Republicans Present ‘Pledge to America’ at VA Lumber Store
- Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:01pm by
Meredith Jessup
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AP
Republicans vying for an electoral resurgence in November today unveiled their plans to cut the size and scope of government and challenged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to immediately enact the “Pledge to America” reforms to help shore up the national economy and put America back on the right track.
Boosted by the public‘s disappointment with President Barack Obama’s management of high unemployment and growing budget deficits, GOP leaders gathered at Tart Lumber, a small business in Sterling, Va., to unveil their plans for the country’s immediate future. With the Republican Party poised to make significant gains in the November midterm elections, House Minority Leader John Boehner said, “Republicans have heard the American people” and the GOP is “very serious about implementing our pledge.”
The plan also gives voters a peak at what a GOP-majority agenda on Capitol Hill might look like for the 112th Congress. While short on specifics, the plan calls for scaling back federal spending and ending government control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. In addition, the GOP plans to permanently extend all the George W. Bush-era tax cuts and cancel unspent stimulus expenditures–moves that will likely not garner support from the Obama White House.
Also at the top of the GOP’s agenda is a repeal of the Obama health care law, with plans to replace it with Republican proposals to reign in health care costs, including tort reform. Republicans also plan to block the Obama administration’s plans to move suspected terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to civilian prisons within the U.S.
The Republicans, who lost control of Congress in 2006, seem to be embracing the criticisms of conservative tea party-types who have protested the size and cost of government of both the Obama and Bush administrations. “Republicans didn’t just lose our majority in 2006, we lost our way,” Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., said Thursday. “We walked away from the principles of fiscal responsibility and reform that minted our national governing majority and the American people walked away from us,” he said.
While Pence acknowledged that the pledge lacks many specific details as to what areas of government spending the GOP would like to cut, he called the Party’s “Pledge” a “good start.”
The White House has yet to officially comment on the GOP’s “Pledge,” but one senior Obama aide earlier this week warned against pulling back on federal spending, claiming that it could further harm the economy and rattle investors. “If you try to tighten the belt right now, I think you would spook markets in a substantial way,” Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, told Reuters Wednesday.
With the administration’s approval ratings dipping down into uncharted territory for the Obama administration thus far, the GOP plans to capitalize on the president’s unpopular spending habits and seemingly aloof public persona. In language clearly targeting the White House, the “Pledge” refers to an “arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites [who] makes decisions, issues mandates and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.”
“The governed do not consent,” the document concludes.
—————-
Click here for the full text of the GOP’s “Pledge to America”
Click here for more on the Democrats’ response
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Comments (119)
Hondaman
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:42pmWE have some good grass roots starts. Go Tea party
Report Post »Waiting4George
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:38pmOK. First date. Literate and saying the right things. Now let’s see what he does….
Report Post »Augie4
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:34pm“With the administration’s approval ratings dipping down into uncharted territory for the Obama administration thus far,”
Yeah, OK. Just pull it out of your rear. What the hell, nobody checks.
Pollster Dates N/Pop Approve Disapprove Undecided
Rasmussen 9/20-22/10 1500 LV 48 51 –
Gallup 9/18-20/10 1500 A 45 46 –
Zogby (Internet) 9/17-20/10 2068 LV 49 51 1
ARG 9/17-20/10 1100 A 44 51 5
Rasmussen 9/17-19/10 1500 LV 44 56 –
Ipsos/Reuters 9/16-19/10 1161 A 47 50 4
In other words, 48, 45, 49, 44, 44, and 47 percent approval is “uncharted.” What were Bush’s approval ratings again? Toward the end of his term there? I seem to have forgotten.
Thanks, Ms. O’Donnell, I’m not quite sure, but I think it’s you. Finally, as we all expected, the tea party came up with a candidate so dense, so incompetent, so pathetically unsuitable for any pblic office whatsoever, that even “Mr. Smear” Karl Rove can’t manage to support her.
Hilarious.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:34pmWhile I may support such a ‘plan’ I am NOT a republican. The GOP has spent their political capitol. They have lost their moral ‘high ground’. They have compromised their principles (and mine) in the pursuit of what they could garner for themselves. Traitors is too friendly a term, in my estimation for ANY politician. “Friend” or “foe”.
When government becomes an antagonist to the people it supposedly ‘represents’ it has become an enemy of the people. You don’t have to be Ronald Reagan to know that.
Report Post »betterthantv
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:28pmWhere the hell is Newt when you need him? Is this the best we can do?
Report Post »Eternal Lucy
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:43pmI like Newt too.
Report Post »dhanby
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:25pmWill this REALLY make a bit of difference????
As a talk show host said today, (Jerry Doyle…sorry I switch between Beck and Doyle on the way home from work), the only thing that would validate this (paraphrasing) is if they say they will quit if they don’t live up to this “pledge”! Who holds them accountable????? How can we trust them?
Report Post »MiddleFinger
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:25pmNice photo op while voting No to extend middle class and small buisness tax cut
Report Post »dhanby
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:28pmWho’s gonna keep paying for this? The ONLY way to assist us is to CUT TAXES AND STOP THE BAILOUTS AND THE UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS…..there are jobs to be had, except so many people are ‘above’ working at McDonald’s or a grocery store!
Report Post »dhanby
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:29pmBTW, the party of NO nees help from the Dems…there are dems on the right side too…
If you can do a better job, by all means run for office…so we can all see the skeletons in YOUR closet!
Report Post »MiddleFinger
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:31pm*Jobs Bill
Report Post »dhanby
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:25pmJobs bills do not cut the deficit…it increases it!
Who creates jobs? The Feds? NO! The entrepreneurs and the RICH create jobs with THEIR wealth and when the gov’t taxes them to death….it’s counterpreductive! You need to take economic courses to learn the difference between Marxist, Keynesian, and Capitalistic systems! Are you against Capitalism????
Report Post »jggreen101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:14pmThis is maybe a start but nothing like we really need. I agree with swkimbl, obama is planning something greater. I think we are headed to a real revolution. He has already gained so much control that not much can be done until 2012 and that will be too late.
Report Post »Eternal Lucy
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:42pmI agree; the fight is only beginning; we’re nowhere near winning, by a long shot.
Report Post »William J. Horn
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:04pmForty percent of us are Marxist. Thirty percent of us are Independent (which means they are incapable of forming an opinion). Ten percent of us are insane. That leaves twenty percent of us who can think coherently that need to lead the others out of this mess. If this message of the Repub’s assists in that task…more power to them. We shall see.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:18pmI absolutely dispute the 40% Marxist figure. I believe most, almost all of those, in fact, are just unengaged. They watch whoever reads the Nightly News on their TVs and believe they are truly supporters of the “little guy”. They live the rest of their lives (outside the voting booths) as conservatives. They just need to be engaged. I’d re-write your breakdown as 60% practical conservatives, 30% hopelessly stupid and 10% crazy/Marxist.
Report Post »R and K
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:59pmOh looky there! The Republicans in Congress are just simple folk, like you and me, in the home improvement store, in their shirt sleeves!
Geez, politicians are sickening. They have no idea their “staging” is insulting by itself. Ladies, Gentlemen, we are NOT that stupid.
This pledge is disappointing. Roll back spending to 2008 levels?!?! Wow. They don’t get it, do they?
Not to suggest we don’t vote for these creeps this time. They’re still better than Democrats. But next time? Let’s get some good people in politics. No more party bosses choosing primary candidates, and leaving voters with the “lesser of two evils” choices we’ve had for years..
Report Post »R and K
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:49pmAdd your comments
Report Post »swkimbl
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:44pmThe only way we can turn this country around is to purge Obama and his czars and administration from power, otherwise he will veto every thing that they try do, he is already sercomeventing the senate and putting in his regulatory people with out being vetted and voted on by the senate.
Report Post »He’s putting in a structure for him to rule absolutely, with his regulatory structure he can regulate every thing with out worrying about the senate or the house. Beware in the next two years we may very well see a dictatorial goverment emerge.
Oh, God!
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:44pmBaby steps, we can’t just go back to 1908 levels all of a sudden. So I will give them the benefit of a doubt and hope (and pray) this will be the beginning. What I keep telling myself is: If we (conservatives) take control of the House and maybe Senate, it will stop the spending. That is a positive in itself. After that, we can focus on what we need to do to reduce the size and scope of government. It can’t happen over night, or within a year, but if the spending stops, we have more breathing room to be able to concentrate on things. Rather than get bombarded every freakin’ day by what else the government has done to us. My two cents worth (which is all I can afford these days).
Report Post »wonderbug
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 10:07pmI LOVE this pledge! People need jobs (please bring the manufacturing back to the USA, it’s only right!), and they need healthcare (treat your employees as you would like to be treated). Prayers all the way!!!
And like Oh, God! alluded to — this may be an adjustment for many people. Communication is key.
Report Post »american1st
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:44pm—election pandering— its not hard to come up with sound bites, and staged photo ops,
doing the will of the people after they save their job is almost impossible for the political class to do.
i don’t trust this bunch or there pledge one bit, it is work for the people or be fired time! this election, the next election, and for as many elections as it takes…
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:37pmI guess this is what happens when you worship at the electoral altar of the Great Undecided Independents (who, by definition, are uninformed fools).
Report Post »mharry860
Posted on September 24, 2010 at 2:00amExactly.
Report Post »iamhungry
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:36pmSo Republicans plan is to go back to 2008? I don’t seem to remember that being a great year. Why not go back to 1998 when the economy was booming?
Report Post »tepartyblog.info
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:01pmThat economic boom had very little to do with the laws being made(only the welfare reform helped anyone). The ethanol law passed then is causing food prices to skyrocket now and civil unrest in Mexico. The laws that were made to force lenders to lend to unworthy borrowers is at the root of our current crisis. We have your number Mr. moore but stick around you might still learns something and find your way out of the cave of liberal thought(no more staring at the shadows on the wall).
Report Post »Goodbusiness
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:35pmThis has the ability to be a real game changer, they pledge to provide citations of Constitutional authority for each new bill. Fellow Americans that is a major political nuclear bomb. It will open up the usurped powers of the Supreme Court, the Legislative and the Executive branches. They have all redefined the words or intents of the Founders which is not allowed in the Constitution. If changes, alterations, modernizing, or any modification must be done through an Amendment which has been used before and is a well known in the required procedures.
WE the people will be advised of how they are using the Constitution and open it for challenge by an informed citizenry. Do not under estimate the gravity of this pledge to restore our stolen freedoms.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:44pmGOODBIZ, a Pledge is a far, far cry from Law (or Constitutional Amendment). What you should not Overestimate is that @90% of the American electorate has NO IDEA what you, or they, were talking about. No one’s feet will ever be held to the political fire for that part of the Pledge.
Report Post »baldwin4freedom
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:55pm@BROKER0101
You are exactly right about the fact that 90 % of the people have no idea. Some may vote on the correct side of the issue, but without any perception of what they are really voting for. The 10 % that do know must start being much more involved in educating their peers.
I was telling a contractor friend of mine a year and a half ago that some people do not get what I am trying to tell them. He knows how I am about getting into the art of things. He told me not to worry, just keep it up and one day something will happen in their lives and they will remember what you said.
This battle has been going on for years, and will continue for years. The only difference now is that alot more people are waking up and much more receptive to my ideals, which I am learning parallel our founder intentions.
I just wish more people would realize that it is not going to be as easy as only electing new representatives. We The People have much more to do than only voting, and this pledge, in my opinion, only proves that.
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:33pmIt’s just amaizing that either side thinks that after the garbage they have shoved down Americas throats that we would just roll over for “The Young Guns” to give us the same old dogma…
Report Post »DagneyT
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:30pmSorry. Does not go far enough. It tells me they have yet to have their “Come to Jesus” moment. It also tells me they’re still trying to keep their power in DC!
puke!
Report Post »MAULEMALL
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:35pm100% correct…
Report Post »nostikskull
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:27pmthere is not one true conservative in the bunch. i especially like how he said ” we would ALLOW small businesses to have 20% tax breaks” the arrogance of these people, it is our money, but you will allow us to keep a little? and as for health care, they are just going to repeal obamacare, then impose their own power-grabbing mess. i didn’t hear nearly enough cutting spending and size of government talk.
Report Post »baldwin4freedom
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:31pmI agree!
Report Post »flagbearer
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:20pmI agree with Glenn Beck. Merely returning to pre-2008 spending levels is not good enough. America must reduce spending and cut waste beyond what we have been doing in the past decades. GOP, CUT SPENDING! Your pledge isn’t quite good enough yet.
Report Post »booger71
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 8:29pmI totally agree, I would have liked to see stuff like, Dismantling of entire departments like education,energy, irs(replace with flat or fair tax). Balancing the budget, getting our spending to no more than 10% of GDP, just a few examples, oh yeah and getting rid of fanny and freddie, and the fed
Report Post »Eternal Lucy
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:41pmAnn Coulter wants to go back to 1970 spending levels. :-)
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:15pmI hope this doesn’t turn out to be a huge tactical error. First, Republicans (hopefully led by lots of new Conservatives) will, most likely, take the House and possibly the Senate by simply remaining the Party of Hell No. Secondly, a Pledge like this could have been unveiled before Nov 2012 with MUCH more aggressively Conservative content. I am, frankly, underwhelmed by the breadth and scope of this Pledge. Hope it isn’t wasted dry powder.
Report Post »GerriDavid
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:55pmBeing the party of hell no is good but you have to be the party of hell yes on something. This is a good start.
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:58pmLet‘s hope it’s the right start. At the right time.
Report Post »tepartyblog.info
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:07pmWe’re the party of hell no to government interference and hell yes to empowering people to take care of them self.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:22pmI feel that the time is appropriate for the pledge, those representatives on the right are asking for this job, they’re not backing away the skinny man with big ears. The pledge also gives us the permission to call them out should any one of them go astray. Like shepherds, we’ll tend to these sheep.
Report Post »flevan
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:16pmI felt completely underwhelmed by this Pledge and was actually a bit peeved at Hannity when he was praising it today. Until, that is, I found out that this pledge is what the repubs plan to do, and are ABLE to do, once they take over the House. After I realized its intention and scope, I am more in favor of it, though not frothing at the mouth about it. If it only mentioned impeachment…
Report Post »slickmeister
Posted on September 24, 2010 at 8:58amWhile not as bold as I would have liked, at least this pledge gives us some kind of standard to hold Republicans to.
Report Post »N37BU6
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:14pmYeah… then another terrorist attack happens and everyone forgets all about this.
A lumber store? That’s called trying too hard. Lame political staging like that makes me trust them even less.
Report Post »CannonFL
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 9:06pmRight, to stage this at a lumber store was a bit much. I’m not expecting much from this bunch. Hopefully our candidates will get in, and along with the likes of Ron Paul, Mike Pence, Jim DeMint, etc … They’ll hold the rest of them to the fire.
Report Post »REVEL
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:29pmThis tells me that they don’t even realize that most of the Hardware stores went out of business because of the big box stores ie, Home Depot and Lowes. Where have they been. They really had to search for this one I bet. Not believable. They need to connect with the Tea Party and maybe we’ll listen.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:12pmPledge to America is significantly MORE than anything the Democrats have to offer. By comparison to the current administration, this pledge has substance that our conservative elected representatives should work by and dare Democrats to come up with something with… anything.
Report Post »tepartyblog.info
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:50pmThe pledge is just a start. It wont save the republican party. NO MORE CAREER POLITICIAN
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:32pmNotice neck ties and cufflinks were off, LETS GET READY TO RUMBLE!
Alright everyone, if they step out of the ring, PUSH’EM back in.
Report Post »S.Hill
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 10:02pmI certainly feel they deserve the chance to prove that they can in fact learn from past mistakes, but they must know that we will be watching much more closely than we have before.
Report Post »OneVoiceFor America
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 10:05pmRe: Pledge
Report Post »It is a start. But they must follow through because if they don’t the republicans can go away too. There is a new birth of freedom on the horizon and the Tea Party is it. It’s not just about politics but about conservative values. The republicans have to fight Obamas veto process and if they don’t, then we’ll be no better off than we are now. And, yes, I agree we don’t want career politicians. If they want to prove themselves to the American people, they will institute term limits.
walkwithme1966
Posted on September 24, 2010 at 11:12pmThey were very vague on specifics – in fact, it was a big joke and you people think its some big deal!
Report Post »workinman
Posted on September 25, 2010 at 4:17pmWhat we need are fewer “Politicians” with law degrees and more “Public Servants” with business degrees.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 6:06pmhey, beck said “return to 1908 levels”—i read that on here yesterday from a poster, i think. glad to see he reads ours thoughts. cheers, glenn! keep up the good work.
Report Post »carol m
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 7:46pmWinged I saw the website. It is great. I never realized there was another verse to the Star Spangled Banner.
Report Post »MrButcher
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 8:31pmWolf, that video has been making the rounds for some time. saw it over at tea party patriots about a month ago.—{shrug} not my cup of tea. i like ideas not flags, sacrine patriotic songs or metaphysical beliefs. but if it rallies some, i say yippy-ki-yay, m-fer!
Report Post »LETUSDECIDE
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 10:10pmLove the Black Quill and Ink!!
Report Post »Eternal Lucy
Posted on September 23, 2010 at 11:38pmWow, Winged. That was quite a video. Thanks for sharing! I forgot about that second verse; I’ll look up the lyrics again.
Report Post »Libertarian Infidel
Posted on September 24, 2010 at 8:04amAnother pledge? Another promise? Who cares, it’s meaningless. Who is actually going to believe a pledge or a promise from politicians who have no honor and no record of keeping the old ones. I for one am tired of stunts and all this B.S. from people who toy with our laws and our livelihoods. Our jobs and our families are of no concern for these heartless, fake people. I would take an honest, politically-incompetent person with zero experience over any of these Dems or Repubs. For how much longer will we have to deal with these people? How much longer until we restore “founding-father” quality people back into leadership? I’m afraid it will be never. Their empty words and broken promises unfortunately fool, and will continue to fool, too many of the people who are hardcore set on voting along party lines. Until we inspire the people to truly delve into the political realm, and comprehend what is really go on…this is the system we’re stuck with. Switching parties back in November will accomplish nothing I tell you.
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