The "Citizens Mandate" is intended to send a clear message to Republicans that they were not elected last November to relinquish more power and compromise with the President, says talk show host Sandy Rios, who is director of governmental affairs for the American Family Association.
Rios says American voters "spoke through the ballot box" last November, when Republicans regained control of the U.S. Senate and now enjoy a comfortable majority in the U.S. House with 246 Republican seats. Democrats have 188.
But it appears that Republican leaders failed to hear what voters were saying, Rios argues, so the "Citizens Mandate" is an attempt to put those demands in writing.
The detailed seven-page document describes what voters demanded from the new Congress, such as stopping ObamaCare and fighting President Obama's executive action to allow amnesty for illegal immigrants.
Farther down in the document, its authors urge Republicans to tackle economic issues, such as controversial franchise rules imposed by the National Labor Relations Board, and giving the President broad power to form trade agreements with other countries. Republicans are urged to focus on national defense, too, by funding the military's gutted budget and fighting the release of terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. Those issues and others are described as "top line importance."
Still another page documents President Obama's "abuses of power," which numbeer more than 20. They include exchanging Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo for an American soldier; refusing to enforce the federal Defense of Marriage Act; and using the IRS to target conservative groups.
Signers of the document range from Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson and conservative activist Phyllis Schafly to novelist Brad Thor and Rich Bott, president of the Bott Radio Network.
The list is signed by Rios and by Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association.
After the General Election last year, political pundits claimed that Americans went to the polls so Congress can work together and break its gridlock. But that's not so, says Rios. Voters want Republicans to fight, she says.
"The 'Citizens Mandate' should remove all ambiguity," she predicts.
