In politics there are no permanent victories, just as there are no permanent defeats. I am committed to making sure the Democrats’ victory this past Tuesday is as short as possible. But victory will not fall in our lap in two years. It will take a lot of hard work on the part of each and every member of the Republican Conference, but we are up to the task.
Despite their electoral success, Democrats failed to offer an agenda that a majority of Americans support. Now that they are in the majority, Democrats will have to demonstrate to the American people what they are for. Numerous Democrats ran on established Republican themes of limited government, tax relief and traditional values. The San Francisco agenda of their leader will be a rude awakening to the thousands of voters who thought they were electing conservative Democrats.
As Republican whip, I will work every day to unify the Republican Conference and ensure that these Democrats have an opportunity to vote with us and their constituents for our common-sense alternatives. If they choose instead to vote with the Democrat leadership and their extreme agenda, they will have to defend their about-face to the voters.
Recapturing our majority will take more than heated rhetoric. I look forward to making the Democrats be Democrats every day on the House floor to ensure that the Republican whip in the next Congress is the majority whip.