- Expressing the GOP agenda through the quotes of the presidential hopefuls.
Although the media tends to portray Republicans as old men in their dotage who are out of touch with the world today, you can actually learn a lot about the GOP agenda by simply listening to the speeches they make. Lincoln was the first and perhaps the most eloquent of Republican Presidents who represented his party admirably, but there have been many others. My personal favorite was Calvin Coolidge who made several insightful quotes; among them:
"Collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery."
"To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race."
"Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business."
"The business of America is business."
Such quotes provide insight into what Republicans believe. To find out what today's Republicans are thinking you need look no further than those who are considering a run for the presidency in 2016. Here, I have assembled a list of quotations from the likely candidates. The emphasis here is not their differences but rather their similarities; that which makes them Republican. From these quotations you get a sense of what Republicans believe. As you read through the list you will inevitably note some repetition in their words. Such similarities ultimately dictate the Republican ideology of today.
Gov. Jeb Bush (FL)
"Well, I think lower taxes and less regulation would actually promote growth."
Gov. Chris Christie (NJ)
"Higher taxes is the road to ruin. We must and we will shrink our government, and that means making some tough choices, tightening our belts."
Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC)
"If you increase taxes now on - at any level, it's going to make it harder to create jobs. And we've lost 2 1/2 million jobs since the stimulus package passed. We're at 9.6 unemployment. So I don't think we tax too little, I think we spend too much."
Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR)
"I think a lot of people in America do not understand that the basis of true liberty can't happen without an objective moral standard by which we live our lives."
"The fact is, my friends, most Americans don't want more government. They want less government."
"I wish we would all remember that being American is not just about the freedom we have; it is about those who gave it to us."
Gov. Sarah Palin (AK)
"Folks, this government isn't too big to fail, it's too big to succeed."
Gov. George Pataki (NY)
"When government accepts responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves."
"This Budget reflects a choice - not an easy choice, but the right choice. And when you think about it, the only choice. The choice to take the responsible, prudent path to fiscal stability, economic growth and opportunity."
Gov. Rick Perry (TX)
"Our citizens are tired of big government raising their taxes and cooking up new ways to micromanage their lives, our citizens are tired of big government killing jobs with their do-gooder policies. In short the people are Fed Up!"
"As Americans, we don't see the role of government as guaranteeing outcomes, but allowing free men and women to flourish based on their own vision, their hard work and their personal responsibility."
"Americans want government that is leaner, more efficient, and less intrusive into their personal lives."
Gov. Scott Walker (WI)
"What has made America amazing has been the fact that throughout our history, throughout the more than 200 years of our history, there have been men and women of courage who stood up and decided it was more important to look out for the future of their children and their grandchildren than their own political futures."
"People create jobs, not the government."
"I believe that smaller government is better government. But I also believe that in the areas where government does play a legitimate role, we should demand that it is done better."
"One of those promises was to limit the size of government and to have the government serve the people - and not the other way around."
Sen. Ted Cruz (TX)
"The American free market system is the greatest engine for prosperity and opportunity that the world has ever seen. Freedom works."
"Government is not the answer (for turning around the country). You are not doing anyone a favor by creating dependency, destroying individual responsibility."
"We are seeing a great awakening. A national movement of We the People, brought together by what unites us - a shared love of liberty, and an understanding of the unlimited potential of free men and free women."
Sen. Rand Paul (KY)
"The great and abiding lesson of American history, particularly the cold war, is that the engine of capitalism, the individual, is mightier than any collective."
"We must always embrace individual liberty and enforce the constitutional rights of all Americans-rich and poor, immigrant and native, black and white."
"If our freedom is taken, the American dream will wither and die."
"We don't need bigger government. We need to shrink the size of government."
Sen. Marco Rubio (FL)
"Our national motto is 'In God we Trust,' reminding us that faith in our Creator is the most important American value of all."
"This is the only country in the world where today's employee, is tomorrow's employer."
"Americans chose a limited government that exists to protect our rights, not to grant them."
"Every nation on the Earth that embraces market economics and the free enterprise system is pulling millions of its people out of poverty. The free enterprise system creates prosperity, not denies it."
Sen. Rick Santorum (PA)
"You can't have a limited government if the family breaks down."
"The more moral the people are in their business dealings, the less paperwork you need, the more handshakes you can have, the more the wheels of capitalism work better because there's trust in the marketplace. Business ethics is not a joke. And, in fact, I think most businesses that I've dealt with encourage exactly that type of behavior."
"I believe in capitalism for everybody, not necessarily high finance but capitalism that works for the working men and women of this country who are out there paddling alone in America right now."
Rep. Peter King (NY)
"Every soldier, every cop who's faced with a decision to make, a life or death, does the best he or she can."
"I mean, I really don't want the federal government to be determining whether or not a person who feels certain ways about the environment or about animals or about certain religious issues should be considered an extremist. That to me is a type of thought control, mind control, which is very dangerous."
Ben Carson (MD)
"Through hard work, perseverance and a faith in God, you can live your dreams."
"The Roman Empire was very, very much like us. They lost their moral core, their sense of values in terms of who they were. And after all of those things converged together, they just went right down the tubes very quickly."
"We're not planning for the future. If we continue to spend ourselves into oblivion, we are going to destroy this nation."
Carly Fiorina (CA)
"The truth is in California you can't build a new manufacturing facility, and businesses are leaving in droves because of bad government policy."
"You take unacceptable risk, you have to be prepared to face the consequence."
Donald Trump (NY)
"Getting things done in this country, if you want to build something, if you want to start a company, it's getting to be virtually impossible with all of the bureaucracy and all of the approvals."
"I have made the tough decisions, always with an eye toward the bottom line. Perhaps it's time America was run like a business."
What do these candidates tell us about the Republican ideology? They believe...
* In Deity, moral values, and the family unit.
* In a smaller, less intrusive government.
* In the value of the free enterprise system (capitalism).
* In a person assuming responsibility for their actions and not becoming enslaved as wards of the state.
* In providing a person with the freedom to pursue their dreams, take risks, and encourage innovation.
* In emboldening business through less regulation.
* In the U.S. Constitution,
Come to think of it, this is not dissimilar to what Republicans have believed for many years and is essentially no different than the Coolidge quotes expressed at the beginning. No, there are no secrets in the Republican agenda, just misinformation from the media.
BTW, Many thanks to Brainy Quote.
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
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Copyright © 2015 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.
NEXT UP: THE FRUSTRATION FACTOR - How we become more impatient as we enter our sixties.
LAST TIME: ADAPTING TO THE CORPORATE CULTURE - There are both logical and physical aspects to be considered.
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