Weigel

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland: Stand With Republicans When We Shut Down the Government

Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) addressed the Faith & Freedom Conference with a hook you’re hearing more and more often. He reminded the crowd that after Republicans won Congress in 1994, they forced a fight over the budget with President Clinton.

“The government shut down,” said Westmoreland – and the crowd started cheering. “That’s what I wanted to hear! A good clap for that!”

According to Westmoreland, if they won a House majority Republicans were going to be “ready to hold the line and get those courageous men and woman” in the new class to stand fast and shut down the government. How would they avoid a repeat of 1995/1996, when the public turned against the shutdown and the GOP buckled?

“We want you with us,” said Westmoreland. “We gotta have you there. Because they’re going to come and say, ‘Daddy can’t go to the VA, the national parks are closed’ … we need to make sure you’re going to be with us.”

I’ve been hearing a lot of this, some from 1995/1996 veterans like Newt Gingrich, who talk about the shutdown like Rambo talks about Vietnam – they could have won if they weren’t stabbed in the back.