Washington (CNN) - In a sign the conservative movement intends to hold the newly-emboldened Republican leadership accountable in the wake of Tuesday's midterm elections, over 60 prominent activists on the right sent a letter Wednesday to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker-designate John Boehner and Republican Governors Association Chairman Haley Barbour urging the new GOP leadership to unify around a set of core principles.
Read full letter (pdf)
The letter, obtained Thursday by CNN, was co-signed by a fleet of top conservative activists including former Reagan Attorney General Ed Meese, Media Research Center President Brent Bozell, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Let Freedom Ring founder Colin Hanna and Tea Party Express chairman Amy Kremer.
It asks McConnell, Boehner and Barbour to "go before the American people jointly and present a unified vision of what this Republican victory will stand for" - namely lower taxes, reducing the size of government, a commitment to "restoring traditional moral values" and a muscular foreign policy.
"You are in positions to lead Republicans in putting aside personal ambitions and desires to retain positions of power and use the public offices entrusted to the Republican Party to address the momentous economic, moral and national security challenges our nation faces today, as our Founding Fathers did before us," the letter reads.
Sad that this is the first time in two years that any Repubs have put down their demands so that everyone can understand how bad it is going to be.
Get out your tin-foil hats, the moons are aligning in the lower quadrent over the swamp.
"Deregulation" rears its head once again. Hasn't anyone learned ANYTHING from Bernie Madoff, the BP oil spill, the financial implosion, etc.?
Oooh! Here comes the Accountability Police GobP!!
Stand up and Deliver!!!
This is going tobe rich! Pass the popcorn!
Yep. Same nonsensical core values from the Bush years all over again. Is there a tally of how many voters actually turned out to vote on Tuesday? If it is 50% or under, this new batch of fools are celebrating a mixed message of gobbly gook. In actuality this new Congress most likely represents the same 30% or so of the country that still considers Bush a great president.
I ask questions to Joe Boehner when Obama won in 2008 with 54% do you think it was not mandate? but when you win in blue state to get majority barely with average 51% you demand Obama to listen to voters.
Why did you not listen for last two years and saying NO when it was clear mandate for Obama to pass health care,financial reform, energy, education,stimulus package and tax cut.
Look rich people are not demanding any tax cut but still Obama is giving them tax cut for their first 250,000 he is only against tax cut above their income of 250,000.
Why we talk about Compromise because you have to listen to other 49% who did not vote for you.
To my republican friends and to Mr. Boehner and Mitch McCall.
The meaning of Compromise is that you have to listen to other 49% who did not vote for you.
How is this different than what Republicans have run on for the last 30 years? Also, Republicans have consistently failed to reduce the size of government. Republicans have also consistently increased the national debt. If we keep on putting back the same people who keep on saying one thing (reducing the size of government) while doing another (increasing the size of government), why should we expect a different result?
The GOP won control of house, not the senate or the presidency, due to the fact the American citizens have to some the ill informed, ignorant views. There's no concept of how anything actualy works, do people honestly believe the 20 months problems were the fault of the newly elected Govt? common sense should tells it is a result of the previous, it's embarrassing the the public is so unaware of how things actually work. Jobs are on the increase, no longer losing 700k monthly, the stock market is up,combat in Iraq is over, deportations are up, we can on & on, oh yeah that's right " I want my country back" Can anyone say specifically what you've lost, real facts not the TP talking points, real Americans know what's this is really all about. Pres Obama 1/20/09 Tea Party 2/1/09, What's really good?????
"...present a unified vision of what this Republican victory will stand for" – namely lower taxes, reducing the size of government, a commitment to "restoring traditional moral values" and a muscular foreign policy."
LOWER TAXES – they are now LOW how LOW do you want them to GO and how will you pay for it!!!
REDUCE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT – HOW? Name the programs you want to get RID OF!!!!
RESTORING TRADITIONAL MORAL VALUES – What is "traditional" for YOU – may NOT be "traditional" for the country!!! What are "Traditional Values"????
"MUSCULAR FOREIGN POLICY" – Oh, I get it, "there's a NEW SHERIFF in town – WANTED – DEAD or ALIVE"!!! What is a "muscular" compared to what's going on NOW!!! That last SHERIFF that was in office had a TERROR ATTACK on his hands and left us with TWO WARS!!! Can we get more MUSCULAR than THAT???????
This is T'SAH – Out of Campaign Mode and N2 Moving America Forward with President Obama AND bringing the CORRUPTION/OBSTRUCTION and PROPOSAL with EMPTY SOLUTIONS to the front!!!
"It asks McConnell, Boehner and Barbour to "go before the American people jointly and present a unified vision of what this Republican victory will stand for" – namely lower taxes, reducing the size of government, a commitment to "restoring traditional moral values" and a muscular foreign policy."
The GOP and its zeolots are delusional. They won the House, with a mandate to cut the deficit and create jobs, that is all, and if the GOP cannot deliver that miracle, your victory will a very short one as you will be swept out of office. So get to work and stop the rhetoric. It' time to put up or shut up GOP. As the first order of business, let's see the GOP list of what is going to be cut from the budget so that the deficit will be reduced. That will be doubley hard since the incoming GOP chairman of the house Defense committee has already declared that he wants to increase defense spending. This and "a muscular foreign policy" are what contributed to the Bush/ Cheney deficit debacle. It did not take long for the GOP to show its stripes.
Did I see the mention of "freedom of religion" in there?
WOW! Sounds like they're on board with the mosque (that is actually a community center) near Ground Zero.
Way to go!
P.S. – The rest looks like the same old story–Don't compromise an inch.
P.P.S. – Unfortunately, to these people I suspect "freedom of religion" means you can pick what conservative Christian protestant denomination you wish to join.
I was just thinking our military needs more muscle. Heck, we only spend twice as much as THE REST OF THE WWOOORRRLLLDDDD COMBINED!!!!
Clearly, we need to spend 5 times as much as the rest of the world. That should really help out all of our problems.
It's amazing how dumb some people are. This list is the same list that defined the Bush adenda. Muscular foreign policy? I've alreadfy heard top GOPers talking about INCREASING defense spending. You have to be kidding me? You CANNOT lower taxes for everyone and expect to cut the deficit...period. I have a degree in finance and unless I missed something it's just impossible, unless you sut doen the govenment and ALL spending and programs inclusind defense. To sum up how uninformed voters were on Tuesday, 30% of the people who said that their top priority was to see the govenment spend more money to get the economy moving actually voted republican....wow. I guessed they missed the 3 million times that the GOP said plan and simple that they are going to cut spending..
It is coming to pass-Republicans want to start another war. If taxes are lowered maybe republicans will give back their salaries and perks such as free health care.
Umm Ok, . . . we saw what happened to the other extremist candidates.
This is so sad that Republicans are asking Republicans for a plan. I don't like Carl Rove, but he better take charge of this Republican party because Palin certainly has no plan, just a lot of loud hot air which is hateful and divisive.
I say increase defense spending.
Come up with some space wars
technology and consult Sara Palin
on the core values for our party.
Give the rest of the world the
finger (especially france ).
Lower taxes and go to a five
day work week for everybody.
And I'm not kidding .
Palin 2012.