The bleeding hearts are weeping

The Academy for the Constitutionally Challenged ^ | 11/06/02 | Sammy Larbi

[substandard042]

The bleeding hearts are weeping
November 6, 2002

In an historic election night that happens only once in a long while, Republicans have been swept into the House of Representatives and Senate, holding a majority and gaining seats in the one, while gaining a majority in the other. In midterm elections, the President’s party almost always loses seats in both houses of Congress.

Today’s situation poses several implications. Have the American people spoken? The votes can’t be interpreted any other way. A check on the ballot next to a Republican candidate cannot be interpreted as a “vote against the Democrat.” It simply can’t, and won’t be construed as such by the winners, because they have no way to know. The People have been sold on the idea of liberty and now they want to be free. Some have even called this Independence Day.

But will the Republicans work toward smaller government, or will they fall prey to the Leviathan that is the government, and be drunk with their newfound power?

The Party of Principle has a test ahead. Even recently with the socialistic farm subsidies and steel tariffs, and the fascistic Patriot Act and campaign finance reform, they’ve consistently compromised on those principles they hold so dear. The excuse has been that these are small prices to pay to work toward the larger agenda, namely Freedom. They traded votes on those “unimportant issues” in order to obtain votes on issues that are more important to them.

After the 2000 elections, the Republicans were in a similar situation as today, controlling the House, Senate, and Presidency. But there were two stumbling blocks in the way of their agenda: Senators John McCain and Jumpin’ Jim Jeffords.

No longer are these roadblocks a factor, no longer should the Republican party have any problems in breaking our shackles, no longer will they have to sell out their votes to push part of their agenda while setting back the other part. One step forward and two steps back is out the door.

But here’s the conundrum: If the Republicans don’t come through in the next two years, if the cancer has not been cut away, will liberty loving people stop supporting them? Will they have what it takes to support another party, at the cost of living under Democrat rule until all fans of liberty are voting for the new party? Will libertarians sell out and support “less” big government over “more” big government? Cutting the growth rate still makes government bigger.

The only reason this is even a concerning question is due to the Republicans’ own past- one which is checkered with small government proposals as well as larger government proposals. But liberty-seeking individuals still have to ask that question. Republicans have to know they were elected because people want to be free, and they need to push an agenda that allows us to be free.

I ask because a freedom-touting conservative pundit, Sean Hannity, has always claimed he is not a “Kool-Aid” (1) drinker. He despises party uber alles politics, as should anyone who has any principle. However, recently on his nationally syndicated talk show, Hannity defended all of the mad Lib ideas that George W. Bush has advanced, against what he called “all you uberconservatives.” He said that we should do better that Bush. I don’t challenge us to do better, I challenge Bush to do better. Before that moment, I had always thought of Hannity as one who loved freedom. Never before had he defended the President’s mishaps. In fact, he always criticized them. But that day I wondered, if Hannity can do it without being a Kool-Aid drinker, how many rank-and-file Republican Kool-Aid drinkers can and will defend big government with no more excuses, if it comes to that?

We have to be aware of the giant. Power is an inebriating drink, and we have to stand by our principles of freedom. We have to be aware that Republicans are people too. They can partake of the drink, but they can no longer offer any excuses for why they aren’t freeing us.

I hope there doesn’t have to be any excuses. I hope that today is Independence Day. But people who want to be free need to know that they cannot be so if they practice party uber alles politics.

Sammy Larbi
www.constitutionallychallenged.com

Reference:

(1) Kool-Aid drinker is Sean Hannity's term for one who supports the party over everything, no matter what individuals in that party have done.

Comment on this article... --------------------------- If you know anyone who likes to write about politics, send them my way (substandard042@prodigy.net) or visit www.constitutionallychallenged.com