One of the many problems with the GOP non-strategy
Maybe Dems finally have a sticking point, albeit an obvious one, come this election cycle… ASK THE GOP FOR DETAILS…
For the last two years the GOP has hedged it’s bet’s on a strategy of denial in all aspects of their platform. They have blissfully accepted their roles as simply being the counter to the white house as opposed to providing viable alternatives. And sadly, for the most part they have seen success because of the white house and democratic party’s inability to coherently flesh out their plans on everything from health care to financial reform.
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press” Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) provided rehashed platitudes reminiscent of something you might read in a GOP pamphlet on How to be A Republican 101, as it was evident that he was thoroughly ill-prepared to answer any questions of substance concerning his party and their plans for the deficit with concrete answers.
Some of Sessions more textbook responses include:
“We need to live within our means.”
“We need to make sure we read the bills.”
“We are going to balance the budget, we should live within our means and we should read the bills and work with the American people.”
“We need to make sure that as we look at all that we are spending in Washington D.C.”
“We have to empower the free enterprise system.”
Perhaps the biggest case for the GOP having no strategy is Sessions response to host David Gregory’s question, “Tell me how you do it, name a painful choice that Republicans are prepared to say we have to make? Are they going to campaign on repealing health care for instance, repealing financial regulation… would you like to see those two things done?”
After already spouting off a series of nondescript talking points, Sessions carries on like a broken record, repeating his previous comments with the same air of feigned sincerity. Gregory, for his part, continues to probe Sessions on specifics with increasing frustration showing at the Congressman’s lack of depth. “Congressman, these are not specifics, you want to deal with entitlement spending, will you raise the retirement on Social Security? Will you cut benefits from Social Security?” Added Gregory, “Will you repeal healthcare?”
Sessions could only muster a passing retread to the past administration’s infamous strategy, “We need to go back to the exact same agenda that is empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminishing it,” he said.
As with healthcare, and financial reform, the GOP has made it painfully obvious that they are the party of no ideas. And this of course begs the question of how they are allowed to get away with posturing on inaction. The simply answer is the Dems inability to effectively point this out.