Ryan Streeter
As lawmakers reconvene in Washington to resume the heated debate about spending, there are a few things that Republicans need to emphasize beyond casting themselves as the party of cuts.
Three, in fact: a positive vision of growth, a clear message about what will fix our structural deficits, and a strong statement of support for state reformers. If they ignore these three items, they risk losing public support for what they’re doing. If they prioritize them, they could help set the stage for a good 2012.
I will take a look at each of these Tuesday-Thursday.
I have a piece at New Geography which sets the stage for these themes. In it I argue:
President Obama and the Democrats choose to talk about growth as the result of government spending, which is simply inadequate.
Congressional Republicans choose to talk about growth as what automatically results from spending cuts.
Neither has articulated in a compelling way to the American people what we need to be doing to spur real growth.
We see this in our polls. Conservative voters appreciate the effort by Republicans to cut spending, but they give the GOP low marks on job creation and growth.
We need a plan of action beyond stimulus spending on the one hand and spending cuts on the other to foster growth. I suggest starting with four action items:
Tax reform. Start with the corporate tax rate (lower it!) and go from there.
Capital. Clarify the current financial services bill so we know who’s too big to fail and who isn’t.
Energy. Make it a central component of a growth strategy.
Roads. We need more of them, and adding them will create a lot of jobs.
That’s a start. Other ideas are welcome.
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