Clean Sweep! All House Republicans stand for principle on stimulus bill
By JR Hoeft | Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 | Policy
Earlier today, I mentioned to you that 200 of the nation’s most preeminent economists were dead set against the massive government spending and bailout package that is being proposed in Washington DC.
The $825B spending package claims that government spending is the best course of action to improve our economy, but the likelihood is this will only further bloat our government bureaucracy, reward bad business practices, and add to our national debt.
When you take the $700B already frittered away and tack on an additional $825B, you have our federal government standing for a $1.5 TRILLION giveaway in the last six months.
Certainly that’s not standing for free market principles.
So, the GOP, in grand old fashion, stood up for what they believed in: the free market and protection of the taxpayer.
I am proud and happy to report that EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of the GOP Caucus in the House of Representatives voted against this bill.
Once again, we can see that the GOP is the party of limited government, personal responsibility, and the free market.
This sends a very powerful signal that principle still matters for the Republican Party…and, more importantly, that our representatives are willing to fight for it.
Perhaps Doug said it best at “Below the Beltway“:
“The fact that the entire House GOP Caucus stood together and said no to this incredibly bad idea is a good sign that they’re finally starting to realize where they’ve gone wrong the past ten years.”
Kudos to Minority Whip Cantor. It’s the job of the whip to ensure support for the position of the party. When you can get EVERYONE in the caucus to agree, clearly you’re doing your job well.
For those keeping score at home, eleven Democrats also voted against the bill; however, Reps. Glenn Nye and Tom Periello did not.
Apparently Nye and Periello thought that spending $335 million on preventing Sexually Transmitted Diseases is also good idea for an economic stimulus plan.
“The Virginian” also has a great post on this too.
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About the author
Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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5 Responses to "Clean Sweep! All House Republicans stand for principle on stimulus bill"
[...] play. The remarkable thing is how Republicans voted. In an incredible show of solidarity and “principle“, Boehner and every member of his party effectively told President Obama, and the American [...]
So no whining when you’re not invited to the table in the future, yes? Zero good faith participation by the GOP.
I can’t imagine that you actually believe that, Jim. If you do, you’ve fallen victim to what ails the GOP (and harmed the country) – simply saying something does.not.make.it.true.
If the GOP had been this good at principled unity when in the majority, there is a good chance it wouldn’t be in the minority. Not absolute, but good.
The American people do want something done — but this bill is a travesty – hardly what the people I’ve talked with want done.
This looks like a pretty good alternative to me, MB.
Jim -
You are being a bit naive, the GOP hasn’t changed – the White House has, now the GOP has decided that if it supports Obama, and he’s right, they lose. If the oppose him, and he’s right, they lose. But, if they oppose him and he’s wrong, they win. It’s simple sad pragmatic politics.
This is still the party that grew our deficit faster than ever before, the size of the federal budget larger than ever before, and created the largest federal government in our nation’s history.
You should become a Blue Dog Dem, at least they stand on principle.
That said, I probably have some of the same complaints about the bill as you do. I just don’t think the GOP is standing on principle in opposing it, they just want some chance at getting back into power – and isn’t that what this political game is all about?
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