Good Politics Radio

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Geoff Davis of Kentucky. Davis discussed one of Republicans’ better solutions to help small businesses create jobs after the latest unemployment report revealed that the Obama Administration’s “Recovery Summer” failed to materialize as promised.

“Hi, I’m Geoff Davis, and I work for the people of Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District.

“Yesterday, Americans from coast to coast began their day with the news that our economy has lost jobs for three months in a row. The nation’s unemployment rate has now been above nine percent for 16 consecutive months. This is despite the fact that the Obama Administration promised that the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ would keep unemployment below eight percent. So the question remains: where are the jobs?

“The Obama Administration told the American people this would be a ‘Recovery Summer.’ But, our economy continues to lose jobs. Growth has slowed to anemic levels. Our national debt is growing by more than four billion dollars per day. So as it turns out, ‘Recovery Summer’ was nothing more than a meaningless slogan. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senate Candidate Marco Rubio of Florida. Rubio talked about 3 things that can be done by Congress now to help get the economy going in the right direction.

“Hi, I’m Marco Rubio.

It’s an honor to talk to you today about the direction of our country.

About the decisions being made in Washington that will determine what kind of nation we leave to our children.

America is the greatest country in the history of the world. But that didn’t happen by accident and it won’t continue automatically.

Today the American Dream is threatened by out-of-control politicians in Washington who think that more government deficit spending is what it takes to grow our economy. That has never worked anywhere it’s been tried and it won’t work now. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Charles Djou of Hawaii. Djou called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow the House of Representatives to consider Republicans’ proposals to immediately cut wasteful Washington spending and provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to get people working again.

“Aloha. I’m Congressman Charles Djou.

“90 days ago, I earned the privilege of serving the people of Hawaii’s First Congressional District. Of course, it didn’t take me nearly that long to figure out that Washington does a lot more talking than listening – and a lot more spending than saving.

“For every problem facing our nation, the answer from Washington has been to spend and spend, and – if that doesn’t work – spend some more. The current Administration in Washington told us that borrowing and spending billions would create jobs ‘immediately’ and keep unemployment from exceeding eight percent. They were wrong. Instead, we’ve lost millions of jobs and unemployment remains near 10 percent. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senate candidate Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. Toomey talked about three steps that will help change the direction of the US economy.

“Hi, I’m Pat Toomey from the great state of Pennsylvania, and I’m pleased to have this opportunity to share a few thoughts with you today.

Like a lot of Americans all around the country, I really believe America is at a crossroads. I’ll always be optimistic about America. We’re too strong a people and too good a country to be held back for long. But I am deeply concerned about the direction we’re heading in right now. That direction is being driven by extreme policies that are coming from one-party domination of government in Washington. And this extreme ideologically driven agenda is preventing the strong economic recovery and job creation that we should be having.

It’s time we put some real checks and balances back in place this November.

Let’s take a minute to review what’s happened in just the last 18 months. First, there were the ill-advised taxpayer funded bailouts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and the….

…car companies. Now, to be fair, the bailouts were begun under the previous administration; but the crew that’s in charge now ramped them up when it was perfectly clear that they were not accomplishing what they were supposed to. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Peter Roskam of Illinois. Representative Roskam said that President Obama needs to listen to the American people, who are asking ‘where are the jobs?,’ and abandon his failing ‘stimulus’ policies in favor of common-sense solutions that will promote private sector job creation.

““Hello, I’m Peter Roskam, and I work for the people of Illinois’ Sixth Congressional District.

“Yesterday, Americans woke up to learn that our economy lost another 131,000 jobs in the month of July. Here in the president’s home state of Illinois, where the unemployment rate is well over 10 percent, families are wondering why Washington is spending money we don’t have and piling up a mountain of debt only to have the economy sputter and job losses continue. Businesses are afraid to invest in the economy when Washington continues to hand down mandates and tax increases that make it harder to succeed and to grow.

“Unfortunately, instead of taking decisive action to provide small and medium sized businesses with the tax and regulatory relief they need to flourish and hire new workers, Speaker Pelosi and Democrat Leaders in Congress are coming back to Washington next week to double down on their ‘stimulus’ agenda that has led to fewer jobs and more debt. This latest round of ‘stimulus’ spending comes in the form of a political season payoff to union bosses, and even worse, it’ll be financed with a job-killing tax hike on America’s job-creators. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Mike Johanns of Nebraska. Senator Johanns talked about some of the unwanted consequences of President Obama’s agenda.  He talked specifically about how the policies may stunt job growth.

“Hello, I’m Senator Mike Johanns from the great state of Nebraska.

I begin with a very sincere question for our President.

Isn’t it time, Mr. President, to tone down the rhetoric and to govern?

I’m a relatively new member of the U.S. Senate. But, I’ve had an opportunity to serve in the Cabinet; to govern a state; and to serve as the Mayor of a wonderful community.

And I learned early on that to advance an agenda, a leader needs to pull people together.

You talk about creating jobs and that sounds good, but your policies just do the opposite – with a fiercely anti-business tone.

Let’s take an honest look at the impact of your agenda. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered byRepresentative Mike Pence of Indiana. Pence talks about Washington Democrats’ refusal to listen to the American people and take action to prevent the largest tax increase in history from taking effect. Republicans are listening to the American people through America Speaking Out and offering better solutions to get people working again and make government more accountable to the people it serves. Now in his fifth term in Congress, Chairman Pence represents Indiana’s 6^th Congressional District.

“Hello, I’m Mike Pence from Indiana.

“In the worst economy in a quarter of a century, American families are hurting. That’s obvious to just about everybody, except that is the Democrats in Washington, D.C.

“You know, it’s more clear every day, they just don’t get it. Washington politicians just aren’t listening and the American people know it.

“With nearly 15 million people unemployed and the Pelosi-led Congress poised to take a six-week paid vacation, the American people deserve better.

“Now, President Obama says things are getting better. But American families see things a little differently. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. Roberts talked about the recent appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick as Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  Roberts talks about Dr. Berwick’s stated philosophy of redistribution of health care services and about the likely cuts to Medicare that will result.

“I’m Pat Roberts – and I am very proud to represent Kansas in the U.S. Senate.

I’ve had the privilege of serving the people of my state as both a Senator and a Congressman.

And much of my work in Congress has focused on health care, and especially the needs and concerns of patients — whether in a rural hospital in my hometown of Dodge City or in a major metropolitan area like Kansas City.

And no matter where I go, patients tell me they are very worried that the new health care law – Obamacare — will cost more, hurt their quality of care, and keep them from seeing their doctor that they know and trust. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Phil Gingrey of Georgia. Gingrey invites Americans fed up with Washington’s out-of-control ‘stimulus’ spending spree to make their voices heard through America Speaking Out and help construct a new agenda rooted in the principles of a smaller, more accountable, and less costly government. talked about the Independence Day celebrations across the nation and about the dangers of our large national debt.

“Hello, I’m Doctor Phil Gingrey, and I work for the people of Georgia’s 11th Congressional District.

“Americans are fed up with how things are going in the country right now. They see more job losses, rising debt, and plummeting home sales. They feel let down by a government that passes one 2,000-page, trillion-dollar law after another instead of focusing on addressing the problems Americans worry about every day.

“Republicans are listening and offering better solutions that get Washington out of your way, out of your pocket, and back on your side.

“Just look at jobs. President Obama and Democrats in Washington are still trying to convince Americans that their trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ is working. But our economy has lost more than three million private sector jobs since February 2009. During that same time period, the federal government has actually grown by more than 400,000 jobs. More government, fewer jobs – that’s not recovery, those aren’t results, they’re just more of the same broken promises. Republicans are offering specific proposals to cut spending now. We can provide the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create private-sector jobs and boost our economy. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. He talked about the Independence Day celebrations across the nation and about the dangers of our large national debt.

“Hello, I’m Senator Saxby Chambliss from Georgia.

Before I begin my remarks, I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a colleague, Senator Robert Byrd. The longest-serving senator ever, he had the greatest respect for the rules and traditions of the Senate, and for all three branches of government. He defended them with passion and vigor. I extend my deepest sympathies to Senator Byrd’s family.

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. From the village squares of New England to the palm-fringed beaches of California, and from the courthouse green in my hometown of Moultrie, Georgia, to windswept prairie cities and beyond, Americans are gathering this weekend to celebrate our nation’s birthday.Amid the red-white-and-blue bunting and family picnics, many of us will listen to the words of a document, published 234 years ago, that urged Americans to throw off the yoke of a king and make their own destiny as an independent nation and a free people.

Signing the Declaration of Independence was a daring move by brave, thoughtful men. By embarking on such a bold experiment, they risked life and limb to create a nation based not on ethnicity or religion or geographic boundaries, but one based solely on ideas. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. He said that the Democrats’ unprecedented decision to cancel this year’s budget will wreak havoc on our economy and make it even harder to put people back to work.

“Hello – I’m Paul Ryan – I work for the people of Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District and I serve as the top Republican on the House Budget Committee. Yes, Congress does have a budget committee, but I’m afraid it hasn’t been very busy this year.

“In fact, this week the House Majority Leader announced that Democrats are canceling this year’s budget. Instead of reining in out-of-control spending that has pushed our national debt past $13 trillion, Democrats have made clear their intention to raise taxes on middle-class families to fuel their continued spending spree.

“Talk about a recipe for disaster: Democrats are offering no budget, no priorities, and no restraints – yet all their taxing, borrowing, and spending continues unchecked. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi. He talked about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and President Obama’s leadership during the disaster.

“Hello, I am Senator Roger Wicker from Mississippi.

As we enter the third month of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, we continue to learn more and more disturbing information about gross negligence on the part of BP — and about some proposals from the Obama Administration that will do more harm than good.From the Oval Office Tuesday night, President Obama attempted to recover from a widespread perception that he has not made this crisis a priority.

The public outcry about the President’s inattention has been loud and it has been bi-partisan.

I’m glad President Obama is finally putting this catastrophe at the top of his agenda, but his response has been too slow. He was slow in listening to state and local leaders, slow in….

…getting skimmers to the Gulf, slow in understanding the seriousness of this crisis, and slow in taking ownership and responsibility for the recovery. Many of his actions have actually taken us in the wrong direction. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio.   He called on President Obama to work with Republicans to produce needed budgetary spending cuts and to create more jobs for America.

“While I hope President Obama will work with us to stop this spending spree, if he won’t hold Congressional Democrats accountable, then the American people will.”

“Hello – I’m John Boehner. In these tough economic times, American families have done their level best to stay afloat – spending less and working more while trying to map out a financially sound future. They deserve that same degree of discipline and vigilance from their government.

“But instead of bringing fiscal sanity to Washington like he promised, President Obama has spent taxpayer dollars with reckless abandon, refusing to make tough choices and pushing the burden on to future generations. No price tag has been too high for Washington Democrats, and now we’re all paying the price.

“Unemployment is still close to 10 percent. The private sector is at a near-standstill. Our small businesses are still gasping for air. And having run a small business, I can tell you that the new health care law, with its burdensome mandates and tax increases, is already stalling these engines of our economy. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by RNC Chairman Michael Steele. He talked about the controversy surrounding the Administration’s offers to Congressman Joe Sestak and Andrew Romanoff.

“President Barack Obama promised that he “won’t stop fighting to open up government,” and that he would have “the most transparent administration in history.” Really?

Of course, it’s one thing to keep that promise when you think it’ll help you politically. The real test of a man’s word is if he keeps it when it’s inconvenient, embarrassing or potentially damaging. On this test, the President and his people have failed.

There’s a reason we have a law that prohibits Federal officials from offering things of value to people for political gain. It’s called transparency. And the White House’s efforts to use federal appointments to entice candidates out of competitive Democratic primaries goes directly against the Obama Administrations claims of openness and transparency.

From day one of this current flap involving Congressman Joe Sestak and now Andrew Romanoff, the White House efforts to deny, obfuscate, and mislead have only served to raise suspicions even further.

Three months ago, when Congressman Sestak claimed the White House offered him a job in return for dropping his primary challenge against Democrat incumbent Arlen Specter, the White House flatly denied it.

After Sestak refused to recant his version of events, the White House finally conceded that some conversation happened but their message was “trust us, it wasn’t inappropriate, so move along, nothing to see here.”

This exoneration-by-fiat didn’t pass the laugh test. It’s not up to the White House to judge the ethics of their behavior – that right is reserved for the American people once all the facts are on the table. So the demand for these facts continued. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Kevin McCarthy of California. He talked about a new Republican project called America Speaking Out where Americans can share their ideas for change.

“Hi, I’m Congressman Kevin McCarthy and I have the honor of representing the great people of California’s 22nd Congressional District.

“This week, House Republicans launched a new effort to change the way Washington governs by returning the voice of the American people to the process.

“You know, there is nothing more powerful and inspirational than the common voice of the common man. Over the last year, we’ve all been reminded of this. In town halls and on public squares, in every corner of this country, people have gathered and spoken out – in small groups and larger crowds, through phone calls and in letters.

“They acted individually and independently. They were not all driven by any one issue. But their message was the same: Washington needs to listen. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia. He talked about the deficit spending of the Administration and pending and future tax increases.

“Hello. I’m House Republican Whip Eric Cantor and I have the great privilege of representing the hardworking people of Virginia’s 7th District.

“This week, Americans from coast to coast sent their tax payments to Washington. Your government continues to spend more and more, and that means your taxes are more and more. This has to stop – and you can help stop it.

“The challenges and situations faced by families, small business people, and young workers have no doubt made this tax day particularly painful. But as painful as it was, the truth is that the actions taken by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Obama Administration are going to make the ‘tax days’ of the future much much worse.

“President Obama has signed 25 tax increases passed by the Democratically controlled Congress into law that will cost families and small business people more than $670 billion over the next 10 years. Many of these break the President’s campaign promise not to raise taxes on families making less than $250,000 a year. In the House, Speaker Pelosi and her majority have passed legislation that would result in more than a trillion – that’s with a T – dollars in net tax increases. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Senator John Kyl of Arizona. He talked about a simple plan for stimulating jobs creation.

“Hello. I’m Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona.

The effects of the ongoing economic slump have been severe and have touched all Americans. Too many people have lost jobs; others are working reduced hours or for lower pay. The latest report shows that unemployment has stubbornly stayed at just below 10 percent. Nearly four million workers have lost their jobs since President Obama took office.

The American people have been telling Washington that promoting job growth must be the first priority. But, for more than a year, Congress and the President have focused instead on a controversial health spending bill which a majority of Americans said they didn’t want.

Recognizing that their $1.2 trillion stimulus has failed and in a frantic, election-year push, Democrats in Congress are labeling every bill they bring up as a ‘jobs’ bill. Most are….
… just more government spending, leading to higher deficits and more debt—and very few jobs.

Republicans have a better plan. We believe the best course is to encourage job creation by private companies. And the way to do that is to limit intrusion by Washington and to keep taxes at a manageable level. The federal government has been growing at an astonishing rate. Just last year, the government borrowed $1.4 trillion! The American economy cannot grow and create good jobs if Washington spending takes more and more resources out of the private economy.

Second, we must not raise taxes. Under current law, unless Congress acts, taxes will rise dramatically on December 31st. Taxes will increase on families with children, on married couples, on income, on capital gains and dividends, and even after death. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Representative Kevin McCarthy of California. He talked about bailouts for Wall Street, new taxes, and new spending.

“Hi, I’m Congressman Kevin McCarthy. I have the great honor of representing California’s 22nd Congressional District. I also serve as the House Republican Chief Deputy Whip. I’d like to start by wishing all those families celebrating Easter and Passover a year of peace and prosperity in this holiday season.

I need not remind you that this is a time of great economic anxiety for almost everyone. Americans are rightfully asking ‘where are the jobs?’ ‘Why is Washington raising taxes in times of recession?’ ‘Doesn’t anyone care about us?’ ‘Is anyone actually listening?’

I know what you’re thinking. Enough is enough. Stop the spending. Stop the waste. Stop the broken promises.

Republicans agree. Major employers are already being squeezed because of the tax increases and cost hikes thanks to the new health care law signed by President Obama.The new law is just the latest in a series of anti-taxpayer policies coming out of Washington that is making it harder for Americans to save, invest, and hire, but it is by no means the last.

As a former small business owner – a deli here in Bakersfield – I know that there is risk involved in turning a new idea into a successful business. There is no reward without some risk. My small business – like many small businesses – was started on credit. At this time of high unemployment, when we need to focus on jobs, we should not be expanding government spending, government commitments, and government promises that crowd out the small businessman and businesswoman. That’s not good for jobs. That’s not good for anyone. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio. He talked about the House vote on health care legislation.

“Hello, I’m House Republican Leader John Boehner.

“I’m speaking to you from the Capitol, where in a matter of hours, the House of Representatives will vote on health care legislation sure to have a drastic effect on our economy and our lives.

“It was here fourteen months ago that President Obama took the oath of office with a promise to govern from the center. Republicans stood ready to work with our new president and find common ground to address the issues Americans care about.

“Unfortunately, President Obama and Democrats in Washington chose a partisan path and a costly, big-government agenda.

“The trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ isn’t working as struggling families continue to ask: ‘where are the jobs?’ And taxpayers’ hard-earned money is being spent so fast that two trillion dollars has been added to the national debt on President Obama’s watch.

“Now Democrats want the federal government to take over health care, which represents one-sixth of our economy.

“From the beginning, the one thing the American people wanted out of health care reform was lower costs. That’s why Republicans proposed a bill based on common-sense reforms that, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, would reduce premiums for families and small businesses by up to 10 percent. Our bill achieves these goals without cutting Medicare or raising taxes. All of the details are available at HealthCare.GOP.gov. (more…)

The Republican Weekly Address was delivered by Congressman Parker Griffith of Alabama. He talked about the upcoming battles in the House over health care.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Parker Griffith, and I have the great privilege to represent Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. In the next 10 days, Democrats in Washington will try and jam through a massive government takeover of healthcare. It would raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits and destroy American jobs.

It would put federal bureaucrats in charge of medical decisions that should be made by patients and doctors. And it must be stopped.
The American people have said loudly and clearly that they do not want this job-killing government takeover of care. They want us to start over with a clean sheet of paper and a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses.

But President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid refuse to listen to the American people. For them, healthcare reform has become less about the best reforms and more about what best fits their ‘Washington knows best’ mentality – less about helping patients and more about scoring political points.

This is no idle observation. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.

You see, two Januarys ago, I was sworn into office as an independent, conservative Democrat. But like so many Americans, I became increasingly concerned that the policies being pushed by Democrats in Washington were dangerous for our country and out of step with our values. (more…)