MEMORANDUM
Fr: Democratic Leader's Press Office
Dt: July 14, 2011
Re: This is Not What 'Adult' Looks Like
With the economic security of the American people at risk, the time has come for the "adult moment" your Speaker requested. This isn't the playground, and your disarray has serious consequences for our country.
Politico - GOP lacks a lead messenger:
…a sideshow has percolated on Capitol Hill: There are too many Republican messengers with too many messages — often undercutting one another — as the nation teeters on the brink of financial default…Even the president seems confused about exactly who he's bargaining with on the GOP side — testily declaring to Cantor that negotiations with Boehner are meant to represent discussions with all Republicans…
The starkest example of the GOP's inability to rally behind a single leader rests with the party's House leadership. Although they've publicly sought to downplay tensions, Cantor and Boehner have, at times, been in different places — in fact, Cantor termed the tales of their relationship a "soap opera."
The discordant voices are causing consternation among Republican lawmakers…
[Rep. Phil] Gingrey said, "Sometimes the people who are the shallowest thinkers have the loudest voices — not attacking any of my colleagues." [7/14]
The Hill (A.B. Stoddard) - Unable to govern:
Forget the big tent — the Republican Party is turning into a tent city: leaders trying to reassure the markets and corporate leaders that the country won't default on its debt obligations and cause economic calamity; a defiant rank and file who don't agree; congressional veterans who love the institution but propose abdicating legislative responsibility amid a fiscal crisis; outside conservative groups who, consequently, want to "burn [them] in effigy." The establishment wing of the Republican Party are no longer grown-ups or leaders, but rather political refugees who are increasingly outnumbered and ignored. [7/13]
Democrats stand united with a commitment to a balanced agreement to reduce the deficit while protecting Social Security and Medicare benefits, creating jobs, and strengthening the middle class.
For the sake of American seniors, small businesses, and middle class families, the time is now for that adult moment.