Posted on 10/14/2013 1:01:02 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
After Republicans drifted for years without a pilot, Sens. Ted Cruz and Mike Lee have taken the helm of the GOP, steering their party and its grassroots into a much-needed, head-on battle with the Democrats.
On the campaign trail on the way to his win in November 2012, President Barack Obama promised to finish the work hed gone to Washington to do: fundamentally transforming the United States. Things look tough for the right in Washington today, but the reality is these three conservative Republicans, aided by friends in the Senate and the House, have dragged the presidents ambitious agenda to a complete halt, throwing both him and Democrat Sen. Harry Reid on their heels and adding policy paralysis to the presidents long list of post-election woes.
While Republican leadership in the House was loud when scandals from Benghazi to the IRS unfolded, over the last year conventional wisdom in Washington has held that sequester would never happen; amnesty for illegal immigrants was a done deal; no sane Republican would stand against an assault-weapons ban after Sandy Hook; the GOP would bless a charge into Syria; and, well, fill in the blank: student loans? Climate change? The tea party was over and Washington, D.C. was Obamas oyster.
But then a strange thing happened. As one by one, impossible victories were won, observers saw the policy agenda of the president a man who won a resounding victory just months ago stagnate and stall: He hasnt won a single victory since his re-election.
Its almost surreal. Sequester is tentatively in place; amnesty is derailed; gun control is on the run; American forces are not involved in Syrias civil war.
Senior Republicans are taking their cues from a couple of freshman conservatives.
After years of void, Republicans have leadership in D.C.
Abd after decades of void, conservatives do, too.
The new breed of conservatives won victories by shifting public opinion and navigating parliamentary procedure. Today, Cruz and Lees fight to defund Obamacare is deeply mired in parliamentary mumbo-jumbo, and public opinion is divided and negative across the board. In short, it is not ideal. And so long as the Democrats control the White House and the Senate, it never could be ideal. But one thing is undeniable: Their stand has lit a much-needed fire in D.C.
Will they defund Obamacare? No, they wont. But they could and they have changed the narrative in Washington. And barring a disaster, that could change the narrative across the country on Nov. 4, 2014.
The folks who live in the world of Politico see electoral defeat hiding in the closet and Newt Gingrichs ghost under the bed, but heres an important question: What are Republicans so afraid of? Who is coming to get them?
The House of Representatives has turned Obama and Reids strategy on its head. When the president used the bully pulpit to call for Republicans to fund children with cancer, they did; when the president used the bully pulpit to call for Republicans to fund national parks, they did; when the president used the bully pulpit to call for Republicans to fund veterans, they did. All of the Houses stop-gap measures died in the Democrats Senate, along with scores of others.
Now, imagine the Democrats 2014 campaign ads: One year ago, Republicans caved on the C.R. One year ago, Ted Cruz shut down the government. Are those so deadly? Are Republican afraid that the Democrats wont go easy, like they did last time? That time they called Republicans pro-rapists who wanted to push the elderly off cliffs and put African Americans back in chains?
Now imagine the GOPs 2014 ads: Sen. John Doe voted against funding our cancer clinics, against funding our parks, against funding our veterans all to please Harry Reid.
As a result of this fight, we have a dozen House votes with Democrats voting against veterans, cancer research, the National Guard, parks and monuments, FEMA, FDA, and so on, one senior defund Senate staffer told The Daily Caller. In the Senate, we have a bunch of statements from Democrats saying that our attempt to protect veterans was playing games and unserious. These will all be tools in the next election, and would not have happened without the fight.
Whats more, the effects of this shutdown simply arent felt by the vast majority of Americans and will be forgotten just as soon as cable news doomsday clocks are taken off the screen.
Republican naysayers should stop fretting, and pay attention to the conservative ascendance right in front of their eyes.
In 1964, conservatives crashed the Grand Old Party, wresting the nomination from the moderates and, admittedly, running the GOP into a terrible electoral defeat. But in 1964, Sen. Barry Goldwater caught the nations imagination, and lit a fire that never went out.
In 1976, afters years in the wilderness, conservatives fought again to wrest control from the moderates when Gov. Ronald Reagan primaried the sitting Republican president. Reagan lost, and his efforts contributed to President Gerald Fords defeat and President Jimmy Carters win, but he caught the nations imagination and stoked that fire that Goldwater had lit.
The glorious disasters that were 1964 and 1976, of course, laid the foundation for the Reagan Revolution.
That isnt to say that Lee and Cruz dont have their faults. Like in 64 and 76, not every aspect of their plans have gone as we, and they, would like. But for nearly two decades, conservatives languished without national leadership capable of closing the ranks. Today, Lee and Cruz have taken that mantle, stepping up the pressure, drawing bold lines and forcing hard votes.
In 1975 11 years after Goldwaters defeat, one year after the end of Watergate, one year before his primary defeat and five years before his presidential victory Reagan told an assembled crowd that the Republican Party must move aggressively forward, raising a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors which make it unmistakably clear where we stand on all of the issues troubling the people.
Reagan was right then, and he is right now. No, we wont win every battle. But here in front of us are the means, the talent and the courage to win the country. Dont miss the boat.
>> After Republicans drifted for years without a pilot
I understand John McCain was a pilot.
Indeed
If crashing planes makes you a pilot, I reckon I’d be a very good one.
Time for the Term “The Loyal Opposition” to be used on a daily basis by the Republicans. It was all the Rats said when they were out of power.
Lets’ see, what other phrases have been lacking?
“Dissent is Patriotic”, thanks Hillary.
How about “it’s time to end the Politics of Personal Destruction”? That was big during Clinton’s Lewinsky scandal wasn’t it?
I guess Ted Cruz isn’t worthy of that defense in the eyes of the Democrats. He’s an Extremist don’t you know...
Ted Cruz Ping!
If you want on/off this ping list, please let me know.
Please beware, it is a high-volume ping list!
He was. His nickname was "Crash".
Lol, I still have my Goldwater button tacked up behind my basement bar.
Conservatives have been telling the GOP for years and DECADES that you got to FIGHT these people on the left....Make your STAND! That's all that it takes!
I mean the GOP had the perfect opportunity to take the battle to the left defending the Boy Scouts from the queers and they refused to take the fight to them. For heavens sake, if you can't win election with something like that, then you're just plain hopeless!
The GOP is supposed to be the mom and apple pie of American politics, patriotic, defender of defense, pro small govt, pro-life, por-marriage, all things that reverberate with Main Street, USA!
But they're either too big of pu$$ies or too stupid to carry the fight to the enemy, OR BOTH!
FIGHT! STAND YOUR GROUND IN THE FACE OF UNUTTERABLE EVIL!
Yeah, you're going to lose sometimes; but you're gonna win sometimes too. If you surrender without a fight, you just lose all the time!
He should NEVER have been accepted to flight school. He finished close to last in his class at the Naval Academy.
Only the top 10% are allowed in flight school.
Unless your daddy is the Admiral.
Bump!
Yeah, to the republican conservative, a Pontius Pilate.
Right - flying "up there" spotting "wacko birds" and "kamakaze" conservatives.
Vindictive old coot really believed it was his right to be president but it was foiled by his own hand and those of his rino party
BUMP for Cruz, a man with a brain AND a heart.
That's a really funny analogy. The deposed pilot of the Republican Party is good at only one thing; crashing his planes.
Agenda Shut it down !
” I understand John McCain was a pilot. “ and the song bird for North Vietcong Charley.
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