[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15690-15692]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           GILLESPIE RESPONSE

  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, earlier this week the majority leader 
quoted from a speech delivered on September 30 by Ed Gillespie, the 
former chairman of the Republican National Committee and the current 
chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee. The majority 
leader used this quotation to attack Congressional Republicans and 
defend the hardline strategy embraced by Democrats. Unfortunately, he 
took Mr. Gillespie's words out of context and failed to mention some of 
the other remarks Mr. Gillespie made in that very same speech.
  Not surprisingly, Mr. Gillespie has responded with a letter. He ends 
his letter by saying: ``Republican governors and legislators work 
across the aisle daily to solve the most critical issues in their 
states. It's an example of executive and legislative leadership you and 
President Obama would do well to emulate.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
Mr. Gillespie's entire letter, along with his entire speech to the 2013 
Republican State Leadership Committee Annual Meeting.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

        RSLC Chairman Ed Gillespie Letter to Senator Harry Reid

       Washington, D.C. (October 9, 2013).--Today the Republican 
     State Leadership Committee released the following letter from 
     Chairman Ed Gillespie:
       Dear Senator Reid, Yesterday on the Senate Floor you cited 
     remarks by me at the Republican State Leadership Committee 
     National Meeting to bolster your own flawed policies. I'm 
     sending you a copy of the remarks as they were released so 
     you can see that they explicitly criticize your position and 
     support Republicans in Congress.
       Specifically, at the beginning of my remarks you'll see 
     that I said: ``It's hard to see how President Obama could 
     oppose a legislative extension of the individual mandate when 
     he's issued an extension for big businesses by executive 
     fiat, and it's hard to see how Harry Reid could oppose 
     funding the rest of the government just to protect a carve-
     out for himself and his colleagues.''
       You neglected to mention this in your floor statement 
     yesterday.
       Nor did you quote the full context of my RSLC remarks, 
     which were: ``On top of that, Republicans in the House 
     majority and Senate minority, are nearly always in the 
     position of talking about what they're against--what they 
     want to block or repeal or defund.
       ``And we join them in staunch opposition to the President's 
     harmful policies--but our party might be better off if we 
     spent more time speaking in positive terms about WHY we're 
     against those policies and, more importantly, why we're FOR 
     the policies we're for--as our state Republican leaders do so 
     consistently.''
       To be clear, I agree with House Speaker John Boehner when 
     he said, ``The way to resolve this is to sit down and have a 
     conversation to resolve our differences.''
       Republican governors and legislators work across the aisle 
     daily to solve the most critical issues in their states. It's 
     an example of executive and legislative leadership you and 
     President Obama would do well to emulate.
           Sincerely,

                                                 Ed Gillespie,

                                                         Chairman,
                            Republican State Leadership Committee.

[[Page 15691]]

     
                                  ____
Chairman Ed Gillespie Remarks at 2013 RSLC Annual Retreat, as Prepared 
                    for Delivery, September 30, 2013

       As we're meeting here today, things are pretty messy in 
     Washington, D.C.
       And Americans are growing increasingly frustrated with 
     President Obama and Congress. The approval ratings for 
     everyone in Washington are dropping, but sadly Republicans in 
     Congress are the ones in the basement, with approval ratings 
     below President Obama and Democrats in Congress.
       I'm hopeful today's decision by the House leadership to 
     pass a Continuing Resolution which funds the government while 
     delaying the individual mandate in Obamacare for a year, and 
     eliminating its subsidies for Members of Congress and staff 
     will change that.
       It's hard to see how President Obama could oppose a 
     legislative extension of the individual mandate when he's 
     issued an extension for big businesses by executive fiat, and 
     it's hard to see how Harry Reid could oppose funding the rest 
     of the government just to protect a carve-out for himself and 
     his colleagues.
       So while there has been some very positive developments in 
     this debate, I also think our Republican friends at the 
     Federal level could benefit from sounding more like state 
     leaders like those here today--lieutenant governors, 
     attorneys general, house speakers and senate leaders--who 
     talk all the time about improving the quality of life for the 
     people you serve, in tangible terms.
       When it comes to improving schools, growing jobs, creating 
     opportunities, making communities safer, helping families in 
     need, providing affordable housing for the working poor, 
     fixing roads, and effectively responding to natural 
     disasters--Republicans at the state level practice what they 
     preach.
       And the majority of Americans--53 percent to be exact--who 
     live in states with a Republican governor and Republican 
     majorities in their state legislatures, like what they hear 
     and, more importantly, what they see.
       Our caucuses continue to grow, expand and set records 
     because of the positive leadership people like the elected 
     officials we're honored to have with us here today are 
     providing back home.
       Now, I worked on Capitol Hill for more than a decade, and 
     I've served in the White House as Counselor to the President. 
     I was there for the confrontations between Speaker Gingrich 
     and President Clinton, and President Bush and Speaker Pelosi. 
     So I understand the dynamics when one party has control of 
     congress and the other the presidency, from both ends of 
     Pennsylvania Avenue--and the advantage of the ``bully 
     pulpit'' over often competing voices.
       On top of that, Republicans in the House majority and 
     Senate minority, are nearly always in the position of talking 
     about what they're against--what they want to block or repeal 
     or defund.
       And we join them in staunch opposition to the President's 
     harmful policies--but our party might be better off if we 
     spent more time speaking in positive terms about WHY we're 
     against those policies and, more importantly, why we're FOR 
     the policies we're for--as our state Republican leaders do so 
     consistently.
       I mean . . . when it comes to health care, Republican 
     policies would protect people with pre-existing conditions, 
     hold down premiums which are skyrocketing today, let people 
     truly keep the health insurance they have if they like it, 
     and allow workers to earn wages for 40 hours per week instead 
     of 29.
       Republican energy policies mean lower gas prices at the 
     pump, lower home heating bills in winter, high-paying 
     American jobs and less reliance on foreign sources of oil.
       Republican economic policies mean more working families 
     enjoying a better quality of life, and more people knowing 
     the difference between holding a job as opposed to building a 
     career.
       We want American companies to expand jobs here rather than 
     invest profits abroad by eliminating loopholes and tax breaks 
     to bring the tax on business down from the highest in the 
     world, so 401(k)s and pensions get bigger for those wanting 
     to retire and young people graduating from high school and 
     college are able to start a life on their own instead of 
     living with their parents.
       A friend once told me, ``The American dream is not just 
     owning your own home, it's getting your children out of it.''
       Those are some of the positive impacts of Republican 
     policies in people's lives, and voters of every kind would 
     welcome hearing about them--and they could lead more 
     minorities, women and young people to think about voting 
     Republican.
       Unfortunately, all they too often hear from us is, ``Repeal 
     Obamacare. Approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Pass tax 
     reform.''
       Repeal. Approve. Pass.
       Short-hand process arguments that resonate strongly with 
     people who already agree with us, but not really music to 
     independent ears. We need to break out of a speech pattern 
     that dwells on process, and discipline ourselves to talk 
     about the benefits of Republican policies.
       Democrats talk more than we do about lifting people out of 
     poverty, expanding the middle class, and addressing income 
     inequality.
       And yet it's our policies that actually do those things and 
     their policies that make them worse.
       Most Americans realize that the constant stream of taxes, 
     mandates, regulations and programs coming from the Obama 
     Administration are not making our lives better, and certainly 
     not helping our economy.
       And I think deep down, many worry that these policies are 
     not only killing U.S. jobs, but--worse--they run the risk of 
     destroying the American work ethic.
       They're worried about themselves and their families, and 
     are pessimistic about our country's future.
       Now, I sometimes find myself feeling angry and frustrated 
     that more of my fellow Americans aren't more angry and 
     frustrated. But while expressing anger and frustration gives 
     voice to our core voters, it doesn't do much for all those 
     worried and pessimistic voters.
       They want hope and optimism.
       They want to know how Republican policies will make things 
     better, and it's our job in the states to explain that in 
     relatable terms and demonstrate it with tangible solutions 
     based on our conservative principles of freedom, liberty and 
     equal opportunity.
       Republicans understand that prosperity results from an 
     economy based on creating wealth, not just redistributing it; 
     and that if you truly care about helping the least among us 
     and lifting millions of people out of poverty and expanding 
     the middle class, history proves you should favor a system of 
     democratic capitalism over a government managed economy.
       We need to start measuring compassion not by how many of 
     our fellow Americans are living off government programs, on 
     food stamps, or in public housing but by how . . . many have 
     become able to provide for themselves and their families 
     through good jobs, like we're seeing more and more in 
     Republican-led states.
       It is no coincidence that the boom in natural gas occurring 
     across our country is taking place in the one sector of the 
     energy industry regulated by the states rather than the 
     Federal government--and no coincidence that so much of that 
     is taking place in states with Republican governors and 
     legislatures who know how to protect our environment and 
     property rights while also unleashing a transformative source 
     of abundant domestic energy.
       Republican policies promote equal opportunity. We know that 
     eliminating discrimination is a moral imperative, but it does 
     not alone guarantee the equal opportunity we all believe in.
       So Republican attorneys general not only enforce anti-
     discrimination laws, Republican state legislators fight to 
     improve our schools, empower parents and give children in 
     poor neighborhoods a quality education that enables them to 
     get into college or qualify for a good paying job.
       The quality of a child's school should not be decided by 
     the zip code in which she lives, and state legislators like 
     the ones in this room are the ones who consistently stand up 
     for those children against entrenched education 
     establishments.
       Another issue that's being resolved in the states is a very 
     sensitive one, and it's being worked out in a more respectful 
     way than it would be at the Federal level. I'm talking, of 
     course, of same sex marriage.
       As with, I'm sure, many of you, I have friends and family 
     who are gay. And according to the tenets of my Faith, I 
     accept them for who they are and love them. But the tenets of 
     my Faith also hold that marriage is between one man and one 
     woman. Indeed, in the Catholic Church, marriage is one of 
     seven holy sacraments.
       You see, for me, this is not a matter of opinion, or even 
     really a choice. But I understand that what is a sacred rite 
     to tens of millions of Americans is also in our civil law the 
     means by which couples garner survivorship benefits, hospital 
     visitation rights, insurance coverage and other benefits. So 
     while I don't support same sex marriage, I do not begrudge 
     its advocates their position on the issue.
       And, I don't believe that everyone who supports same sex 
     marriage is anti-Catholic, or a religious bigot. But in the 
     same vein, it would be nice if so many of them would stop 
     accusing everyone who doesn't share their views of being 
     anti-gay or homophobic. Freedom of Religion is still in the 
     very first Amendment to the Constitution.
       We may not all agree on whether we should redefine what 
     constitutes marriage, but hopefully we can agree not to 
     redefine what constitutes tolerance.
       So on the state level, and in particular in states with 
     Republican leadership, we're seeing the benefits of 
     respectful dialogue, problem solving policies and fiscal 
     responsibility. Republicans are balancing budgets, reducing 
     tax burdens, improving schools and making families safer and 
     better off.
       I know you're all familiar with our Future Majority Project 
     at the RSLC, where we are recruiting hundreds of candidates 
     for state legislatures who more fully reflect the growing 
     diversity of our nation. So in addition to a positive 
     message, we'll have fresh-faced messengers as well.
       The RSLC's sole purpose is to help elect Republicans. Doing 
     that means getting a majority of votes in thousands of 
     different districts, and dozens of states.

[[Page 15692]]

       We understand that Republican legislators here in Hawaii 
     will not pass legislation identical to those in Texas or Ohio 
     or North Carolina; and that attorneys general in North 
     Dakota, Georgia, or Idaho won't have the same list of 
     priorities.
       But their shared beliefs, principles and values take each 
     of their states in a much better direction than their 
     Democratic opponents would.
       Republicans don't seek to win elections to gain power, but 
     to translate our principles into policies that make our 
     country stronger and make lives better for our fellow 
     citizens. And that means winning majorities in legislative 
     chambers, electing governors and other statewide 
     officeholders, and--ultimately--winning a majority of the 
     Electoral College again.
       If Republicans can have unified state government where a 
     majority of Americans live, we can win back the White House. 
     But to do so, we'll have to learn valuable lessons at the 
     national level, and those lessons are being taught at the 
     state level.
       The United States of America is a great nation, but we can 
     see how President Obama's policies are making us weaker--here 
     at home and in the world. The Republican Party is a great 
     Party. But we have not won the national popular vote in five 
     of the last six presidential elections.
       For our country to be stronger, our party must be stronger.
       And that begins with all of us.

                          ____________________