Cornyn, Sessions fail to impress on Meet the Press
The two Texans who chair the Republican campaign committees in their respective houses — Senator John Cornyn and congressman Pete Sessions — appeared on “Meet the Press” yesterday along with their Democratic counterparts to discuss their party’s strategy for the November elections. [For a full report on the discussion from NBS News's First Read blog, click HERE.]
The discussion was proof of the old adage, “Don’t pay attention to what they said, pay attention to what they didn’t say.” Despite prodding by host David Gregory, neither Sessions nor Cornyn would address what Republicans would do on the deficit and other fiscal issues if they take back control of Congress. Sessions spoke in generalities: The GOP would ensure that the government live within its means, and read the actual legislation. Now that’s a bold program. But when Gregory asked for details of painful choices, Sessions offered nothing. Cornyn’s answer to the “painful choices” question was, “Well, the president has a debt commission that reports December 1, and I think we’d all like to see what they come back with.” Gregory followed up with a kill shot: “But wait a minute, conservatives need a Democratic president’s debt commission to figure out what it is they want to cut?”
I get it that no one wants to tip their hands at this stage of the campaign. Still, is it that hard to say something like, “We need to take a long look at entitlement programs?” Or the cost of health care?
Some Republicans, Newt Gringrich among them, have warned that Republicans can not afford to sit back and ride the anti-Obama wave in November; they must put a positive agenda before the voters. Apparently that message has not gotten through to Cornyn or Sessions.
Tagged: john cornyn, pete sessions
Evan says:
Party of ideas, eh?
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fourlegsgood says:
Yes, it’s that hard to say because they haven’t thought that far ahead. They’re like the underpants gnomes.
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longleaf says:
They can and will ride the anti-Obama wave with no reason to say anything else. But it will be entertaining then to watch them try to govern next year. They will get NOTHING accomplished without NOT the magic 60 votes; no, the number in the U.S. Senate will go up to 67, which is the number needed to override vetoes.
One caveat to that. I am assuming, given his numerous “third term of George W. Bush”-like actions to date, that Obama WILL go along with the absolute evisceration of the entitlement programs (e.g., no SS for anyone below age 70) so as to preserve funding for the perpetual wars he was hired to put a kind face on. However, this may not play so well with the voters the GOP majority will have to face in 2012.
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David Siegel says:
Here’s what the Washington Post reported today:
Sometime after Labor Day, House Minority Leader John A. Boehner plans to unveil a blueprint of what Republicans will do if they take back control of the chamber. He promises it will be a full plate of policy proposals that will give voters a clear sense of how they would govern.
But will Republicans actually want to run on those ideas — or any ideas? Behind the scenes, many are being urged to ignore the leaders and do just the opposite: avoid issues at all costs. Some of the party’s most influential political consultants are quietly counseling their clients to stay on the offensive for the November midterm elections and steer clear of taking stands on substance that might give Democratic opponents material for a counterattack.
“The smart political approach would be to make the election about the Democrats,” said Neil Newhouse of the powerhouse Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, which is advising more than 50 House and Senate candidates. “In terms of our individual campaigns, I don’t think it does a great deal of good” to engage in a debate over the Republicans’ own agenda.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/16/AR2010071606245.html?hpid=topnews
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Blue says:
“We need to take a long look at entitlement programs? Or the cost of health care?”
Five minutes later the Democrats are sending out waves of e-mails talking about how the Republicans are going to take your Social Security away if you don’t vote Democrat in November.
Don’t interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake. That’s the smart strategy the Rs are following right now.
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garvin Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
The R’s have no strategy. Or leadership. It is easy to fall down and let the team (country) lose. With some integrity the R’s would rise up with ideas and actions. I’m very disappointed with the GOP. They failed, miserably, and now want to return to the policies that got us here in the first place?
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MonkeyMan says:
So 2 Texans in leadership positions had an incredible opportunity on a national stage to make the case for their party and they offered . . . . nothing?
I read in the Washington Post that both gentlemen argued that GWB was a model president, defended his policies. So that’s what this is all about — no new ideas, just restoring the tired old warmed-over Cheney worldview.
I just don’t see that as a winning message, boys.
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Anonymous says:
They both looked particularly inept and played directly into the Democrats strategy of saying that returning the GOP to power would be like returning the keys to the people who drove the car into the ditch. They even said, “Yep, we liked the way he drove!”
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Rog says:
Sessions said we should return to the
Bush economic program. That would mean taking a balanced budget and turning it into a huge deficit.
The GOP now claims Sessions didn’t say what he actually said. He’s been refudiated.
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TobyBelch says:
Why not just copy and post the BOR post; would have saved you some trouble.
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MonkeyMan Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 2:36 pm
Because sometimes, just sometimes, it’s important to understand what folks beyond the FOX/Beck/Palin circle have to say.
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garvin Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Fox/Palin/Beck is the GOP.
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paulburka Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 10:51 pm
Re Toby Belch –
I saw the program. I read First Read, the NBC News blog. I read politicalwire.com. Believe it or not, I don’t run my blog based on what Burnt Orange Report says, nor did I read BOR before writing my post.
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Crazy Uncle says:
They were both smart to shut up when they realized that they had to argue with the moderator as well as the oposition. It was obvious from the beginning that this was a bash Bush program. The election will be about Obama and the demo congress. No way around it.
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José Reply:
July 19th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Argue with a moderator? Puh-lease. Being posed a direct and relevant question is standard practice on any honest news show.
Sessions was downright embarrassing. This is what Republicans call leadership?
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MonkeyMan says:
You’re right, Crazy Uncle, damn MSM had it out for them. Probably put stoopid pills in Cornyn, Sessions’ coffee mugs.
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paulburka says:
There’s nothing wrong with the Republicans staying on the offense. But there’s nothing wrong with looking smart and exercising leadership either. You can do both. Sessions and Cornyn didn’t make the most of their opportunity.
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Shadrach says:
As someone who has watched Sessions over the years, he is lucky that David Gregory did not give him more rope to hang himself beyond resuscitation. Sessions needs to stick to preaching to the choir, because he will never make any converts.
Cornyn, was not as bad. However, as Cornyn actually has an IQ worthy of reporting, his performance, while less anemic, was more surprising. However, Cornyn is between a proverbial rock and a hard place. If he says anything of substance the Tea Party people will go crazy because nothing is conservative enough to satisfy that crowd.
Cornyn knows it, abut he cannot do anything about it. So he sits there without saying anything meaningful. It is not that he is unable to speak, as Sessions is, rather it is that Cornyn is afraid to speak.
What really stinks is that the GOPers who are trying to think, work, and get things done, are being killed by their own kind (See Senators Bob Bennett and Lindsey Graham).
As a moderate Blue Dog Democrat (ex-GOPer), I do not know whether to cry that the likes of Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and Sharron Angle are the new face of the GOP, or laugh that it means seats that should have easily gone GOP will go to the Dems (and Indy Charlie Crist).
For all the Tea Party “excitement,” the Tea Party is the biggest obstacle to the GOP winning the Senate at this point.
Where have all the great GOP Pols who could be conservative, be intelligent, and still get things done all gone (Jack Kemp, Bob Dole, etc…)?
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garvin Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Good post. What did happen to the grat GOP pols? Methinks the AM radio done ‘em in.
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Anonymous says:
You’re missing the point on the Tea Party. The fringe elements always get the press – after all, they make for more interesting television – but the real Tea Party was driven by people who are fed up with both sides, and who believe that from a fiscal management perspective, Pete Sessions and Obama are almost equally worthless.
Shakespeare called it right: “a plague on both your houses.” Bush and the R congress were colossal screw-ups. Obama and the D congress are worse; hence the attractiveness of the Rs for the time being.
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Crazy Uncle says:
It was obvious that Gregory was leading the question so that the republicans would have to say they will cut Social security to balance the budget. Did he ask the democrats what taxes they would raise to balance the budget? They chose to hurt themselves than hurt their candidates. The reverse happens when Demos go on Hannity. What liberals won’t admit is that there is no difference between Gregory and Hannity.
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Jim says:
The “Party of NO” has no ideas. Their answer to all of our ills is to give the rich folks a tax break. That is all they ever come up with. And, we Texans keep electing them, that is what is really sad.
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Briscoe Democrat says:
If the Republicans take the House or Senate in November, they will share the RESPONSIBILITY which plays into Obama’s hands for 2012.
See what happened back in 1994 when the GOP overplayed their hands once they gained back the House and Senate thinking they were going to make Clinton a one-term President, but Slick Willy went on to easily win a 2nd term in 1996.
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rw says:
Gregory is a cheerleader, not a journalist. He asked ‘What painful choices are the Republicans prepared to make? Will they repeal healthcare, for instance?”.
That’s a very biased and stupid question. The most painful choice was made for us by the Obama administration, who bribed and lied their way through the passage of this bill.
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Dallas Deb says:
Pete Sessions looked as naked as he did when he streaked in college. But now it is REALLY not pretty to look at.
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