Rep. McCotter Concedes Obama Has Put GOP Ideas In His Proposals, Undermining Party Talking Points

For months, Republicans have blamed President Obama for the partisan gridlock in Washington.  Despite the fact that the president has repeatedly reached across the aisle, Republican leaders maintain that he has refused to listen to their ideas.

However, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) inadvertently admitted yesterday that the Republican spin isn't true.  During an interview with WJR's Paul W. Smith, McCotter was asked whether he accepted Obama's statement at the House GOP retreat last week that he has incorporated Republican ideas into his initiatives.  McCotter conceded that, contrary to his party's rhetoric, the president has already "taken parts of what Republicans have put out and put [them] in his legislation."

SMITH: [Obama] said to you that he is not an ideologue and that he has repeatedly incorporated your party's ideas into his initiatives.  Is that a -- do you accept that as a true statement?

MCCOTTER: Well, I accept the statement that the president has taken parts of what Republicans have put out and put in his legislation. But again, like with cap-and-trade, he will put it in with something that is a far larger bill.  And so as legislators what we always have to look at, because we don't have the power to do whatever we want, thankfully, is you have to make a determination; does the bill overall help the country, help your constituents, or does it overall hurt your constituents and hurt the country even though there are some things in there you might like? And so while the president may say, "well we took this, this, and this," the reality is the sum total of the bills are not helpful and take the country in the wrong direction. 

Listen:

As House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) made clear this weekend, Republicans believe health care reform and clean energy legislation qualify as "leftist proposals" unworthy of their support.  They have every right to oppose those efforts, but it would be nice if they stopped lying about their reasons.