Gillespie talks economy, 2012 elections on Al Punto
By JORDAN FABIAN
Channel: Politics, Economics
Former Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Ed Gillespie talked up his party’s efforts to reach out to Latino voters and defended its economic and fiscal policies during an appearance this weekend on Univision’s public-affairs program Al Punto.
Gillespie, who served as a senior adviser to President George W. Bush, rejected the notion that his party has refused to cooperate with President Obama and Democrats on measures that would stimulate the sputtering economy and bring down the ballooning federal budget deficit.
“Republicans have put forward solutions,” he told He told Univision’s Jorge Ramos, mentioning the fact the GOP-controlled House has passed a budget plan, but the Democrat-controlled Senate has not.
“Now obviously President Obama doesn’t agree with those things, or not all of those things. I do think there are some areas where they could find agreement. Raising taxes is not one of them and the President knows that,” he added. “And his, you know, staff have been pretty clear that this is not really about trying to find a solution or to legislate.”
Both parties remain far apart on a job-creation bill and a proposal on bringing down the nation’s deficit by $1.5 trillion by Christmas, as Congress has required itself to do.
Obama recently rolled out plans to do both, but Republicans have opposed each measure, primarily over the President’s desire to raise taxes on upper-income earners to bring down the deficit and pay for his jobs bill. Republican deficit-reduction plans, meanwhile, include deep cuts to entitlement programs that are equally unpalatable to Democrats.
Turning to the 2012 elections, Gillespie said that his party’s presidential candidates must improve their tone, especially on the immigration issue, if they hope to replicate Bush’s performance in 2004, when he won reelection with the help of 40 percent support from Latinos.
“The question is what can we do relative to legal immigration to make sure that people who want to come here and contribute to our society and become Americans are welcome,” he said. “And I think that Republicans need to do a better job of making clear that we are as welcoming of legal immigrants into our country and into our society as we are concerned about keeping illegal ones out.”
Now head of the Republican State Leadership Committee, Gillespie talked up the group’s effort to recruit 100 Latino Republicans to run for state-level office as one effective way his party can improve its brand with Latinos.
“I think that would help us increase our share of the Hispanic vote,” he said. “And I believe, you know, Anglo voters have to go and campaign in Hispanic neighborhoods and convey our message to Latino voters across the board, people relate to someone who they can identify with.
“And so I do think it would be helpful for our party to also have more elected officials who are Hispanic to help us get our message out,” he added.
Read the full transcript of Gillespie’s interview below:
Program: Al Punto con Jorge Ramos
Content: Interview with Ed Gillespie, chairman of Republican State Leadership Committee
Date: Sunday, September 25, 2011
Key
JR: Jorge Ramos
EG: Ed Gillespie
JR: Mr. Chairman, thank you so much for talking to us.
EG: Thank you for having me on.
JR: Mr. Gillespie, of course, you were counselor to President Bush. And when President Bush left office we were already in a deep financial crisis and with a huge deficit. My question is, is this President Obama’s economy?
EG: It is President Obama’s economy. The fact is, his stimulus package did not work. His healthcare mandate is making it harder for small businesses to bring people, new employees into the workforce. The excessive regulation that is being put on companies and the threats of higher taxes. There’s no doubt that President Obama inherited a difficult economy. There’s also no doubt that he has not been able to make it better, and in fact his policies are making it worse.
JR: Well, now what’s wrong with the rich paying more taxes? Many people think that that’s simply fair.
EG: Sure, and the rich do pay more taxes. In fact, the top 1 percent of income taxpayers today in our economy pay one-third of all federal income taxes that go to the United States Treasury. The top 10 percent of earners pay two-thirds of all the taxes that go to the Treasury income taxes. And, what President Obama is now talking about is punishing investment at a time when we ought to be encouraging investment. We need people to be, you know, trying to invest in capital that obviously exposes you to capital gains taxes, to be trying to and support businesses to become shareholders, to get dividends. This is not a time to say if you do that we’re going to punish you. This is a time to say, we need to reward investment in private sector job creation. And that’s exactly the opposite of what President Obama’s proposing.
JR: So, you think Republicans are not going to help President Barrack Obama with these new taxes for, with new taxes for the rich? Many Hispanics I’ve talked to get the impression that Republicans are simply opposing President Barack Obama on everything in order to try to get the White House next year.
EG: Well, that’s why I’m glad to have an opportunity on the program today Jorge. Because if you look at, the House of Representatives moved a budget to try to reduce our debt and our deficit, and the United States Senate has yet to pass a budget. In fact, under control in the previous Congress for two years and now this year in the new Congress, Democratic leaders in the United States Senate have not even produced a single federal budget. So Republicans have put forward solutions. Now obviously President Obama doesn’t agree with those things, or not all of those things. I do think there are some areas where they could find agreement. Raising taxes is not one of them and the President knows that. And his, you know, staff have been pretty clear that this is not really about trying to find a solution or to legislate. It’s about trying to campaign and having a campaign issue. That’s fine. You know, there’s plenty of time for that. But hopefully they can find some common ground. Perhaps, for example, with the Panamanian and Colombian and South Korean free trade agreements and maybe some regulations that might be rolled back. But President Obama knows as well as you know and I know that, the Republican House of Representatives is looking to cut spending, not raise taxes on job creators in our economy.
JR: Mr. Gillespie, another area where there seems to be no agreement whatsoever is on immigration. In 2007 after the immigration reform debate, you said the following, you said, ‘that the Republican party came off looking as if it was not just oppose to illegal immigration but also to immigrants in general.’ Do you think this perception has changed already?
EG: I don’t think it’s changed already, but I’m hopeful that it’s changing. And I believe that, you know when it comes to securing our borders and you know, protecting our borders from illegal immigration, I believe Hispanic voters and Anglo voters and others can agree on that. The question is what can we do relative to legal immigration to make sure that people who want to come here and contribute to our society and become Americans are welcome. And I think that Republicans need to do a better job of making clear that we are as welcoming of legal immigrants into our country and into our society as we are concerned about keeping illegal ones out. I say that, by the way, as the son of an immigrant. My father came here from Ireland on a boat, came through Ellis Island. His father was a janitor. Neither of my parents had the benefit of a college education. But you know, Jack Gillespie, my father was born in Donegal, Ireland, but he died a great American. And, you know, fought valiantly for his adopted country. And I see that in people who come to this country. They want to be good Americans. And you know, we need to, when they come here legally welcome them into the country. And I would say into our party.
JR: I’ve been listening to all the Republican candidates and none of them are for immigration reform. George W. Bush was for immigration reform. John McCain was for immigration reform. I mean they wanted to do something with the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country. But I haven’t heard anything of that sort with the Republican candidates. How are they going to get either one of them, how are they going to get 35 percent of the Hispanic vote in order to get the White House? If they don’t get 35 percent, and you know that very well, they’re going to lose the election.
EG: Well, you know, I think there’s plenty of time here for candidates to develop immigration policies. And I believe our nominee will have an immigration policy. It’s worth noting by the way that it’s not as if President Obama has done a lot on this front, you know, since he’s been in office. So he’s vulnerable here.
JR: Mr. Chairman, tell me about your program to recruit 100 Republican Hispanic candidates to run for seats in the state legislature. What’s the plan?
EG: Well when you look around the country Jorge, we had a great election year in this past cycle in terms of electing Hispanic Republicans into high office. Governors Sandoval and Martinez in Nevada and New Mexico respectively, Senator Marco Rubio, Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler and [Francisco] “Quico” Canseco, Raul Labrador and the fact is in every one of those instances they’re former State office holders. And so what I’d like to do as Chairman of the Republican State Leadership Committee we help to elect state house and senate candidates around the country is to recruit 100 Hispanics to run for those offices as Republicans, help to get them elected. And I think that would be very important. I think that would help us increase our share of the Hispanic vote. And I believe, you know, Anglo voters have to go and campaign in Hispanic neighborhoods and convey our message to Latino voters across the board, people relate to someone who they can identify with. And so I do think it would be helpful for our party to also have more elected officials who are Hispanic to help us get our message out. And if we can recruit 100 candidates to do that then the State House and State Senate will also have a pipeline for future Attorneys General and Governors and Senators and President of the United States some day. But the first step of the escalator in most cases is to get elected to the State House.
JR: Mr. Chairman, thank you so much for talking to us. And I hope that we’ll have a chance to talk in the future again.
EG: Me too, thank you Jorge for having me on. I look forward to being back with you sometime soon.
JR: Thank you.
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