By Daniel Doherty
7/13/2012
Dan Malloy -- the Democratic governor of Connecticut -- didn’t mince words Friday morning when he publicly questioned the patriotism of the Grand Old Party. Brace yourselves.
Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy, a Democrat, questioned the patriotism of Republicans on Friday, saying their sole mission is to defeat President Barack Obama instead of passing meaningful legislation.
"To be a Republican today, you have to deny reality and embrace a message that has no other purpose than to elect their candidate as President of the United States," Malloy said at a press conference with other Democratic governors in Williamsburg, the site of the National Governors Association annual meeting.
As proof, Malloy cited the GOP's inability to develop a coherent alternative to the president's health care reform law.
"They know what they're against, but they can't tell you what they're for," he said. Malloy called the situation "surreal."
"In other times taking those positions would be described as unpatriotic, but our politics have become so distorted that to be against a jobs bill is a good thing, and to be against health reform is a good thing," he said.
Let’s examine that last paragraph, shall we? It’s a fallacy to say Republican lawmakers are against “health reform.” Sure, they oppose the full implementation of Obamacare (as do most Americans), but that doesn’t necessarily mean they oppose reforming the nation’s health care system. On the contrary, Republicans do in fact have solutions to the nation’s health care woes – and, of course, recognize it’s one of the most important policy issues of our time. Remember, though, the president’s health care law was passed exclusively on partisan lines; Democrats couldn’t even get one single Republican to vote for it. And yet, somehow, if one disagrees with this deeply unpopular law – or the progressive worldview, for that matter – those same individuals are instantly deemed opponents of health reform. Incredible.
Let’s not forget, either, that Democrats (Governor Malloy included, it seems) have sought to portray the GOP as overseers of a “do nothing” Republican Congress. Speaker Boehner, on the other hand, contends that the Republican-controlled House has passed at least 15 jobs bills, only to watch them die in the United States Senate. And, in fact, as Guy explained earlier this year, Congressional Republicans did indeed work with President Obama and Senate Democrats to pass, among other things, the bi-partisan JOBS ACT.
The Republican-held House passed this bill in early March. After some pointless foot-dragging, the Democratic Senate eventually approved the measure, and now it's law. Let the record show that as of today, the "do nothing," "Republican" Congress has worked with the president by extending the payroll tax cut extension, passing patent reform, repealing a counter-productive withholding rule, and approving three free trade agreements. These were all elements of President Obama's jobs agenda. Now he's signed a job creation bill championed by House Republicans. Remember this roster of bipartisan accomplishments as our desperate president castigates his Congressional opponents as unflinching ideological obstructionists -- as he's guaranteed to do for the next seven months. The truth is that Republicans cooperate with this president when it's sensible to do so; they attempt to jettison his worst ideas, like cap and trade, Obamacare, higher taxes, and a second slush fund stimulus...
Perhaps if Republicans introduced a comprehensive plan to repeal and replace Obamacare they’d have much more credibility; but to say – or even imply – that Republicans are unpatriotic for opposing the policies of this administration is truly beyond the pale.
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To read another article by Daniel Doherty, click here.
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