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Pence: “Talk Is Cheap” |
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Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, appeared on Fox's America Live with Megyn Kelly today:
Excerpts:
On the President continuing to say Republicans don't have any solutions:
"We invited the president to our House Republican retreat last week. It ended up on live television across the nation. We presented to him then a compdium avail at gop.gov of all the Republican alteratives that we had offered on economic stimulus, on budget, on energy, on healthcare reform. So I have to tell you I'm mystified to hear the president heading out to the country yesterday and saying, I told them, show me what you got. Excuse me, Mr. President, we just showed you what we got. You repeatedly acknowledged that we have, in fact, been offering solutions. And it just gets a little bit frustrating when the president on Friday is acknowledgeing Republicans have been offering positive alternatives, and by early this week he's back to essentially acting as though he's still waiting for us come up with stuff."
On bipartisanship:
"Bipartisanship doesn't mean giving Republicans the opportunity to vote for Democrat bills. Bipartisainship actually requires not reflexively saying no to every Republican proposal then turning around and pretending like the Republicans didn't make any proposals at all. Come on, You've heard the administration for the last year telling the American people, what liberals on the hill have been telling the American people that we are the party of no ideas. The President acknowledged repeatedly on Friday in Baltimore at the Republican retreat that we have in fact offered ideas. It's frustrating to me because now we're back to that same tired rhetoric. Yesterday He said bring me the ideas. Well, at gop.gov anybody can read the book we handed to the President."
On the president's visit to the House Republican retreat:
"It was our idea to invite the president to come to the House Republican retreat. It's healthy for the country, this healthy exchange of ideas. You know, bottom line, talk is cheap. It wasn't just the House Republicans that opposed their failed economic stimulus plan, their national energy tax, their government takeover of health care. The broad majority of the American people opposed those things. And until this administration demonstrates a willingness to step away from all these big government schemes, higher taxes, more government, more deficits, more debt, then all we're going to be doing here is talking when the American people would really like us to be trying to listen to each other and find those areas of common ground that we can pursue in the best interest of the United States."
On Republican ideas:
"Well the first thing that's going to get done is we're not going to do the wrong thing. I mean House Republicans are going to continue to oppose policies that will drive our economy further in the tank, that will increase deficits and the burden of debt on our children and grandchildren. But first, do no harm. We're going to continue to fight in a principled way as the loyal opposition on Capitol Hill. But I want to suggest to you that if the Democrats on Capitol Hill and if this administration will recognize it's not just House Republicans that don't want their government takeover health care, it's not just House Republicans that don't want their national energy tax and more of their so-called stimulus policies of passing out government spending and boutique tax cuts."
"If they recognize that it's the American people who don't want those things, the president can come our way, and we have ideas based on the principles of limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility. And I guarantee you, Megyn, if the president wants to look at our proposals, proposals that resonate with the broad mainstream of this country, we can achieve policy. But Republicans are going, as you suggest, to continue to fight on principle on behalf of the American people against all of this big government spending, deficits, debt, bailouts, and takeovers."
Note: To view this clip, click here.