Alexander Wants to Reverse “Excesses of Progressivism”

Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander says Republicans should reverse what he calls the “excesses of progressivism” by taking bite-sized steps. He laid out his roadmap Friday to the conservative Hudson Institute, a Washington think-tank.

Alexander says a new Republican majority should not attempt to undo thousand-page policies enacted by Democrats, such as financial regulatory reform, in one fell swoop.

“Rather than attempt comprehensive conservative schemes, we keep our eye on the goals that matter most. Make it easier and cheaper to create private sector jobs. Reduce spending to be closer to revenues. And deal in a tough, strategic way with terrorism. And then we proceed step by step towards those goals in a way that re-earns the trust of the American people.”

As the Senate Republican Conference chair, Alexander is the third ranking GOP member in the Senate. He says the one exception he’d make to his incremental approach is dismantling the recently enacted health care overhaul. Alexander calls the law a “historic mistake” and says it should be repealed entirely.