In continued (failed) efforts to rebrand the GOP as the hip, cool, and socially sensitive party, Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) offered a suggestion during his weekly Republican address on Saturday.
?Just imagine if instead of?mandating?things for you to do, your government became a platform, just like your iPhone,?enabling?you to create a happier, safer, more prosperous life,? Alexander said.
?Republicans want to enable and empower you,? he later added. ?We want to be the iPhone party. We believe government ought to be a platform that gives you opportunity and freedom to create a happier, more prosperous, and safer life.?
The only problem with that is that most of his speech indicates that the Republican Party is still clueless about how to be innovative. Some of his proposals:
- Get rid of the minimum wage. “Democrats want to mandate fixed wages and more lawsuits while Republicans want?to allow more flexibility for working parents, enabling them to attend soccer games and piano recitals.?
- Revive House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) 2012 JOBS Act
- Repeal the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law
- Expand school vouchers
- Let the IRS, FDA, and Labor Department enable Americans instead of ordering them around.
- Buy and read Newt Gingrich’s new book Breakout. It will change your life, insists Sen. Alexander.
- Find the enablers of society and make investments into those things. You know, as Apple did with the iPhone.
- Student loans are hella cool. Half our college students have loans that follow them to the college of their choice. Let me add this: and their graves.
- Pres. Obama’s regulations are a “big wet blanket.”
- Democrats are mandators.
- A national school board would be awesome. So much for smaller government, eh?
As should be expected, his biggest target was Obamacare:
?Health care provides the most glaring difference between Republican enablers and Democrat mandators. Too often, Obamacare cancels the policy you want to keep and tells you what policy to buy, even if it costs more and restricts your choices of doctors and hospitals,? Alexander said. ?Republicans believe that freedom and more choices will empower you to find a policy that fits your needs and your budge.”
From the?National Memo:
Perhaps a 73-year-old, twice-failed presidential candidate is not the best messenger for the GOP’s new ?Think Different? message.
[…]
When Apple debuted the latest edition of the iPhone, it unveiled a new slogan to go along with it: ?Progress is a beautiful thing.? Republicans like Senator Alexander would be wise to heed Apple’s advice before trying to co-opt its identity.
As usual, Sen. Alexander’s suggestions completely exclude the majority of the 47%. He’s out of touch. The things that he’s suggesting aren’t accessible to many hard-working Americans. Here’s the video.
h/t National Memo
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Tiffany Willis is the founder and editor-in-chief of Liberal America. An unapologetic member of the Christian Left, she has spent most of her career actively working with ?the least of these? and disadvantaged and oppressed populations. She’s passionate about their struggles. To stay on top of topics she discusses,?subscribe to her public updates on Facebook,?follow her on Twitter, or?connect with her via LinkedIn. She also has a?grossly neglected personal blog?and a?literary quotes blog that is a labor of love. Find her somewhere and join the discussion.
