Rep. Pence Claims Republicans Have Acted In "Good Faith"

"Good Faith"?

On MSNBC today, Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) was asked if Republicans have "operated in good faith" since President Obama took office.  "You know, I believe we have," Pence answered.  Just moments later, however, he refused to say that the GOP would cooperate if Obama and the Democrats are willing to meet them in the middle:

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE (HOST): Be self-reflective here for a moment.  Have Republicans operated in good faith? Have they been honest brokers?  Have they reached out across the aisle?

PENCE: You know, I believe we have.  We welcomed the president to our conference meeting just days after he was inaugurated last year.  I told him then the door to our conference would always be open.  Throughout the year, we offered substantive Republican alternatives on economic stimulus, on the budget, our all of the above energy alternative, and on health care reform we offered a substantive alternative that would lower the cost of health care and not grow the size of government. [...]

GUTHRIE: But recognizing that Democrats are in power, would you cede ground? Are you willing to meet them halfway?

PENCE: Well, you know, I'm ready to get to that conversation if the Democratic leadership decides not to say no to every Republican idea. 

Watch:

First of all, Pence's claim that Republicans have offered "substantive solutions" is totally absurd.  The GOP recovery plan consisted of a spending freeze and tax cuts, which even David Brooks admitted was "insane." The GOP budget proposal contained "no hard spending numbers or deficit projections," and would have privatized Medicare.  The GOP energy plan merely recycled the failed policies of the Bush administration.  

On health care, the GOP plan was even worse.  It allowed insurance companies to keep discriminating based on preexisting conditions and did nothing to reduce the number of uninsured Americans.  According to the Congressional Budget Office, the proposal would leave 52 million uninsured in 2019.

Second, where does Pence get the chutzpah to complain Democrats have rejected "every Republican idea" when his party has rejected every major Democratic idea?  (Last year, Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) decided to oppose one proposal before it was even announced!)

As Guthrie noted, Democrats are still in power; they retain large majorities in both chambers of Congress, even after the setback in Massachusetts.  However, Republicans seem to believe that Democrats can only be "bipartisan" by dropping their own goals for conservative ones. 

Almost a year ago, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said, "Being bipartisan does not mean having to lay down and say we'll do whatever you want." Republicans still haven't gotten the message.