Republicans Say Nice Things About the New President

Senator Judd Gregg said in a statement from Washington that he thought President Obama’s inauguration was “an extraordinary and exciting moment for our nation”.

As the state’s only Republican member of Congress, Gregg said he found much to like in Obama’s speech, since it “called on ‘all citizens’ to work on big issues…”.

Other Republican leaders and activists also praised the new President on his Inauguration day.

Former Republican National Committee member Tom Rath says it was a day to leave partisan differences behind.

There comes a time when the elections end and governing starts. And I think that’s where we are right now.

The new chairman of the state’s Republican Party also steered clear of any controversial remarks.

Former Governor John H. Sununu stayed positive as he talked about the inauguration.

It was a great event. I thought the president gave a good speech on a cold day. and I think he touched on the full agenda he’s going to deal with in the next few months.

Republicans up and down the ranks of the GOP also said they had an idea of how party members should act as the Democratic President begins to introduce legislation to Congress.

Tom Rath says he thinks GOP members should support good legislation whenever possible.

But Rath says Republicans should also speak up when they disagree with what the President proposes.

Where there are legitimate distinctions and differenciations between republicans and the policies of the president on principle, not on personality but on principle, we should make those points, say we have a different course, that we think is preferred. But it should not be petty, should not be personal and it should not be partisan.

A conservative leader in New Hampshire’s House says she’s already looking forward to the next election for the GOP.

Representative Fran Wendelboe says she thinks her party would do well to emulate the efforts of Obama’s campaign.

I think we need to reach out to young people. I think we need to reach out more to female voters. And most of all I think we need to update our way of reaching out through technology.

In the meantime, GOP activists like Rath, Wendelboe and Sununu will wait to see what concrete proposals the new President offers up.

As former Governor Sununu says, the ‘devil is in the details’.