Posted on 11/10/2006 4:29:40 AM PST by Molly Pitcher
In the end, the Republican "revolution" ran out of gas and out of vision. Too many congressional Republicans appeared to care more about maintaining power than using power to implement an agenda, which they also abandoned.
Republicans reverted to fear tactics about Democrats raising taxes and "cutting and running" from Iraq. Democrats probably will try to raise taxes (they call it "pay as you go") and introduce resolutions to withdraw from Iraq under cover of a "plan" that has little to do with victory. Investigations of the administration will be labeled "oversight," and headed by the most liberal members of the House.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), a probable 2008 GOP presidential candidate, said on NBC Tuesday night that too many congressional Republicans had not been "careful stewards of taxpayer dollars," nor had they "adhered to conservative principles." He specifically mentioned such spending boondoggles as Alaska's "bridge to nowhere," numerous earmarks, pork barrel spending and scandals. When Republicans behave like Democrats, they lose. Why should people settle for counterfeits when they can have the genuine article?
Republicans can take some solace that President Bush might veto much of the Democrats' stealth agenda, which they hope he will do. Their objective is to win the White House in 2008 and they will turn the tables on the president if he vetoes their agenda, calling him an "obstructionist," a label he has tried to pin on them. The president would be wise to build relationships, at least with the conservative and more moderate Democrats, in hopes of isolating the liberals.
Republicans lost a significant part of their base in this election. Exit polls revealed nearly one-third of white evangelical Christians voted for Democrats, mostly because of perceived corruption in the GOP. They will continue to exercise influence within the Republican Party, but their days of veto power over policy and candidates may be over.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said he wants to cooperate with Republicans and search for common ground. Voters, who have been sickened (again) by corrosive and negative campaign ads, would appreciate that. But Dean has called Republicans "evil," "corrupt" and "brain-dead." That's not the kind of language that is likely to produce conciliation and comity.
One top House Democrat, who asked to remain anonymous until he sees whether his strategy will work, told me he will ask John Boehner, the current Republican majority leader, for permission to address the GOP caucus. The purpose, he says, would be to build a new relationship and reduce inter-party acrimony. Most people would probably wish him well if it results in progress that would benefit the country.
There are serious issues that must be addressed and resolved. Nice talk won't replace important philosophical differences and differing objectives. Most Americans may be tired of the Iraq war, but our enemies are not tired of it. If the United States pulls out of Iraq before Iraqis are trained and equipped to stand on their own against the insurgent terrorists, the terrorists will inherit a base and export terror around the world, including to the United States.
Democrats pledge to do nothing about Social Security, but this is irresponsible because Social Security cannot be sustained without huge tax increases and/or a sharp reduction in benefits. That is a fact that is beyond debate.
The problem for Republicans is their loss of revolutionary zeal. When Newt Gingrich was forced out as speaker, Republicans lost the best idea man they'd had in years. Speaker Dennis Hastert was rarely seen in public (until the Mark Foley scandal) and he has been more of a cautious manager than a bold leader. The retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been uninspiring. What happened to eloquent Republicans?
Democrats recruited more moderate and even some conservative candidates to blur their left-wing socialist image. But their party leadership is overwhelmingly liberal. They include Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, the latter a self-described "pro-lifer," who voted against the nominations of John Roberts and Samuel Alito, both presumably pro-life, to the Supreme Court.
Will liberal Democrats, despite all their talk of fiscal conservatism, ethical reform and seeking common ground with Republicans, be able to resist the temptations that come with power and privilege? They didn't when they ran the House for 40 years. Washington and its lobbyists have a way of repaving the road of good intentions for a new majority, as they did with the previous one. But that road can still lead to the same destination.
Good luck, Democrats. You'll need it. You have power now and can't blame Republicans (though you'll try) if you fail.
To be slandered as a "liberal" by the likes of you is a compliment. It reminds me that I'm sane.
The Catholic Church is anti-abortion, but Catholics especially in the US are not neccesarily in agreement. I have never met an Evangelical who favors abortion. Most will not vote for pro-abortion candidates period-this would include most Dems.
Bad men are the cause of everything.
I meant to say too conservative-mea culpa!
You know, I don't believe Obama will be the strong 'Democratic' candidate everyone says, even if Oprah promotes him.
Why? Because the Democrats, for all their talk of diversity, treat blacks like dirt and HAVE NEVER voted a black person to a prominent elected office.
Consider: There aint one black person on the Democratic varsity team. Only mayors and Congressmen and women from inner city black majority districts.
As for the GOP, black people play prominently all the way up the scale, to the highest office in the lant.
And it aint for lack of trying that few Republican blacks were elected to prominent offices.
Bottom line: for all their phony talk, the Democrats deep DEEP down dont trust black folks to 'lead' them.
Especially this new brand of southern conservative Democrat.
They simply want them to vote like good little sheep.
Harsh?? Yes, but I am certain it is the truth.
We are once again a country run by the hippies of the 60s' and 70s'.
That's nice. Mom can deliver fresh sammies to her kids who will be fighting HERE when Joe Jihadi shows up...
It says a lot about the intellectual level in this country that a lot of people still have that attitude over the last five years.
Last time I checked, the evangelicals don't want to enslave your women or behead your *ss. I keep having to point this out to people. The media has done an UNBELIEVEABLE job brainwashing people over Christianity and silencing 9/11 and "the problem with Islam".
I'm not a Christian, BTW. Just not scared of them - kind of like them, as a matter of fact.
I've heard this stuff too. There are staunch conservatives who dislike religion immensely - which in this country means disliking Christianity.
I've amused myself over the last five years pointing out to them how innocuous the Christians are compared to the Islamofascists.
It's delicious. :-)
The one to whom you and I have replied appears to hinge this 'evangelicals running his or her life' to the unspoken embrace of abortion on demand. The 'stop trying to force your religious beliefs upon me' mantra is code for 'don't try to stop my court given right to kill any alive unborn I find inconvenient to my chosen lieftstyle.' Closely aligned with that foolish mantra is the 'don't prevent science from cannibalizing embryo-aged humans to treat my ailments or those of my favorite actor'. I do not tolerate such dead souls lightly when they push the legal slaughter of alive unborn children who cannot speak out for themselves on the way to slaughter. But you must admit, they can come up with a few glib/clever retorts, though it is not likely they thought them up on their own. The brains at NOW, the ACLU, NAMBLA, and PP-hood --not to mention the clinton poitical war-- room have already vetted such glib, measuredly deceptive retorts and sent them out to media servants.
"Exit polls revealed nearly one-third of white evangelical Christians voted for Democrats, mostly because of perceived corruption in the GOP."
Are their any beige, brown, red or yellow evangelical Christians in America?
Haggard alone had 14,000 member congregation and his 30,000,000 member association.
It is stated elsewhere the election hinger on as few as 50,000 votes.
And apparently at least 10,000,000 white evangelicals voted democrat.
The Islamfascist argument pretty much smacks down ANY glibness from the Left on just about any social war issue. I think my newest one is looking at a feminist and saying to her: "Maybe I'll convert to Islam. Then it'll up to ME when you stop having babies, darlin'."
;-)
A homosexual degenerate outs a hypocrite preacher and the preacher's disgruntled flock votes for satan's minions? I don't think it works like that. I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
With all due respect, I am an evangelical and could never vote for a party which participates in the murder of the unborn-it is their platform. Evangelicals will never vote for Dems as long as they support abortion. These so called Evangelicals are fakes-drive by media bs.
Actual Catholics are much more orthodox than their bishops in the US and more set against abortion. When did you last see a bishop arrested outside an abortuary?
I know plenty of Catholic (my Dad was Catholic and Mom was Baptist). Some are pro-choice. I guess this is the case for most religions. None of us follow our religion perfectly.
I agree.
The Security Mom morphed back into the Soccer Mom because of a perceived dimunition of the threat.
I find this conclusion boundlessly depressing as Republicans are never very good at pandering to this shockingly ignorant part of the Electorate (think of the pony-tail guy in the 1992 Bush-Clinton-Perot debate).
That bullcrap argument is exactly why the Republicans lost. Voters don't buy into the "fight them there so they don't come here" mantra. Americans did not sign onto an open-ended nation-building commitment where American servicemen die at the hands of an insurgency against a government that is unwilling to deal with the ethnic death squads operating with impunity.
Ask Tony Blair how the "fight them there so they won't come here" theory worked. Oh, yeah.
Go to hell, terrorist.
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