Rep. Mike Pence (R.-Ind.) believes the conservative movement needs to look at what it has accomplished before looking at the negatives.
“We have managed to deliver on many promises…and have liberated millions and are winning the war in Iraq, regardless of what the media states,” he said at a Leadership Institute Wednesday Wake-Up breakfast.
When it comes to excessive government spending, Pence says the Bush administration is “all sizzle and no steak” meaning they haven’t delivered on being the party of small government. He said Congress has spent $380 billion more than the administration has even requested, making this look more like a Democratic Congress. Pence says that more government is now the expected Republican philosophy in Washington, and that the American people get it when it comes to spending: it’s the politicians who don’t.
Pence said he is excited about the future of the conservative movement because of the young people he meets who are passionate about these issues. He quoted Ronald Reagan’s remarks from the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 1975 about being a great nation and looking forward to the future.
Pence said Republicans should not abandon ship; the GOP just needs a "course correction." He said as government expands, freedom contracts. “The very story of the conservative movement is a story about the success of principle in America,” states Pence. “We are the party that speaks to American values…we have work to do and challenges to face.” He said, “It doesn’t take courage to get these things done, it takes will.” It looks like Pence is well on the way to getting some things done.
