November 14, 2006
Dear Republican Colleague:
I served in the minority when I was elected in 1992, and every day I experienced Congress leading America in what myself and many other people felt was the wrong direction.
Therefore I was excited to be asked to participate in the development of the Contract with America. The optimism it generated paved the way for the 1994 Republican Revolution that resulted in the GOP winning control of Congress for the first time in 40 years and by a very substantial margin.
We won because we discussed the issues that people cared about nationally. We proposed bold ideas, we worked as a team and, most importantly, in the end we delivered the solutions that we promised to solve the very real problems that Americans faced.
Voters demonstrated last week that America remains center-right in its views, that our majority coalition remains in place. We failed to sustain that majority because we focused on process, on the details of how Washington operates, as opposed to our ideas and solutions.
Democrats did not create a majority coalition. Republicans lost it, and we must again focus on our ideas and solutions to regain it.
Congressman John Shadegg will provide the strong leadership necessary in our effort. He is a person of integrity and a person committed to “getting it done.” He will work with all of our Members to effectively develop the ideas and solutions that represent the Conference and strongly deliver our message to the White House.
For six years we have allowed the Administration and its priorities to define us. It is time for us to rediscover who we are and redefine ourselves to the American people, to again earn their trust.
John will best lead the effort, and it is why I endorse him for Republican Whip in the 110th Congress.
Peter Hoekstra