‘Party of ideas’ watch

February 15, 2007

For most of Bush’s presidency, congressional Republicans had a standard knock on Dems: they’re against Bush’s agenda, but won’t offer one of their own. It consistently struck me as having the broader dynamic backwards: Dems were chomping at the bit with policy ideas they wanted Congress to consider, but Republicans rejected their ideas.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about why the Dems haven’t been using the same argument on their GOP rivals. Before the election, I wrote quite a bit about how the Republican Party had run out of policy ideas and their entire 2006 strategy amounted to, “We’re bad, but they’ll be worse.” Quick: name three new policy proposals Republicans would be pushing right now if they were in the majority. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any.

Two years ago, at the start of the 109th Congress, Senate Dems unveiled a 10-point agenda, highlighting the kinds of measures they’d tackle if they had any power. Now that Republicans are in the minority, are they going to put forth any ideas of their own? Well, sort of.

Senate Republicans today will unveil their legislative blueprint for the 110th Congress, a seven-point agenda laden with traditional GOP initiatives from tax cuts to a stronger national security designed to redefine them as the party of reform. […]

Republican leaders will lay out seven “challenges” Congress must address over the next two years, beginning with the war on terror and including fiscal restraint, tax relief, health care, energy security, judicial nominations and immigration reform. Senators do not intend to tick off specific bills they plan to introduce but will discuss their general goals and how to meet them, sources said.

Apparently, this wasn’t just slapped together at the last minute. The Senate GOP started developing the list in a closed-door retreat in January, and Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl (Ariz.) has reportedly spent the past two months surveying senators about what they’d like to see on the party’s agenda.

At this point, I think they’re proving my point about having given up the title of “party of ideas.”

Granted, I haven’t seen any specifics, so I can’t very well criticize policy ideas that haven’t been released yet. That said, the seven “challenges” Senate Republicans want to address sound a little thin.

* War on terror — If this includes boosting homeland security and implementing the 9/11 Commission recommendations, they’re too late; this is the Democratic agenda.

* Fiscal restraint — From the party that squandered the biggest surpluses in American history and created the biggest deficits? Good luck with that.

* Tax relief — Republicans want to cut taxes. You don’t say.

* Health care — Now, there may be some actual new ideas here, but I’m willing to bet they’re not very good.

* Energy security — The Senate GOP had their chance to pass a real energy bill, and they passed a giveaway to Big Oil instead.

* Judicial nominations — Stacking the federal courts with Bush’s favorite ideologues does not qualify as a “new idea.”

* Immigration reform — I seem to recall the 109th Congress giving this a shot. How’d that work out for them?

Kyl argued that the GOP is ready to step up and prove that Republicans are the party of “big ideas.” Somehow, I doubt it.

Quick: name three new policy proposals Republicans would be pushing right now if they were in the majority. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of any.

That depends…does eviscerating Social Security Social Security “reform” count as a “new idea”?

  • Oh they have partying ideas. There’s Hooker A, Hooker B and Hooker C.

    Even with the war, the tax cuts and corruption the Republican 109th didn’t do as much damage as they wanted to.

  • Repubs have ideas — they’re just all bad. And their ideas usually destroy things like our military, the public’s faith in government, the treasury, the air we breath, our relations with other nations … you get the picture.

  • Tax relief? Fine. We’ll implement “tax relief.” Everyone who’s NOT a Republican, please step to “this” side of the street. You will now pay less tax. Everyone who IS a Republican, get your lazy butts over to “that” side of the street. Yes—the IRS offices are on “that” side of the street. They have your big fat humongous 90% tax-bills ready and are waiting to hand them to you. Now go and pay your tax debt.

    Swarthy little Republicans—they must be bled dry….

  • New GOP idea on healthcare: Don’t just try to cut Medicare & Medicaid, but throw in an attempt to end employer-based healthcare as we know it. That’s only way to get to the “all on your own individualized healthcare” utopia.

  • I’m pretty certain that if you asked the staunch Republican voter what are the “Ideas” of his Party or what his Party has done for the common good these last 6 yrs. he couldn’t even begin an answer. The Republican Party has been about nothing but politics, greed and money for the last 30 yrs.
    They are driven by their arrogance.

  • At this point, I think they’re proving my point about having given up the title of “party of ideas.” — CB

    But, but… Don’t you remember? We *stole* all of their ideas… Where are they supposed to have gotten new ones in just a few months (since the November corrections)?

  • Their agenda is pretty easy to describe:

    –Government has no place in the meat-packing plant, but it belongs in your bedroom.

    –Jesus is a badass who favors capital gains tax cuts and pre-emptive holy war. His law, as we interpret it (see above), should be the country’s law.

    –It’s your money and government has no claim on it, unless you’re trying to get the Earned Income Tax Credit.

    –If you aren’t rich, it’s your own fault, and enacting policies that favor the rich simply reflects the natural order of things.

    –Government is at the disposal of those who can afford it.

    –Force and will to power are the only determinants of success in foreign policy.

    –This can keep going on forever, so long as the Chinese and Saudis agree to keep lending us money to finance your tax cuts.

  • I must say that it’s good to see the GOP pretending to focus on actual policy issues – rather than the “protect the family” crap.

    But of course the devil is in the details

  • Lately, I’ve been thinking about why the Dems haven’t been using the same argument on their GOP rivals.

    To buttress your point, I think another major reason they don’t do this is it’s just something that Dems don’t do. It’s another one of those fundamental differences between the parties today. Dems, for example, believe in actually governing responsibly rather than using their position for further political and personal gain. Republicans used to believe in this as well but the Gingrich/Bush brand of Republicanism doesn’t anymore. Democrats tend to take the high road whereas Republicans milk their advantage for all its worth, ie. abusing the minority when they had the majority. Similarly we don’t project our own faults on the GOP, which as you pointed out, was exactly what the GOP was doing every time they made that claim.

  • –This can keep going on forever, so long as the Chinese and Saudis agree to keep lending us money to finance your tax cuts.

    I think you mean our tax cuts since the tax-cutting measures were meant to reduce the tax burden on Bush’s contributors. Individuals in the middle to low earning brackets, meaning most of the country, saw practically no relief at all unless you consider a few hundred dollars, at best, “tax relief”.

    As noted above, “fiscal responsibility” or “fiscal restraint” is laughable if applied to the wingnuts currently in the Congress.

  • The Republic Party is a party of beliefs, not ideas. Always has been. And anyone who thinks otherwise is the enemy.

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