From The Hill (emphasis mine):
Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) declared a return to “the era of big government” the day after President Obama’s first formal address to Congress.
“From everything I’ve seen, it looks like the era of big government spending is back,” he told reporters at a lunch convened by the Christian Science Monitor. “My question to my Democratic friends is how are you going to pay for it?”
The top Republican leader in the House praised President Obama for making a “compelling” case that the nation can overcome its economic challenges and pledged to work with him when he reaches across the aisle.
He later clarified that Republicans will work with Obama on areas of agreement but would maintain their ideological differences and fight for them. Despite several personal entreaties from Obama to support the stimulus bill, House Republicans illustrated their solid opposition when not one Republican crossed the aisle to support it last week.
Heh, with all due respect to Congressman Boehner the era of big government spending never left… Or are you forgetting all the big government spending you folks did during the Bush years?
You folks presided over one of the largest increases in government spending and regulation in American history during the Bush years. Americans haven’t forgotten that it was Republicans, led by Bush, who created the Dept. of Homeland Security, the medicare prescription drug benefit and the train wrecks of campaign finance reform and no child left behind.
It’s a sad reality but Republicans have little of no credibility left when it comes to issues of fiscal responsibility or limited government… You lost two straight elections in part because the Republican party abandoned traditional principles of fiscal responsibility and limited government.
I’m not sure how the Republican Party can regain credibility on those issues but they’re going to have to.