Rebranding Republicans

[Joanne98]

by Robert L. Borosage
“We’re going to give you the change you deserve” –

House Minority Leader John Boehner

That’s not a threat; it’s a promise — from the Republican congressional leaders. Really. Led by perpetually tanned House leader John Boehner, Republicans have suddenly discovered that the country wants change — and they have decided to offer it to us. Washington is broken and they promise to fix it. They rolled out a new slogan — “the change you deserve” — to be followed by a new “American Families Program.” (The campaign ran into trouble from the start: an alert blog — Bluestem Prairie — revealed that the slogan is the registered advertisement for the anti-depressant Effexor XR — which, come to think of it, might just be what Boehner needs these days).

Republicans for change; now that’s a switch. Until last week, congressional Republicans have been systematically, resolutely, and consistently committed to obstruction, not change. It was a clear strategy. No minority ever gets blamed if nothing gets done. After Democrats took over the majority of both Houses in 2006, Republicans set out to obstruct everything they could. Then they would run against a do-nothing Congress, accusing the Democrats of breaking their promises. Sort of like knee-capping the postman and then complaining about the mail being late.

They went about this with Tom DeLay-like discipline. The Senate minority set a new record for filibusters before the first session was over. The president issued a record number of veto threats. House Republicans perfected procedural tricks that would put sand in the gears. As last as last week, they switched their votes on a resolution celebrating mothers on Mother’s Day simply to obstruct business on the Senate.

They blocked the resolution to set a date to get the troops out of Iraq. They blocked extending health care to children. They blocked allowing Medicare to negotiate lower prices on prescription drugs. They blocked overturning subsidies to big oil and investing them in alternative energy.

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/14/8946/

[jimshoes]

1. They might as well come out and say

Boy did we fuck up!

[jaksavage]

2. Can we re re brand

cause I got a branding iron I haven't used lately.

[colonel odis]

3. the change we deserve would be for them to step aside and go away.

[Exilednight]

4. I heard this on NPR the other day, but here's the problem .......

The protectors of the GOP are not going to allow the party to change in any significant way. They'll keep saying "smaller government and fiscal responsibility", while continually growing the national debt at leaps and bounds.

Let's take a look at a theoretical. Let's say McCain gets elected. He says he will be fiscally responsible, but he doesn't want to draw down troops. You can't fight a war on terror without funding it, and we don't have the money to fund it. Over a billion dollars a week in Iraq, and McCain wants to cut taxes? People aren't stupid. This is what got us where we are. Bush more than doubled the national debt, and he's the only President in history to give a "rebate" - twice!