Impact: John Boehner thanks Heritage
January 30, 2009| By Nathaniel Ward
"Thanks a million for all your help over the last of couple weeks as we were putting this economic plan together." Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a call to The Heritage Foundation today. "You guys were a great, great big help."
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 244 to 188 in favor of the "stimulus" legislation. All 177 Republicans, joined by 11 Democrats, voted against the nearly $1 trillion borrow-and-spend plan.
Heritage expert Michael Franc highlighted three things that stand out to him from Wednesday's House vote on the stimulus bill:
- "First, the loyal opposition was the unanimous loyal opposition."
- "Second, the House Republican substitute offered a clear, bright line alternative. The Republican alternative was simple to understand because it had only three moving parts — tax relief, tax relief, and tax relief. It's now readily apparent that the Republican approach to the economic crisis is to reduce the tax burden on all American taxpayers and (most) American employers, and that Democrats see more government spending as the solution to our economic ills."
- "Finally, the vote lifted the spirits of conservatives outside the Beltway, who now believe it's possible to influence the outcome in the Senate."
