via The GOP’s path back – Rep. Eric Cantor – Politico.com.
By REP. ERIC CANTOR | 1/29/09 4:40 AM EST
Eric Cantor says in his op-ed:
Surveying the wreckage from the past two elections, Republicans have much we could feel sorry about.
REP. Eric Cantor
Actually, you have much to be ashamed, not sorry, about. Sarah Palin is one. The wholesale sellout of John McCain’s values is another.
We stand at an enormously critical juncture for our country. With the economy in tatters, Congress and the new administration have a public mandate to take bold action to stop the bleeding. Hanging in the balance are essential questions that will define the shape of our economy for years to come. How big of a hand in private markets will the government have? Will private companies be saddled with layers of government bureaucracy?
Once again, you have missed the mark or you simply don’t get it. Wake up and smell the coffee. You guys lost. You are not standing at a juncture. The American people have crossed the juncture and have taken us on a new path as evidenced by the huge Democratic Party victory November 4, 2008. Your path of market based and unregulated solutions failed miserably. The voters got it even if you did not. The markets on Wall Street must be overwatched. There is far too much greed to let the investment bankers regulate the investment bankers. How big if a hand should the government play? It should be big enough to protect our investments from overreaching and unscrupulous investment managers.
The GOP may not control the agenda, but there are reasons for hope. We share a set of values that make us unapologetic about rewarding hard work and preserving the incentive for small businesses and the self-employed to grow. History is on our side. Countries, towns and communities stagnate when government micromanages industry and people are left to depend on handouts. They thrive when small, medium and large private businesses – driven to innovate and grow – create sustainable jobs.
So you are saying that all the businesses that have failed or on the brink of failure did that not because of an administration that deregulated more business activity than any other in history, but because the government has too much regulation. You are saying that for our economy to recover we must actually double down on Bushonomics? Stupidity is defined by repeating behavior that causes harm or doesn’t work in hopes that next time it will work. Republicanism has failed. More of it will fail more.
It is astonishing that for every $1 in tax relief spent for small businesses, the current House Democrat stimulus plan spends over $12 buying new cars for the federal government. That’s the kind of egregious waste that results when one party is able to draft legislation without putting the taxpayers’ needs first. It’s a blatant example of why we need a Republican check on a Democrat-dominated Congress.
You know what? This is the best formula for our auto manufacturers to remain in business. It’s called sales. When businesses sell their products, they make profits. See how that works?
The Republican ideas on how to do things has not worked. It didn’t work under Reagan, it didn’t work under Bush 41, and it failed miserabley under Bush 44. It looks like the only sound approach, one that has demonstrated success and growth is the Democratic Party’s plan.
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