Politics & Power Quote by Dennis Hastert

“Doing our part” is the kind of modesty that only works when paired with a megaphone, and Hastert knows it. The line performs a familiar Washington magic trick: it frames partisan legislative maneuvering as civic labor, then calls the output “policies” as if they emerged from a neutral workshop rather than an ideological assembly line. “Hard at work” is less information than mood-setting, a way to preempt cynicism about Congress by insisting on diligence as a moral credential.

The key verb is “empower.” It’s a word that flatters everyone while committing to almost nothing. In late-20th/early-2000s Republican rhetoric, “empower” typically translates to shrinking the state’s footprint and expanding market choice, especially through tax cuts. The phrase “all Americans” widens the aperture, inviting listeners to imagine themselves as beneficiaries even when the policy’s gains skew upward. That’s the subtext: universal language to sell uneven outcomes.

“We’re beginning to see results” smuggles in a campaign-style metric for governance. It implies momentum and validates the agenda without specifying the trade-offs: deficits, distributional effects, or what gets cut to pay for cuts. Then comes the clincher: “We reduced taxes for everyone.” The simplicity is the point. It’s meant to end the argument by converting a complicated fiscal package into a household-level feeling: more money, less government, problem solved.

On Capitol Hill, the real intent is coalition maintenance. Tax cuts serve as proof of ideological delivery to the base, while the inclusive phrasing provides rhetorical cover for swing voters. It’s policy as branding: a legislative receipt presented as moral progress.