The letter urges Republican members of Congress to stand firm on conservative principles and resist compromising with Democrats. It argues that Republicans currently have the power to stop President Obama's agenda, and warns that caving into Democratic demands would anger Republican voters. The letter encourages Republicans to use their Congressional majorities to provide an alternative to the Democratic agenda rather than negotiate deals that would advance liberal policies.
The letter urges Republican members of Congress to stand firm on conservative principles and resist compromising with Democrats. It argues that Republicans currently have the power to stop President Obama's agenda, and warns that caving into Democratic demands would anger Republican voters. The letter encourages Republicans to use their Congressional majorities to provide an alternative to the Democratic agenda rather than negotiate deals that would advance liberal policies.
The letter urges Republican members of Congress to stand firm on conservative principles and resist compromising with Democrats. It argues that Republicans currently have the power to stop President Obama's agenda, and warns that caving into Democratic demands would anger Republican voters. The letter encourages Republicans to use their Congressional majorities to provide an alternative to the Democratic agenda rather than negotiate deals that would advance liberal policies.
An Open Letter to U.S. House and Senate Republicans Dear Republican U.S. Representatives and Senators: You are entering into a period of testing. In the House, the nation elected in 2012 one of the largest Republican majorities in the past 100 years. You have a mandate to fight for conservative principles that is arguably much broader than the one that narrowly reelected President Barack Obama claims to have for his leftist agenda. Of course, House Republicans alone cannot pass a law, but united you can stop any bill which violates the principles you publicly committed to support. In the Senate, you have more than enough Republicans to prevent the passage of anything truly harmful to our country. Nevertheless, you are already being pressured to abandon the principles voters elected you to uphold. The major news media, Democrat politicians, liberal interest groups, and even some weak-kneed Republicans are demanding that you not use the powers given to you by the electorate to stop the power-grab agendas of President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The Democrat leadership does want to "fundamentally change" America. They want to increase federal power, federal spending, federal taxes, federal deficits, and federal debt. They want to give more advantages to their liberal allies and put more federal money into the pockets of their political cronies. They want to undermine further traditional values and to surrender more of our national sovereignty to international bodies. 2 They want to weaken our country militarily and move America more rapidly in the direction of European socialism. Their entire leftist agenda opposes the principles on which you ran and the principles of the millions of people who elected Republicans to Congress. And now we count on you to stop them. Nobody else can stop them but you. You have the power, if you will use it. The whole leftist apparatus is gearing up to panic you and to force you to cave in. Don't do it. All of them, the liberal Democrats, the labor unions, the leftist ideologues in the so-called "progressive" movement, and their allies in the print, broadcast, and online media will try to convince you that your political careers will be over if you don't cave in. Let us remind you that these same people have always tried to defeat you -- yet you won election. Whether your resistance to their current power grabs collapses or not, they will work just as hard to defeat you next time. But if you are seen to cave in now, next time they will be stronger. And if Republicans cave in now, when it really counts, next time you will be weaker, because your conservative base will be outraged. Many who worked hard to elect you in the past will never lift a finger for you again. There are two ways President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid could get what they want out of the Congress now. First, just enough Republicans could vote with the Democrats and against most other Republicans to pass what Obama, Pelosi, and Reid want passed. Second, the Republican leadership could negotiate a "deal" with the Democrats and take most Republican Representatives and Senators with them. Either of those two courses would be a disaster for conservative principles because they would result in permanent advances for the "fundamental changes" the left wants to impose on our country. Let us also remind you that a great many potent conservative organizations and millions of conservative and liberty-loving voters do not believe in the divine right of incumbents to be re-nominated. Conservatives know how to recruit and support candidates. In recent election cycles the left has virtually eliminated "moderate" Democrats from the Congress. And you have no conservative Democrat colleagues at all. 3 At the same time, those election cycles have resulted in the nomination and election of fewer and fewer Republicans who play footsie with liberal Democrats. In the Republican Party, conservatives dominate the primaries more and more, a process almost certain to continue. Not only do you now have one of the biggest House Republican majorities in the past century, in the Senate, you have 45 Republicans, more than enough to stop many bad decisions there. Suppose just enough Republicans cross the aisle to provide Democrats a majority in vitally important legislative battles now upon us. They will find themselves, come election time, the targets of both liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans, which isn't likely to be healthy for their political careers. Suppose, on the other hand, that the congressional Republican leadership negotiates a "deal," a "compromise," with Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. The historic record of such deals shows that the Democrats usually clean the Republicans' clocks. You will remember that, with all good will, President Reagan and then the first President Bush made deals to support some tax increases in return for Democrat promises to cut spending even more. In both cases, the new taxes were quite real, but far from cuts in spending, spending increases followed. Right now it is generally but incorrectly believed that Republicans aren't able to negotiate from a position of strength. Of course, this time every element of the left will be in full-throated roar, yelling that the country will collapse if Republicans don't give in to their demands. There is some danger that the congressional Republican leaders will decide to accept whatever deals they can get, which might mean that Democrats get real gains and Republicans again get empty promises. Or Democrats would get permanent changes and Republicans would get changes easily reversed by a future Congress. If such deals are made, conservative organizations and conservative and liberty-loving voters would see that the current leadership is not an acceptable alternative to the left. Conservatives would then likely repeat what they did in the 1970s, when they systematically and successfully undertook a multi-year effort to replace Republican congressional leadership. With President Obama in office for another four years and his leftist appointees working tirelessly to implement the left's agenda, there is a virtual certainty that the economy will 4 not have a significant recovery. More likely the country will suffer a continuation of Obama's permanent recession. Yes, this is a time of testing for you. If Republicans provide a consistent, conservative alternative, the time will come, probably sooner than later, when most Americans will become fed up with the left's failed agenda and be ready for a change to "throw the bums out" and restore limited, Constitutional government. So it's in the interest of the country and in your personal interest for you to use the power you unquestionably have now to stand firm and not surrender your conservative principles, no matter how loud the clamor of people whose central interest is to advance the left's agenda. Sincerely,
(Affiliations for identification only)
Morton Blackwell, Chairman Colin Hanna, President The Weyrich Lunch Let Freedom Ring Ed Meese Jim Martin, Chairman Conservative Action Project 60 Plus Association Phyllis Schlafly, President T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr, Eagle Forum National Conservative Campaign Fund Brent Bozell, President Tom McClusky, Sr. Vice President ForAmerica Family Research Council Action Hon. James S. Gilmore III, President Gary Bauer, President Free Congress Action American Values Michael Farris, Chairman Preston Noell III, President Home School Legal Defense Association Tradition, Family, Property, Inc. Penny Nance, CEO and President Shari Rendall Concerned Women for America Director of Legislation & Public Policy Concerned Women for America 5 Richard Viguerie, Chairman Al Cardenas, Chairman ConservativeHQ.com American Conservative Union Erick Erickson, Editor Ken Blackwell , Chairman RedState Ohio Faith and Freedom Coalition Foster Friess (WY) Tim LeFever Chairman of the Board Capitol Resource Institute David N. Bossie, President Frank Cannon, President Citizens United American Principles Project Susan Carleson, President Lori Roman American Civil Rights Union Regular Folks United/Rosies Project President, Carleson Center for Public Policy Amy Ridenour, President Mark Fitzgibbons National Center for Public Policy Research. American Targeting Advertising Seton Motley, President Ginni Thomas Less Government Liberty Consulting Phil Kerpen, President Cindy Chafian, President American Commitment The Mommy Lobby Bob Reccord, Executive Director Jim Backlin Council for National Policy Christian Coalition of America Amb. Hank Cooper Rick Scarborough, President Former SDI Director Vision America Reverend Lou Sheldon, Founder and Chairman Andrea Lafferty, President Traditional Values Coalition Traditional Values Coalition
Nina May, Chairman Joseph Farah Renaissance Women Editor and Chief Executive Officer Renaissance Foundation WND.com and WNB Books
Dr. Jim Garlow, Chairman Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D Renewing American Leadership Action Beverly LaHaye Institute Mathew Staver, Chairman Deryl Edwards, President Liberty Counsel Liberty Counsel Action 6 Mandi Campbell, Legal Director Rod D. Martin, Chairman Liberty Center for law and policy The Vanguard Project Kay R. Daly, President Tim Echols, Chairman Coalition for a Fair Judiciary Georgia Public Service Commission
Jeff Gayner, Chairman Ron Pearson Americans for Sovereignty Council for America Elaine Donnelly, President Michael Centanni, Chairman Center for Military Readiness Freedoms Defense Fund Ted Baehr Kristan Hawkins, President Movieguide Students for Life of America Larry Cirignano Stu Epperson Faithful Catholic Citizens Salem Communications Corporation Dr. Day Gardner, President Kevin L. Kearns National Black Pro-Life Union US Business and Industry Council Rich Bott, President Dick Bott, Chairman Bott Radio Network Bott Radio Network Gary Aldrich, President Gary A. Marx, Executive Director Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty Faith & Freedom Coalition Chairman of the Board, Council National Policy Tim Macy, Vice Chairman Bradley Mattes, Executive Director Gun owners of America Life Issues Institute Floyd Brown, President Cullen Davis Western Center for Journalism Ken W. Davis Foundation Ken Timmerman (MD-08) Richard W. C. Falknor, Chairman Republican Candidate for Congress 2012 Maryland Center-Right Coalition John Kwapisz, Washington Liaison Wes Vernon American Council for Immigration Reform RenewAmerica.com Dianne Edmondson, Executive Director Keith Mason, President Republican National Coalition for Life Personhood USA (CO) Richard Ford Jason Jones, President Heritage Alliance Movie to Movement 7 Melissa Ortiz, Ms. Wheelchair NY 2005 Jim Simpson Founder & Principal Freelance Investigative Journalist Able Americans Terri L. Burl Common Sense Campaign (AL) Forest County Republican Party Media Social Media Director Liz Reiten Chris Martinson Secretary Chair of the Florence County Republican Party Wolf River Area Patriots (WI)
Penna Dexter Todd Dexter, President Co-Host, Point of View Radio Show Todd Dexter & Associates
Donald Gaines, Founder & Local Coordinator Mike Diggs Covington County Tea Party Patriots (AL) Tea Party Patriots of North Alabama
Seth Cowan, President Karen Schroeder President (WI) Wolf River Area Patriots (WI) Advocates for Academic Freedom TeaPartyPerspective.com Troy Newman, President Wisconsin Pro-Life Nation Somers H. White, President Roy Stringfellow, M.D. Somers White Co., Inc. Advanced Gynecology, LLC Penna Dexter Bob Ellis Radio Host American Clarion (SD) Judson Phillips, Founder Kelly G. Berry, President Tea Party Nation The Madison Institute Association Mark D. West, President Dave Kramer Chattanooga Tea Party (TN) Dubuque County Tea party (IA) Cathie Adams, President Tammy Kobza , Iowa State Director Texas Eagle Forum Iowa Eagle Forum Jim Treat, Chairman Becky Gerritson, President BV Tea Party Patriots Wetumpka TEA Party of Alabama Robert K. Fischer, President Tina J. Benkiser Fischer Furniture, Inc. Attorney & Counselor at Law Fr. Republican Party of Texas Chairman 8 Kirk Elliott, Ph.D. Dee Park, Chair TodaysAmerica.com Moore TEA Citizens (NC) Suzanne (Zan) Green, Founder J. Keet Lewis Rainy Day Patriots Texans for Conservative Principles PAC Joshua Charles David Y. Denholm President Rediscovery Project Public Service Research Council William Jessup University
Harold Sorensen Lisa Becker, President Americans Must Investigate Public Servants Liber8Congress Jodi McDade Lee A. Beaman Member Entrepreneur, Nashville, Tennessee Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee Joseph Schwartz Kim Simac President North Woods Patriots (WI) North Woods Patriots (WI) Kirsten Lombard, Organizer Seth Morgan The Wisconsin 9/12 Project Former State Representative (OH), Board Member of Citizens for Community Values, Conservative Coalition Leader Sidney E. Johnson, M.D. Ron Hei Member Wood County Republican Party Common Sense Tea Party Patriots Member Central Wisconsin Tea Party of Covington County, AL David Cook Tricia Erickson DCC, Inc. Angel Pictures & Publicity Dale Beach Sharon Glass, President Montgomery Tea Party Patriots (AL) Santa Rosa TEA Party President
Jerry A. Johnson, President Bobbie Patray, President Criswell College Tennessee Eagle Forum Daniel J. Stafford, Representative Ken Settle (WI) Walton County Patriots, Florida Northwoods Patriots of Eagle River
9 Dr. Terry B. Batton, Founder and President Kirk Hays Barbour County, Alabama North American Jet Tax Enough Already Party Tearlach F. Sinclair Jeffery Horn Menominee County ACE Prairie Patriots (WI) American for Constitutional Enforcement (ACE) Sidney E. Johnson, M.D. Becky Hall, President Member, Wood County Republican Party Northern Liberty Alliance Member, Central Wisconsin Tea Party (Northern Minnesota/Wisconsin) Donna Hearne Peggy Dau Peter Weyrich (VA) Mr. Jeffrey l. Kirschmann Dan Curan Jim Coursolle (WI)
Ellen Grigsby Dr. William Greene, President RightMarch.com
Dr. Shelli Jones Manuel Bud LaCoy CEO: Harvest Projects International Inc. Americans for Constitutional CEO: Resurrect America Show Enforcement Marinette County EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Sing It America