Dear Republican candidates, please plagiarize from Ted Cruz

Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz had a conference call for bloggers earlier today, to discuss a new "Growth and Jobs Agenda" plan he published today at National Review Online and answer our questions.

The plan (also available at www.tedcruz.org/jobsandgrowth) has twelve steps.  Contrasting himself with the Obama administration, Cruz stated that he believes that "government doesn't create jobs, but it can kill jobs," characterized the first six steps of his plan as defensive against the President's "war on jobs," and the last six as proactive, designed to spur growth and stimulate job creation in the private sector. 

Here's the twelve steps in a nutshell, but make sure to read the full article:

1. Repeal ObamaCare (any Republican candidates who don't have this on their platform are beyond hope).
2. Kill cap and trade (both from being passed in Congress and the EPA's efforts).
3. Stop the NLRB from attacking jobs in right-to-work states (e.g., Boeing in South Carolina).
4. Revoke the offshore drilling moratorium (still being enforced despite federal court ruling it was illegal).
5. Restrain abusive environmental enforcement (Obama administration using regulations to kill jobs instead of protecting clean water and air).
6. Repeal Dodd-Frank ("a law of massive complexity...does nothing to prevent future financial bailouts, but instead subjects the financial sector to costly new regulatory burdens").
7. Slash corporate tax rates to 15% (currently, US has highest rates in developed world).
8. Champion tax reform (simplify and move closer to a flat tax or the Fair Tax).
9. Significant budget cuts and entitlement reform ("real cuts, not just decreases in the rate of growth").
10. Rein in the Fed and ensure sound money (audit the Fed and restrict quantitative easing aka printing endless money).
11. Allow small and medium companies to opt out of Sarbanes-Oxley (crushing burden for new startups).
12. Pass a strong balanced budget amendment.

Jobs and Growth? Sarah likes it!

Reading Cruz's plan, I feel like "Mikey" from those old Life cereal ads. I've read a lot of fluffy, meaningless campaign platforms with more soundbites than substance, but as far as this one goes: "Mikey Sarah likes it!"

Cruz has his priorities straight and has made it very clear what Texas voters will get if they vote for him: a solid conservative with a concrete, practical plan.

If Republican candidates around the country are smart, they will plagiarize Cruz's plan. Seriously. Just steal it. Print out the plan, paste your name and logo on the top over Cruz's, and pass it out. Then get elected and start working on passing legislation to accomplish those twelve steps while America cheers. Everybody wins! Get out the confetti!

At the end of the call, Cruz took some time to answer our questions. One subject clearly important to him is protecting the right of states like Texas to promote job-creating policies. Cruz stated his belief that Texas is "under assault" because the state did not, and will not, vote for Obama, and "the fact that Texas continues to prosper despite this assault is an affront" to Obama's liberal ideology. The Obama administration is throwing everything they have at Texas, from the oil drilling moratorium, to dragging their feet protecting the border or providing disaster relief, to environmental regulations and investigations being used to stifle job growth.

I asked Cruz a question I am posing to all candidates for Congress and Senate: if elected, will you commit to demanding investigations into the Fast and Furious scandal? Cruz has a law enforcement background, so it was not surprising to hear that he shared my anger and frustration about Fast and Furious, which he characterized as a "deeply cynical and misguided program," noting that it was inexcusable to "deliberately allow illegal guns to get into the hands of criminals" for the purpose of pursuing an ideological anti-second amendment agenda. 

Cruz also made a statement that it was not enough to just elect any Republican, but that "we need Senators who are, number one, strong conservatives, and number two, fighters." He's absolutely right. Finding "compromise" with the same radical liberals who continually push programs that endanger the future of our country is not the solution. We need tough conservatives who are willing to dig in their heels and fight for their principles.

I'm proud to endorse Ted Cruz and encourage you to support him as well.

To learn more about Ted Cruz:

My posts about Ted Cruz

Ted Cruz campaign website
Ted Cruz on Facebook
@tedcruz on Twitter
Ted Cruz for Senate YouTube channel

[Cross-posted at The Minority Report and RedState]