal challenges; not merely institutional ones."
The full memo can be found after the jump.
M E M O
To: House Republican Members
From: Majority Leader Boehner
Date: July 29, 2006
Re: Making August Matter
Legendary Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes is famous for describing his approach to offense as "three yards and a cloud of dust." His football teams won consistently by grinding it out, running the ball, gaining a few yards at a time, and ultimately putting the points on the board needed to win the game.
Maybe it's my just Buckeye bias talking, but I think it's a pretty fair analogy for the way in which House Republicans have gone about our work in recent months. We've worked hard to tackle the issues the American people care about. In uncertain times, we've provided steady leadership, pursuing an agenda that highlights the sharp contrast between our priorities and those of the liberal Democrat minority. We've provided a vital backstop against misguided Democrat policies that would make our nation less secure, shielding a growing economy against the higher taxes and billions in increased spending and regulation that would clog our economy if Democrats were calling the shots.
Despite the continued growth of our economy, however, too many American families continue to feel anxiety about the high cost of living. Our economic engine is firing on all cylinders, but too many American families are still feeling the pinch of rising health care costs, high gas prices, steep college tuition rates, and uncertainty about their retirement savings.
International threats are also contributing to the anxiety American families feel. Terrorists are waging a global war against freedom and free people. We've taken the fight to them in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the progress America has made through the sacrifices of the brave men and women of our armed forces has made them desperate. They're bent on destablizing democracies throughout the world. And they are more determined than ever to penetrate our leaking borders and carry out their murderous ambitions against innocent citizens on American soil.
Our mission in August is to engage our constituents in a dialogue about their hopes and anxieties and our majority's efforts to address them. As Conference Chairman Deborah Pryce has put it, we need to make August matter.
Massive challenges lie ahead for our nation, domestically and internationally - challenges that will require bold Republican leadership in the years ahead. These challenges will require us to throw deep. Our willingness to change the congressional earmarking practice is a glimpse of what our majority is capable of doing when we identify a big goal, and set out to achieve it - but only a glimpse. The true challenges before us are national and societal challenges; not merely institutional ones.
If we fail to engage our constituents this August, we run the risk of forfeiting our opportunity to address these challenges. Every American should know House Republicans are working for them to secure the border; strengthen national security; spend taxpayer dollars wisely; lower gasoline prices; and keep America prosperous. We need to use August to make sure they know.
While engaging your constituents and local media during the August district work period, there are a number of key points that are important.
1. Secure the Borders, Enforce the Law
Those observing the debate and political analysis over the border security and immigration reform issue will admit the political environment has shifted towards the House's position of border security first. The Reid-Kennedy bill crafted in the Senate with a majority of Senate Democrats is a troubling approach to the challenges we face as a nation on the issues of curbing illegal immigration and securing our borders against those who would do us harm.
The dynamics of the political debate have changed because House Republicans have diligently informed our constituents about the troubling provisions in the Reid-Kennedy bill. In August, we should take every opportunity to engage constituents and local media on several important points:
House Republicans are making progress. The hearings on the Reid-Kennedy bill are working and have strengthened our ability to enact a strong border security bill. Americans should know House Republicans want to send President Bush a strong bill that secures our borders and puts a premium on enforcing our immigration laws. They should also know we will not relent to Democrat proponents of the Reid-Kennedy approach that encourages open borders and weakens enforcement of our existing laws.
· House Democrats have absolutely no plan for securing the border. Americans should know just how absent House Democrats have been on the border security issue. The fact that Capitol Hill Democrats unveiled a feeble "agenda" that failed to even MENTION the issues of border security or immigration - two of the most important policy debates of the day - is a glaring example of just how disconnected they are from the American public. It's critical we inform our constituents and local media about how Democrats voted AGAINST common-sense legislation. Last year, for example, 152 Democrats voted against the REAL ID Act, which implemented needed driver's license reforms, making it more difficult for potential terrorists to obtain driver's licenses or state ID cards, and ensuring that states improve their data security.
2. Strengthen National Security
Recent world events underscore just how important it is to have elected leaders who have the strength and resolve to confront dangerous regimes and provide a national security policy framework that refuses to waver or equivocate. Capitol Hill Democrats have greeted these developments with nervous calls for retreat and hysterical proposals to negotiate directly with tyrannical dictators.
Americans should know just how clear the contrasts are between House Republicans and Capitol Hill Democrats on these issues. During a recent speech that addressed the most important issues facing our nation, I summed it up accordingly:
We are charged with guiding America's ideals and protecting American lives in an ever-changing world with dangerous threats that are forever adapting. What cannot change, what cannot waver and what will never falter is our determination to confront and defeat rogue regimes and radical movements that have set democracy and liberty square in their sights and targeted them for destruction.
As Republicans, we recognize this important charge. It's important to note what separates Republicans from Capitol Hill Democrats. Republicans recognize the threat and have constructed policies reliant on strength and purpose. Democrats have instead blundered towards an empty and cosmetic mindset that underscores a shared devotion to a weak and indecisive foreign policy forever queasy about America's role in the world.
American should know that while Republicans have pursued policies designed to aid efforts to track down and detain terror suspects, Democrats are instead more concerned with providing detained terrorists and enemy combatants with legal protections. An example would be the Democrat leadership's reaction to the recent Supreme Court decision concerning terror suspects and enemy combatants, where Democrat leaders insisted these individuals deserve legal protections provided by the freedom and democracy of an American justice system they were seeking to destroy. Your constituents will be appalled by such reasoning, and during the August work period you should take the opportunity to remind them of the work you've done in Congress to defeat such nonsensical policy ideas. Moreover, Democrats also:
Opposed missile defense and have repeatedly voted against its funding. This shows how unprepared they are to confront dangerous regimes like North Korea. Insistence on face-to-face talks underscores how easily they can be forced to abandon their position.
Voted "NO" to stopping leaks of classified information that damage national security, underscoring their weakness in confronting terrorism in a post-9/11 world.
3. Spend Taxpayer Dollars Wisely
Americans should know House Republicans have taken action to renew our party's traditional commitment to fiscal discipline. While House Democrats have proposed $45.2 billion in new spending, House Republicans have rejected all of it. We've passed a fiscally-responsible budget, approved the line-item veto, eliminated 95 wasteful government programs, and held the line on spending to the President's request. We also passed critical earmark reforms that will help us distinguish worthy projects from worthless pork. House Republicans will move to immediately adopt and implement comprehensive earmark reform rules independent of the ongoing lobbying and ethics reform discussions if a conference agreement is not ready when we return in September.
Americans should know Democrats opposed these efforts, because it's just one more example of how Democrats call for fiscal responsibility without ever offering a plan to achieve it. Democrats complain about budget deficits but don't want to eliminate any federal programs. They speak of spending restraint, and propose billion dollar new programs without paying for them. They talk about entitlement programs, but consistently avoid making the tough decisions it will require to save these benefits for our children and our grandchildren. And they call for fiscal discipline, yet propose tax hikes that punish working families.
It is clear Democrats simply want to raise taxes to pay for more spending. Republicans think Americans pay more than enough in taxes, whether it's property or sales taxes, state and federal income taxes, or the death tax. We want to restrain spending, not raid taxpayers' wallets.
4. Bolster American Energy, Lower Gas Prices
Americans should know about Democrats' chronically negligent opposition to every single measure we've put forth to address both long term and short term energy challenges.
Democrats voted "NO" on legislation to create thousands of new American jobs and provide environmentally safe energy production in the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR.
Democrats voted "NO" on legislation that would encourage the development of new American refineries and limit the number of boutique fuels, both to help lower gas prices.
House Republicans have focused on common-sense energy solutions to help lower gas prices, create jobs for American workers, and reduce America's reliance on foreign sources of energy. In contrast, Capitol Hill Democrats have consistently opposed these common sense solutions and instead supported policies that drive up gasoline prices for working families.
5. Keep America Prosperous
Americans should know Republican policies have led to 34 consecutive months of job growth, low unemployment, and solid wage growth - and we are working to help lower Americans' cost of living.
Our tax relief package prevented a massive Democrat tax hike that would have hit working families, small businesses, and farmers the hardest. It has spurred the economy and, coupled with spending restraint, is helping drive down the deficit.
Our critical pension reforms will ensure workers' hard-earned pension benefits are there for them when they retire. These reforms will also save taxpayers from a multi-billion dollar bailout of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC).
Our education reforms will help lower- and middle-income students have a shot at higher education, and will enable more Americans to take advantage of good job opportunities.
Our health care reforms will lower costs and make health insurance more affordable. We passed the health information technology bill championed by Reps. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) and Nathan Deal (R-GA) this week. We're fighting to enact small business health plans that have passed the House repeatedly. And the Medicare prescription drug benefit is lowering health care costs for seniors and taxpayers alike.
While House Republicans work to address the anxiety many American families continue to feel, it's clear Democrats have no plan to help lower the cost of living, keep taxes low, restrain spending, or help small businesses struggling with the rising costs of health insurance.
House Republicans also recognize the anxieties of American families are not solely economic in nature. Working with Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and a coalition of moderate and conservative Republicans, we've put forth our GOP Suburban Agenda to directly address the priorities of our nation's suburban families. As we depart for the August recess, one Suburban Agenda bill is already law - the proposal by Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) to give schools the ability to protect students against individuals with criminal backgrounds. The House has also passed the aforementioned Johnson-Deal health information technology bill, and legislation by Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) to help parents protect their children against online predators lurking on the Internet.
Similarly, House Republicans have taken action this summer to defend the values and freedoms many American families feel are under assault. Working with Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and members of the Values Action Team, we've put forth the American Values Agenda, which has included votes on the Marriage Protection Amendment authored by Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), the Pledge Protection Act authored by Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO), and the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act authored by Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), which has been signed into law by President Bush. We also voted to crack down on Internet gambling by passing legislation co-authored by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Jim Leach (R-IA).
While House Republicans work to address the anxiety many American families continue to feel, it's clear Democrats are adrift on virtually all of these matters. Case in point: when House Republicans launched our Suburban Agenda back in May, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) dismissed it (curiously) as an agenda for the "privileged few" (Associated Press, 5/12/06). But since that time, scores of rank-and-file House Democrats have bucked their leadership and joined House Republicans in voting in favor of the Suburban Agenda bills.
Parting Thoughts: VISION MATTERS
These are the things Americans should know. As we finish our work and prepare to head back home to our constituents for the August district work period, we should recall the vision statement we united to develop and adopt together this year:
"We will promote the dignity and future of every individual by building a free society under a limited, accountable government that protects our liberty, security, and prosperity for a brighter American Dream."
Together, House Republicans stand for something. This is what we stand for. And you can't beat something with nothing. Let's go back to our districts, reconnect with our constituents, and make August matter.
Posted at 10:28 AM
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