Cathy McMorris Rodgers, chairman of the House Republican Conference said Saturday the key to turning around the election chances of Republicans lies in modernizing policies rather than moderating them. She also said Republicans need to better articulate how the budget situation impacts the average American family.
In an interview with Newsmax TV at CPAC 2013, Rodgers said all too often Republicans sound too much like accountants when discussing budget issues.
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“We need to have good policy, but you need to also present that vision. We’ve been talking too much like bookkeepers sometimes rather than looking at the future. We need to connect the numbers with how that impacts people and the future opportunities for them and how we make America a strong country going forward.
Rodgers is encouraged by the increased interest shown in budget issues by millennials.
“There are groups starting up all over this country where they are educating millennials on debt and deficits and what it means on opportunities. They are recognizing the debt and deficit is threatening their ability to address all these other issues,” she said.
Rodgers said she was happy that progress on the budget impasse was being made, but she called on the Senate to produce a spending plan that puts the country on a path to a balanced budget.
“One of our goals in sitting down with the president and starting a dialog was the importance of balancing budget. We asked the president if he would agree to a time when we could balance the budget and he would not do that,” she said. “Our budget balances in 10 years, the Senate never balances. We want to at least put a goal out there and then we can debate on how to get there.”
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