A Conservative Victory — On Principle

In the month and a half since the November elections, the conservative movement has taken some not so subtle hits from those in the D.C. establishment. Well, after the show of force by principled conservatives in the U.S. House of Representatives this week, conservatives scored a major victory when Speaker John Boehner’s “Plan B” tax increase failed to even come to the floor for a vote. Those conservative members should be commended for their actions and for standing firm on their principles.  

The conservative movement either stands for something or nothing at all, and with the rejection of “Plan B” in the House, conservatives reaffirmed that they are against raising taxes on the American people, particularly in this poor economic climate. Americans are already overtaxed. That is a fact.  Conservatives believe this; liberals don’t.  After expelling conservatives off of committees and now with the “Plan B” debacle under his belt, Speaker Boehner should probably readjust his priorities. The leadership team in the U.S. House must be conservative – not Democrat-lite. It makes you wonder how loyal Boehner’s coalition would be if the vote for Speaker in January was in secret. 

What I’ve been saying all along is that Speaker Boehner should offer and pass a pro-growth economic/debt reduction plan that all House Republicans and some commonsense Democrats can support. Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy would have a much easier time counting for this vote. The package should include the following: across-the-board tax rate cuts for all Americans, designed to grow the pie and increase revenue; reasonable, structural entitlement reforms that will further increase savings; tax code simplification; and across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending in the federal budget (including Defense). Conservatives believe what is true: America has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. 

It is imperative for the House leadership, starting with Speaker Boehner on down, to stay true to their conservative principles. The “Plan B” saga should not be repeated ever again or those in leadership positions will be challenged because they lack the backbone to stand up for our core beliefs.  We must always articulate how our vision for America’s future is much different than President Obama’s pessimistic platform of tax increases, bigger government, and more spending.  If we are Democrat-lite, we lose.  If we are bold and principled conservatives, we win.