This is what passes for “thinking” at the leading conservative “think tank,” the Heritage Foundation.
Earlier this week [May 2013], the Heritage Foundation’s executive director sent a letter to Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging them to avoid introducing legislation and to, instead, focus attention on White House “scandals.”
…we urge you to avoid bringing any legislation to the House Floor that could expose or highlight major schisms within the conference. Legislation such as the internet sales tax or the FARRM Act, which contains nearly $800 billion in food stamp spending, would give the press a reason to shift their attention away from the failures of the Obama administration to write another “circular firing squad” article.
…Rather than scheduling such legislation for consideration, we urge you to keep the attention focused squarely on the Obama administration. As the public’s trust in their government continues to erode, it is incumbent upon those of us who support a smaller, less intrusive government to lead.”
There it is: the naked truth about the Republican Congressional “agenda,” brought to you straight from the “heart” of the Republican strategy machine: Don’t waste time on actual legislation. Don’t discuss issues. Pay no attention to your job description. Don’t do anything that might be construed as “governing.” Don’t talk about the merits of any issues. Instead: Create scandals. Hold hearings. Investigate. Investigate again. Point fingers. Distract the public from the issues that really matter to them. Destroy Obama. Wreck government. But for gawd’s sake, don’t deviate from the party line, don’t reveal any differences of opinions among yourselves, and don’t legislate. That could be dangerous.
You can read the full letter here.