Republicans are clearly in the early stages of what will be an extended and difficult effort to redefine their party. But they will soon have to make some fundamental choices about the direction of that evolution. And the terrain for those fateful choices, it's increasingly clear, will be this year's battle over the federal budget.
In a wide-ranging and fiery speech to the Republican National Committee last month, Louisiana governor (and likely contender for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination) Bobby Jindal urged his party to change course. While media attention focused on his comment that “We must stop being the stupid party” (widely interpreted as a plea for Republicans to stop talking about rape), the thrust of his speech lay elsewhere. Republicans, he said, “must not become the party of austerity. We must become the party of growth.”Jindal backed up his emphasis on growth by calling on conservatives to abandon their “obsession with government bookkeeping.” Here’s how he put it: “We think that if we can just unite behind a proposal to cut the deficit and debt, if we can just put together a spreadsheet and a power point and a TV ad, all will be well.” But this orthodoxy is wrong: “We as Republicans have to accept that government number crunching—even conservative number crunching—is not the answer to our nation’s problems.” Not only is it substantively inadequate, it is politically self-defeating: “This is a rigged game, and it is the wrong game for us to play.”
did he just tell the world that the republican party has been wrong about everything they've been doing, so by default lied to us about everything they were wrong on? i'm just kicking back and seeing where this goes next. they had the best chairman they could have had the won with him but he's Black and says things like "i'm gonna bring some color up in here", but they won.
now after they kicked him to the curb and he still supports their agenda they re-elect the White guy who has lost everything they went after, moves like that will keep them where they belong in the minority.
Jindal’s not so subtle message: While Paul Ryan is a decent and honorable man, his strategy is leading his party into a political cul de sac. And unless we abandon it, we’ll keep on losing. Instead, let’s reclaim the optimistic, pro-growth mantle of Jack Kemp. Oh, by the way, if that’s what you’re looking for, I’m your guy.
Meanwhile, the House Republicans are marching in the opposite direction. In return for the fiscal cliff deal that raised taxes on wealthy Americans without cutting spending, Speaker John Boehner had to promise restive conservatives that the 2014 budget resolution due on April 15 would balance the budget in ten years without any more tax increases.
i'm amazed at how tey have allowed such radical rhetoric about themselves be put out there kile that, if progressives had said that all hell would have broke loose, which makes me wonder if this isn't a plot to make this historic change they have like their jobs done nothing.
if so nah they would really have to be 3 cans short of a six pack to do it that way, or maybe not.
