They bring nothing to the table. Nothing.
They pout and shriek like angry babies who've been stuffing their mouths with sharp objects and have now had those objects taken away from them (for their own good).
Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA): "Republicans will have a plan, we had a stimulus plan. You know, part of the problem with being in the minority, David, is that sometimes your colleagues in the press don't want to cover the (minorities') ideas... We had a plan on the stimulus, it was tailored to small business tax relief." (I'm hearing future tense and past tense in those verbs. No present tense, no "We HAVE a plan." - and certainly no details about that plan. Of course "small business tax relief" to GOPers always translates into massive tax cuts for huge corporations and the wealthiest 1% of Americans.)
When asked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos if Republicans would provide an alternate budget, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attacked Obama's spending bill with the usual GOP fear-inducing rhetoric. Stephanopoulos tried to steer him back to the question and, after hemming and hawing and looking rather uncomfortable, McConnell said: "We, uh, are going to offer a number of amendments..." (clears his throat here, like a dirty cop on the witness stand) "...to the Democratic, uh, proposal." Stephanopoulos pressed harder, and got this non-response: "It will reframe what the Democrats recommend for America over the next five years. Well, we’re just sort of getting down in the weeds here about procedure. Through the amendment process, we would absolutely reformulate the Democratic plan. Whether you have a comprehensive approach or whether you offer an amendment is something a parliamentarian can debate." (Yes, it's obvious that Republicans don't have a "comprehensive approach." Their approach is stunningly incomprehensive.)
John Boehner (R-OH): "As I told my colleagues, we don’t have enough votes to legislate. We are not in the majority. We are not kind-of in the minority; we are in a hole." (Into which they dug themselves.) "They ought to get the idea out of their minds that they are legislators. But what they can be is communicators." (Except that GOPers first have to come up with a plan to communicate. Which they haven't done. The only "communication" we're hearing from right-wing lawmakers is "No no no no no no no no!")
Grover Norquist, head of the misleadingly named Americans for Tax Reform (which maintains close ties with jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff) explains how Republicans plan to deal with the financial crisis: "This is the bill that the Republican Party will be running against in 2010 and 2012 and 2014."
From the New York Times: Senate Republicans say they do not intend to offer a full counterproposal to Mr. Obama’s sweeping $3.6 trillion spending blueprint, a decision that will spare them from outlining potentially painful decisions required to bring federal books more in line with their call to hold down spending, cut taxes and reduce the deficit... "They are long on criticism and short on a plan," said Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff. "They have a communications strategy instead of an economic one."
That just about sums it up.
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