Having routed the Democrats at the polls, the Republicans turned to incoming U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio Saturday to offer the Republican response to President Barack Obamas weekly radio address.
The move shows how highly regarded Rubio is by Republican leaders -- a point they made clear Friday when they announced Rubio would be giving the response.
Senator-elect Rubio embodies an exciting and optimistic message about the future of America," said Republican U.S. Senate Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. "His principled conservatism and focus on leaving a better nation for our children and grandchildren had a powerful impact in Florida and across the country,
Americans are sending Marco and his fellow senators-elect to Washington with clear marching orders: Stop the big-government freight train and respect the will of the people who sent you there," added McConnell. "Marcos an excellent choice to deliver the first post-election address.
Said Rubio, With Election Day now behind us, its an honor to speak directly to the American people about the opportunity before us an opportunity to put America back on track."
Obama responded to the Republicans taking over the U.S. House of Representatives and closing the gap in the U.S. Senate though still falling short of a majority.
This week, Americans across the country cast their votes and made their voices heard. And your message was clear, said Obama. Youre rightly frustrated with the pace of our economic recovery. So am I. Youre fed up with partisan politics and want results. I do too.
But now, the campaign season is over, continued Obama And its time to focus on our shared responsibilities to work together and deliver those results: speeding up our economic recovery, creating jobs, and strengthening the middle class so that the American Dream feels like its back within reach.
Obama called for leaders in both parties to work together and indicated that he was open to extending tax cuts backed by President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003 for Americans making less than $250,000 annually.
Heres why this lame-duck session is so important, said Obama. Early in the last decade, President Bush and Congress enacted a series of tax cuts that were designed to expire at the end of this year. What that means is, if Congress doesnt act by New Years Eve, middle-class families will see their taxes go up starting on New Years Day.
But the last thing we should do is raise taxes on middle-class families, continued Obama. For the past decade, they saw their costs rise, their incomes fall, and too many jobs go overseas. Theyre the ones bearing the brunt of the recession. Theyre the ones having trouble making ends meet. They are the ones who need relief right now. So, somethings got to be done. And I believe theres room for us to compromise and get it done together.
But while Obama called for compromise, he dug in his heels about extending the tax cuts for all Americans.
At a time when we are going to ask folks across the board to make such difficult sacrifices, I dont see how we can afford to borrow an additional $700 billion from other countries to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent, even for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans, said the president. Wed be digging ourselves into an even deeper fiscal hole and passing the burden on to our children.
I recognize that both parties are going to have to work together and compromise to get something done here, continued Obama. But I want to make my priorities clear from the start. One: Middle-class families need permanent tax relief. And two: I believe we cant afford to borrow and spend another $700 billion on permanent tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.
There are new public servants in Washington, but we still face the same challenges, concluded Obama. And you made it clear that its time for results. This isa great opportunity to show everyone that we got the message and that were willing, in this post-election season, to come together and do whats best for the country we all love.
Rubio hammered Washington insiders, including the administration, in his response.
With Election Day now behind us, its an honor to talk to you about the opportunity before us an opportunity to put America back on track, said Rubio. For too long, Washington has taken our country in the wrong direction: bigger government, reckless spending, and runaway debt. And though Im a proud Republican, heres the truth: both parties have been to blame.
Rubio insisted that the Republican victories on Tuesday matter.
This election the American people said enough is enough, said Rubio. That message was loud and clear. We Republicans would be mistaken if we misread these results as simply an embrace of the Republican Party. This election is a second chance -- a second chance for Republicans to be what we said we were going to be.
In the past two years, Republicans listened to the American people, and what they said is that it was time for a course correction, added Rubio. The past two years provided a frightening glimpse at what could become of our great nation if we continue down the current path: wasteful spending, a growing debt and a government reaching ever further into our lives, even into our health-care decisions. It is nothing short of a path to ruin, a path that threatens to diminish us as a nation and a people. One that makes America not exceptional, not unique, but more like the rest of the world.
Rubio said that Republicans were listening to the American people and would respond by attacking policies backed by the Obama administration.
We will stand up and offer an alternative to the policies coming out of Washington for the past two years, said Rubio. The challenges are too great, too generational in scope for us to be merely opponents of bad policies. Instead, we will put forward bold ideas and have the courage to fight for them. This means preventing a massive tax increase scheduled to hit every American taxpayer at the end of the year. It means repealing and replacing the disastrous health-care bill. It means simplifying our tax code, and tackling a debt that is pushing us to the brink of our own Greece-like day of reckoning.
That is our commitment and from you we ask this: hold us accountable to the ideas and principles we campaigned on, concluded Rubio. This is our second chance to get this right; to make the right decisions and the tough calls and to leave our children what they deserve the freest and most exceptional society in all of human history.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
