Will the Republican Party be able to capture the White House in 2012? I believe the answer to that question will be found in how we as a party present solutions to revitalizing this current sluggish U.S. economy. The country's economic situation is just not good. The growth that we were hoping to see has not occurred. Fresh ideas are demanded if we are to have a business climate that creates an atmosphere for fostering growth and job creation.
I have always viewed the Republican Party as the party of efficient management of the government's pocketbook. We are the dollars and cents team. We are the ones who make decisions based on costs and benefits. When I was Governor of New Mexico I took the role of steward of taxpayer funds very seriously. I cut waste and eliminated unnecessary jobs and programs. It was not easy, but we made New Mexico more efficient, and we created private sector jobs and growth. (National Review states that I had the best job creation record of all the GOP candidates running for president, June 20, 2011) This is the same kind of management style that we need in the White House today and I believe this is the type of leadership America wants and needs now.
The Republican Party should be leading the economic discussion with the presentation of new ideas and solutions for recovery. This country is looking for a new kind of leader, someone to provide new ideas and real solutions, someone who is willing to balance the budget immediately and is not afraid to make tough decisions. Over the next few weeks and months I will be presenting real solutions and ideas that we can implement to turn this country around and create jobs and build growth in America.
While some of us talk of solving economic problems, unfortunately, there exists a part of the Republican Party that wishes to sidestep this important discussion and instead turn the attention toward social issues and morality. By making such a choice, we are missing a golden opportunity to provide leadership for America. Social issues are not going to win the White House in 2012 for the Republican Party. When I see Republican presidential candidates discussing morality as if the government were some type of watchdog and moral compass for America -- then I see the American electorate being turned away from the Republican Party. America does not want government dictating actions in the bedroom, and they do not want government invading personal lives. We want a government that allows freedom and personal liberty for responsible adults. As long as we do not do harm to others, we should be allowed to live our lives in peace and free from government intervention.
I truly believe that the Republican Party is about efficient management of the government pocket-book, and that we are the party that can restore economic prosperity. However, if we continue to get sidetracked by the social conservative fringe of the party -- we will never get that chance.
Note: Governor Johnson will be addressing the National Press Club August 19, in Washington, DC, on the role of social issues in the Republican Party.
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They are addicted to spending other peoples money and buying votes with it. They are all owned by the corporate and union lobbiest on K Street. Until the people rise up and change the culture of Washington, then nothing will change.
The solution is to rid the country of all those in power in Washington now and replace them with people who put our country first and their pcketbooks and re-elections second.
At thispoint, drastic changes need to be made in order to save this country and those now in Washington do not have what it takes to get the job done.
The solution is to enact the recommended changes from the Bowles/Simpson plan but none of these idiots in Washington will do what is needed in fear of hurting their chances for re-election.
As a society we can either deal with hunger, poverty, homelessness and sickness - or we can ignore it.
Evil is the absence of good.
You can say that government is about efficient management. I fundamentally disagree.
Our forefathers set up a government to, "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity."
Establish Justice. What is justice when the U.S. is #48 in the world in economic disparity?
Promote the general Welfare. What is the general welfare when the Republican party is giving 23% of national income to the top 1%, while excoriating and blaming the poor?
Leadership is about morality, ethics and justice.
You just failed the test.
How can you "truly believe that the Republican Party is about efficient management of the government pocket-book" in light of the combination of tax cuts and spending increases that occurred during both the Reagan and George W. Bush administrations? In each instance, a Republican President acting in concert with Republicans in Congress deliberately took actions (i.e., decreasing revenue while increasing spending) that any rational person would have to realize would result in enormous deficits.
As for fiscal responsibility.....you guys proved how responsible you are during the Bush years.....that dog has died.
Sure, If you are a large corporation/bank/wall street star, the republicans are very efficient at removing money from the government pocketbook and into the pockets of the afor mentioned groups. And yes, republicans SHOULD stop talking social issues and start talking economics. But then where would their votes come from? Half of the rich and corporate? That's only 2% of the population, the rest have to be bamboozled into voting against their own interests.
I heard your address to the press club, and I'm sorry to say that a pro choice, legalizing drugs, type conservative doesn't have a chance with the GOP. And when you mention free markets in the same sentence as health care, all I see is money being sucked out of my personal bank account. So the liberal vote is no as well.
The so-called "religious right" is bankrolled primarily as a method of getting working class voters to vote against their economic interests.
The CIA recently won two court rulings allowing the agency to refuse comment about its former contractor Dennis Montgomery - rulings that issues involving him are "state secrets" (despite strong evidence that the main "secret" is merely how foolish the agency, and the U.S. Air Force, were to pay Montgomery at least $20 million for bogus software following 9-11, according to a New York Time report.) Mongomery, a small-time gambler who said he was once abducted by aliens, convinced the two agencies that his sophisticated solftware could detect secret Al Qaeda messages embedded in video pixels on Al Jazeera's news website. According to the Times report, Montgomery has not been charged with wrongdoing and is not likely to be, since the agencies do not want their gullibility publicized proving the Central Intelligence Agency it misnamed and should be called the: Comedy Idiots Aggregation!!!