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Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Politics Republican Bob Bennett: GOP Needs Ideas, Not Slogans

Posted by Jim Nintzel on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 at 10:48 AM

Republican Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah, who was recently blocked from seeking a new term by by GOP conservatives, says the GOP needs ideas, not slogans:

Bennett told a Republican group the party could even take back the Senate soon but will lose both houses just as fast if the GOP continues to rely on slogans and not solutions.

“As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas,” Bennett told The Ripon Society.

Bennett, whose remarks were caught on video, said there was great momentum for Republicans to take back the House and, with the death of Sen. Robert Byrd, of West Virginia, there’s a chance a Republican could win that seat as well and join a landslide to bring the Senate into GOP control.

But, Bennett added, the Republican Party may find itself in the role played by Robert Redford in the film, “The Candidate,” who after winning office turns to his aides and says,“What do we do now?”

“The concern I have is that ideology and a demand for absolute party purity endangers our ability to govern once we get into office,” Bennett said.

He added that neither Democrats nor Republicans have good ideas and are just out to win elections.

“The fight is over who will win the game,” he said. “It’s like rooting for the 49ers or the Patriots in the Super Bowl but it really means nothing for the future of the country.”

Read the whole thing here.