The Cole Burrrrr Report

To: Republican Colleagues
From: Tom Cole
Date: December 15, 2005
Re: Defining the Democrats
As this year comes to a close and we begin to look forward to what most likely will be the most challenging election cycle in recent years, I would like to share some thoughts I have had concerning how we deal with our Democratic opponents in the coming year.

Collectively and individually the Democrats have decided to talk about the Bush Administration and us rather than present their own alternative vision of where the country should go in the coming years. They have done this for two reasons. First, they have deep internal divisions that they would rather not reveal to the public. Second, they know that the public rejects the core beliefs of the majority of their party -- higher taxes, bigger government and surrender in Iraq.

Those core beliefs were visible to American voters to some degree in the presidential election of 2000 and even more dramatically in the form of an obstructionist Democratic Senate in 2002 and the liberal Kerry candidacy of 2004. They will be visible again in 2008 when Democrats are forced to define themselves over the course of a presidential campaign. However, in 2006 we will have to define the Democrats since they will steadfastly refuse to do it themselves.

Elections between candidates and parties are about clarifying choices for voters. And, as my old friend the late Lee Atwater used to say, when you are in a campaign you "must define or be defined". You should talk about your opponent and his positions as much as you talk about yourself and your own positions. That is something we have not done consistently this year.

In 2006 I think we should repeatedly remind the American people of these three things about our opponents:

1) DEMOCRATS FAVOR HIGHER TAXES. You will not find many Americans that will tell you, please take more of my of my hard earned money. They might say, take some more of someone else's money, but they don't volunteer their own. Americans want lower taxes. Our party believes in lower taxes and we should be vocal about it. When Republicans recently lowered taxes, the economy grew, the deficit declined and American families had more money in their pockets. The facts are on our side.

2) DEMOCRATS FAVOR HIGHER GOVERNMENT SPENDING. As we have seen in recent months, Americans are concerned about government spending and the size of the government. Republicans understand this. We are the party of small government. Just recently we voted to lower the percentage of government spending by just 0.1 percent. Not one Democrat voted for this reduction in spending. Where were the Blue Dogs? They were on the side of bigger government and more spending. Those dogs may bark, but they don't hunt.

3) DEMOCRATS FAVOR SURRENDER IN IRAQ. Frankly, Jack Murtha and Nancy Pelosi did us a favor when they placed their party on record favoring an immediate pull out from Iraq regardless of the consequences. This allows us to paint the picture about what failure in Iraq would entail for Iraqis, for America and for the cause of freedom and democracy around the world. Unlike the confused voices on the left, the Republican message on this front is simple, straightforward and honest. Americans want to succeed in a mission that they think is justified and morally right. The President believes this, the troops serving in Iraq believe this and the public does too.

Next year we should not let the Democrats get away with being critics as opposed to problem solvers. They must be forced to defend the solutions they are offering to the American people -- higher taxes and bigger government at home combined with defeat and retreat abroad. Since they won't spell out their agenda to the American people we must do it for them.

We have had a tremendously successful year legislatively -- an energy bill, a highway bill, CAFTA, bankruptcy reform, class action reform, spending restraint -- and there is more to come this year and next. Moreover, despite the difficulties, the recent election and the progress Iraqis have made in defending themselves shows we are on the right path in that recently liberated country. Ours is a productive majority with bold ideas. The Democratic minority is a crowd of critics that have learned nothing and forgotten nothing during their long stint in the political wilderness.

History suggests that we face an uphill battle next year, but I believe our message when contrasted to that of our Democratic opponents wins with the American people every time. So, while we offer Americans our positive and optimistic vision next year, let's never hesitate to remind the voters who our opponents are, what they believe, and what they will do if they capture the majority next year.

Finally, let's not be afraid to say that the Democrats could win, that the stakes are high and that victory at the polls is not automatic. The Democrats are determined to defeat us next year and a little paranoia on the part of our supporters is not a bad thing when it comes motivating and turning out our base.

Our House majority has been the driving force for change in America for over a decade. We still have much to do. Let's resolve in 2006 to stay on the offensive, define our Democratic opponents and work together to confound the pundits and demonstrate that there truly is a governing GOP majority in America.