Thursday, March 05, 2009

Boehner comes out swinging

I told you how impressed I was with Congressman John Boehner at CPAC. Today in the WaPo he shows he is fired up and ready to fight against creeping socialism: (emphasis mine)

In the first two months of 2009, the Democratic Congress and the White House have spent more money than the combined cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the response to Hurricane Katrina. After they doled out taxpayer dollars at such a blistering pace, the instinct of many inside the Beltway is to do what's most convenient: desperately try to change the subject by creating straw men -- called "the party of no" -- to rally against.

I do want to be "the party of no." I want to say no to excessive ridiculous spending at a time of economic crisis. I want to say no to a radical left agenda on abortion. I want to say no to an overreaching government that interferes with our lives and the free market. I want to say no to punishing the successful. Your damn right I want to say no.

And in a carefully calculated campaign, operatives and allies of the Obama administration are seeking to divert attention toward radio host Rush Limbaugh, and away from a debate about our alternative solutions on the economy and the irresponsible spending binge they are presiding over.

Surely many of you have wondered why in the world the President of the United States would talk about a radio talk show host. This is why my friends. While Obama talks of bi-partisanship and coming together, he is involved in a calculated effort to divide us. It's cheap political theatre at it's finest.

The president apparently plans to sign the $410 billion "omnibus" spending bill, even though it is loaded with some 9,000 unscrutinized earmarks and the largest increase in discretionary spending -- save for a brief increase after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks -- since the Carter administration. And the Obama administration has proposed a budget blueprint that increases taxes on every American, to the total tune of $1.4 trillion. Each of these policy proposals is meant to lay the groundwork for a new era of big government -- and neither Main Street nor Wall Street likes what it is seeing.

This really is about replacing free market ideas with big government. It's as simple and as scary as that.

Update: Sen. John Cornyn is tag teaming with Boehner on calling out Obama on spending, hypocrisy, and diversion:

...this coordinated strategy began with “conversations and email exchanges” taking place “in and out of the White House” between former Clinton political operative James Carville, the political team at the Democrat National Committee, and White House staff. The article goes on to note that “a senior White House aide has been tasked with helping to guide the Limbaugh strategy.”This is an outrage. It appears the Obama Administration has forgotten that the salaries of White House staff are paid for by you the taxpayer. To say nothing of the fact that this story reeks of hypocrisy coming from a President who campaigned against these very cynical political tactics last fall.

Has Obama figured out yet that he won? He doesn't have to campaign and do the dirty spin anymore.

So much for "change" in Washington.