Jordan and Meadows call on Republicans to stop acting like Democrats

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., are calling on their fellow Republicans to "act like Republicans," to offer a clear alternative to the Democratic Party in the final weeks before the midterm elections.

In an op-ed written for Fox News, the lawmakers note that political experts and electoral history both suggest that Republicans are set to lose the House of Representatives in November.

"The truth is, over the next 25 days if our party doesn’t show the sharp contrast in each party’s vision for America, then the 'experts' will be right," they write.

Showing that "clear difference" means exposing how "the Democratic Party of 2018 has adopted the most extreme positions in American history."

The character assassination of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the harassment of conservatives encouraged by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and others,  impeaching President Trump, raising taxes, abolishing ICE, and passing single-payer "Medicare for All" make their list of extreme leftist positions. "These radical positions aren’t shared by the country," they emphasize.

But what is the Republican agenda to counter these leftist positions? Jordan and Meadows list several of President Trump's accomplishments, but voters tend not to care what you've done for them. They want to know what you will do after the election. For these conservatives, that agenda means keeping the Republican promise to replace Obamacare, add work requirements to welfare, and secure the southern border with a wall to combat illegal immigration, violent gangs, and drug trafficking.

"It’s time for Republicans to act like us," the lawmakers conclude. "It’s time for Republicans to be bold, not timid. It’s time for Republicans to show the American people how radical the left has become. It’s time for Republicans to campaign with confidence and win."

The problem confronting Republicans who want to champion these issues is that the Republican Party under its current leadership has failed to paint a contrast with Democrats. Congress failed to repeal Obamacare. House Republicans have surrendered conservative priorities to Democrats in spending bills no less than six times. Now Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who wants to succeed Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., as speaker of the House, is championing a stand-alone bill to fund the wall that everyone knows cannot pass the Senate. Given the opportunity to attach conservative policies to must-pass budget legislation to force a fight, Republicans punted. Now they ask for re-election, but for what? To keep punting?

Jordan is also a candidate for speaker. As this op-ed makes clear, his conservative leadership vision for the Republican Party is to keep promises and have the fights that will draw clear contrasts with the Democrats. If Republicans want to win in November and beyond, they should pay attention.

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