Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) will cheer on the Tea Party this morning from the senate floor. Here is an excerpt obtained by National Review Online:
If you ask me, the goals of the Tea Party sound pretty reasonable.
These folks recognize the gravity of the problems we face as a nation, and they’re doing something about it for the sake of our future. They’re engaged in the debate about spending and debt — which is a lot more than we can say about the President and many Democrats in Congress. They’re making their voices heard. And they’ve succeeded in changing the debate here in Washington from how to grow government to how to shrink it.
In my view, the Tea Party has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on the most important issues of the day. It’s helped focus the debate. It’s provided a forum for Americans who felt left out of the process to have a voice and make a difference. And it’s already leading to good results.
It may take some time. But thanks to ordinary Americans like these speaking their minds and advocating for common sense reforms, I’m increasingly confident we’ll get our fiscal house in order. And Republicans are determined to do our part to advance some of the goals I’ve mentioned. That’s why we’ve been fighting to cut spending in the near-term and that’s why we’ll soon be proposing a balanced budget Amendment. American families have to balance their budgets. So should their elected representatives in Washington. It’s not too much to expect that lawmakers spend no more than they take in. And since when is it extreme to balance the books?
What’s extreme is the thought that government can just continue on this reckless path without consequence. What’s extreme is thinking we can just blithely watch the nation’s debt get bigger and pretend it doesn’t matter. What’s extreme is spending more than a trillion and a half dollars than we have in a single year. This is the Democrats’ approach. And this is what’s extreme.