Yesterday, I diariedabout Eric Cantor admitting that Bush's tax cuts added to the deficit. Included in that diary was a link to a poll by Third Way, which showed that a majority of Americans think that the Republicans in Congress have different economic policies than George Bush.
Today, I find that President Obama addressed a Democratic fundraiser yesterday, and said this:
They have not come up with a single, solitary new idea to address the challenges of the American people. They don't have a single idea that's different from George Bush's ideas, not one. Instead, they're betting on amnesia.
I think we can help drive this point home with a little research. You can find candidates running in various states at politics1.
2004 Republican Party Platform
This is what George Bush ran for re-election on. And here's the first paragraph (bold added by me):
America’s economy is the strongest in the world, and it is getting stronger thanks to lower taxes, fewer burdensome regulations, and a focus on encouraging investment. Our goal is to make sure America remains the strongest economy in a dynamic world and to make it possible for every American who wants a job to find one. We must ensure that workers are equipped with the education and training to succeed in the best jobs of the 21st century, and we must encourage the strong spirit of innovation that has put America at the forefront of new technology industries. Future prosperity demands that we have affordable, cleaner, more independent energy supplies and affordable, high-quality health care. We must maintain our commitment to free and fair trade, lower taxes, limited regulation, and a limited, efficient government that keeps up with the new realities of a changing world. By keeping the costs of running a business low and ensuring that our workers have the skills to compete in a dynamic global economy, President Bush and the Republican Congress will continue to ensure that America is the best nation in the world in which to create jobs.
Then, the first major subsection:
Lower Taxes and Economic Growth
So, do 2010 Republicans embrace the 2004 Bush agenda? Let me look at my local candidates.
For Senate in Colorado, the GOP is choosing between Jane Norton and Ken Buck.
And what do these two esteemed economic minds have to say?
Jane on the issues: economy.
Cut non-defense discretionary spending by 20%
Use the $515 billion remaining from the stimulus and the leftover TARP money to pay down the deficit.
Repeal Obamacare, saving over a trillion dollars. We don’t need an increase in government involvement in health care that will raise taxes, explode federal spending, and put government bureaucrats between patients and doctors.
Cut taxes and regulations on small businesses. Specifically we can:
* Put a 3-year moratorium on the payroll tax payments by small businesses.
* Lower the corporate tax rate.
* Eliminate the estate (death) tax.
Oppose any and all new taxes.
Ken on taxes:
I am proud to be the first candidate for the U.S. Senate from Colorado to sign the Americans for Tax Reform's Taxpayer Protection Pledge. As your U.S. Senator you can be assured I will not vote for tax increases.
We are not under-taxed. The federal government is overspending. And as the endless string of spending in Congress continues, so will the call for higher taxes.
As the push for higher taxes emerges, I will be the Colorado Senator pushing to downsize government, not raise taxes. I'll stay true to the Taxpayer Protection Pledge I have signed.
Do you see a pattern here? I certainly see one. And it continues in the Congressional races.
CO-1: Mike Fallon
I pledge to support thriving economies within our neighborhoods by
* reducing burdensome taxes for small businesses
* eliminating tax breaks for special interest groups
* enacting only common sense regulation
* encouraging development and innovation across the economy without subsidies
CO-2: Stephen Bailey
I will never vote to increase the debt limit or for deficit spending. Pledging not to raise taxes is woefully inadequate when tax freedom day for Coloradans (the day when you finished working for all levels of government) was 12 April in 2009. Stated another way, the average taxpayer in Colorado spent 28% of their life in 2009 working for the government! I pledge to work aggressively to lower your taxes. I will work to eliminate government regulation of private industry while also ensuring the sanctity and strength of our legal system for intellectual and real property rights and contractual laws. I will work towards a restoration of the Constitution’s interstate commerce clause to its original intent – prohibiting barriers to or preferential treatment in interstate commerce.
CO-3: Bob Mcconnell
We need to put people back to work. So, how do we do that?
* Get the government off our backs.
* Reduce taxes on business and individuals.
* Eliminate the capital gains tax.
* Repeal the morass of federal laws and regulations that strangle American business.
* Put the job of regulating private employers back where it belongs, with the States.
* Don’t punish, free up the banks to loan money.
* Turn loose the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the small businesses that create 80% of new jobs.
and also Scott Tipton
* Cut spending
* Take government out of the private sector
* Reduce federal deficits
* Cut taxes
CO-4: Cory Gardner
This candidate does not mention the economy, or jobs, at all on his website!
CO-5: Rep. Doug Lamborn
As a fiscal conservative and an advocate of pro-growth free-market society, Congressman Lamborn understands the need to reduce government spending. Since his arrival in Washington, Congressman Lamborn has been dedicated to lowering taxes and minimizing government regulations to maintain a business-friendly economic environment and allow for a vibrant economy.
CO-6: Rep. Mike Coffman
Economic growth and job creation is my top priority. To return our nation to prosperity and to make our economy globally competitive we must stop out of control deficit spending, cut taxes, end unnecessary regulatory burdens on business, provide access to credit for small business, and focus our education resources on math, science, engineering and technology.
CO-7: Ryan Frazier
That is why as your next United States Congressman, I will work to pass a balanced budget, root out wasteful spending, and cut tax rates in order to create a friendly environment for business and jobs. Building a vibrant economy for our children and grandchildren must be a top priority.
I think this is a good project for collective action. For your state, please provide links to Republican Congressional candidates in the comments, and their quotes regarding economic policy. I will bet that we can get over 95% of Republican House and Senate candidates nationwide whose economic plans are demonstrably close to GW Bush's. In Colorado, every candidate who mentions the economy at all has tax cuts front and deregulation front and center - 9 of 10.
This lets us run cookie-cutter attack ads cutting between GW Bush speaking about economic policy, and Goposaurs. It also lets us run ads pointing out what President Obama pointed out: they have no new ideas to contribute.
Please help me hang the albatross of George Bush's economic policies around the neck of every Goposaur in the nation until, like the Ancient Mariner, they repent their sin.