Part of his statement (h/t Byron York):
Some will argue that we lost our majority because of scandals at home and challenges abroad. I say, we did not just lose our majority, we lost our way.While the scandals of the 109th Congress harmed our cause, the greatest scandal in Washington, D.C. is runaway federal spending.
After 1994, we were a majority committed to balanced federal budgets, entitlement reform and advancing the principles of limited government. In recent years, our majority voted to expand the federal government's role in education, entitlements and pursued spending policies that created record deficits and national debt.
This was not in the Contract with America and Republican voters said, "enough is enough." Our opponents will say that the American people rejected our Republican vision. I say the American people didn't quit on the Contract with America, we did. And in so doing, we severed the bonds of trust between our party and millions of our most ardent supporters.
That's right. If the Republicans had stayed on-message, they wouldn't be contemplating two years in the minority right now.
I would add only one thing to this: Both sides have sorely underestimated the attitude about illegal immigration among American citizens. The Republicans would do well to make it clear to the President that only a hard line can now be taken, and that amnesty and guest worker programs cannot be sustained.
Pence needs to be Minority Leader in the next Congress. The other bastards need to be sent back to Republican school to re-learn what it is all about.
