Posted on 04/29/2009 5:15:47 PM PDT by Delacon
Arlen Specter’s announcement this week of his plans to switch to the Democrat side of the aisle is sending shockwaves throughout the country.
No one is surprised as to the motives behind the defection, as Pennsylvania conservatives’ ire over Senator Specter and his big government leanings are very well-known. These tensions were headed to a breaking point in advance of Specter’s 2010 re-election bid and the switch was necessary to keep his hopes of political survival alive. It is in how the GOP responds to this bombshell however that will dictate its impact on the future of the conservative limited government movement.
Staring down the barrel of the immediate policy consequences of the Specter switch will give freedom-loving conservatives a good deal of heartburn. Specter will work to endear himself to his new party and their march toward the Obama agenda of big government. Socialized medicine, a massive carbon cap-and-trade tax hike, union-empowering card check legislation: all these liberal policy wish-list items now have new life. A sixty-vote margin in the Senate is now guaranteed to beat back the threat of a conservative filibuster against any of these proposals and many on the Right, to include myself, are worried about this newly strengthened Democratic steamroller paving America’s way towards socialism.
Surely many in the conservative soft-middle are already preparing their arguments for why it’s important for the GOP to come closer to the center (i.e. the Left). Some Republicans in Congress will reason that they must acquiesce to the Democrats on much of the policy agenda to have any hope of slipping in modest wins for conservative constituencies. Those more obsessed with power will seek this same approach in order to benefit their status on key committees and ensure the survival of pet projects for their districts and states. Certainly we will be able to depend on a core of rock-solid conservative champions like Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn in the Senate and Republican Study Committee Members in the House, but their ability to keep the GOP rooted in good, limited government principles will be significantly weakened by the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” crowd.
Anticipating this latest crisis of conscience that Congressional Republicans will go through let me suggest that, in this political game of “chicken,” we shouldn’t turn first.
The strategy of cozying up to the liberal machine and hoping for the occasional table scrap was that of the content Republican minority during the early nineties in the days before the Contract with America. Fortunately, bold leaders like Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich chose not to buckle. They held Republicans together, took the fight directly to Democrats, and by standing on limited government, free market policy they were rewarded by the American electorate politically with control of Congress in 1994.
Consider too the fact that in today’s political environment, and despite the President’s perceived “rock star” status, Democrats have greatly resisted wholly owning the Obama agenda thus far. The fight over the trillion dollar stimulus plan in January was an early indicator. Pelosi, Reid, and Obama all spent a lot of time tinkering with language in the legislation in an effort to court some Congressional Republicans from the squishy center and claim the mantle of bipartisanship. Those efforts failed as almost every Republican (only three defections, all in the Senate, including the new Democrat Specter) stood together in voting against the bloated stimulus bill.
Now the larger health care debate has begun and Democrats have neatly worked a safety-valve into the budget resolution passed this week that will allow them to enact a government-run health care scheme through the reconciliation process, requiring only 51 votes. Nevertheless, that Democrat leaders are bending over backwards to show they would rather do it in a bipartisan way through the more rigorous regular-order process of achieving a 60-vote threshold is notable. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is leading a chorus of voices on the Left sounding the strong desire not to invoke reconciliation in order to pass health care legislation, even though they could, through numerous statements and a host of communications with the Republican conference.
Don’t let the touchy-feely nature of their bipartisan overtures fool you. Just like with the stimulus bill Democrats are afraid of being tagged with the political responsibility for their own party’s reform approach and want some Republican by-in for cover. What else could the reason be? If they whole-heartedly believed in the policy they were peddling they would proudly push it through on their own, even without the help of their caucus’ new member from Pennsylvania.
Those plotting the GOPs return to power should consider this in the wake of the Specter switch and take a lesson from Armey, Gingrich, and others that chose to go Right and actually won in spite of pressure to play ball.
Divining intent are we?
What a joke
Political parties are dinosaurs.
Voter direct will be the “new” norm. Imagine a candidate doing 25 3-minute platform video speeches on all the current “hot-button” issues that show up right in your Email box.
Direct marketing goes political. Fill out a simple form online, check your “hot-button” issues, check your candidates, and the nicely packaged speech from each of your selected candidates are right there for your consumption. Rinse, repeat.
It’s coming. Good, bad, or indifferent.
It's a 'feelgood' kinda thing by those who are ok with marginalizing themselves and their beliefs.
Very astute posting.
In my district we worked long and hard to defeat a RINO and replace him with a conservative only to have the GOP toss him overboard at the first opportunity. Now we have a far left democrat in his place and no one but party leadership to blame.
In the race for Rahm Emanuel’s seat A good conservative (and a FReeper) named Rosanna Pulido ran. Granted she was a long shot but the GOP could have given at least token support. Instead she had a local GOP alderman telling voters to write in Abe Lincoln rather than vote for her.
As a party the GOP needs to give up on expecting loyalty and start earning it.
Also, we are NOT a direct Democracy, we are Republic, we vote for people, not issues, directly.
Get rid of your Republican Alterman.
Every Party will have jerks who do things that you do not like.
Any 3rd Party will have “THINOS”
(Third Party in Name Only)
They'd rather Democrats win than for government to get smaller or regulations to go down.
As to the Republican party, pffffft. I'll contribute to a candidate, but not to the party. Never again. How many Freepers contributed to the Republicans only to have them give it to Specter so he could change parties. We've known for years Specter would stab us in the back right in front of our face.
It is a sad state of affairs. In the current guise, there’s Republicans, and Republicans that “play ball.” Quite simply, if you don’t play ball, you don’t get the nod.
Fine, as long as the new party is majority former Democrats.
I know many Liberals who are
visibly distressed by the actions of their Party
Many classic Liberals would be better defined as Libertarians,
and can be made to see the ultimate destruction
associated with Socialism
As I hear many Conservatives just as distressed
by the Moral Posturing of the Republican Party.
The Basis of USAs strength is fundamentally Capitalism
constrained By Libertarian (to left) and Conservatives (to right)
Socialists Hate Liberty,
but many Liberals do not
If a liberal can be made to see that
I am not telling them how to personally run their own life,
dialog is opened, and
they might convert in droves
The task is to get a liberal to grow
their Libertarian nature
and leave the nest of The
false premise of Socialist Security.
Bravo
I’m all for having stiff spines, but when the ‘Rats have 60 Senators, Obama, Reid, & Pelosi will have unlimited power.
Thanks, but that didn’t make ME feel any better. :0)
And your solution?
Face it, you do NOT have a solution.
The ONLY way that we can hope for any conservative victories is for conservatives to take control of the Republican Party.
I am convinced that Government should not Govern moral behavior
anymore than is should not constrain free will.
A people who are told What To Think,
are just as enslaved as those who are told What To Do
Only by permitting Free Will can
truly Moral behavior develop
and true Freedom Flourish.
The Government that gets out of the way
Does not prevent people from rising, or falling
by their own choices. Personal initiative is no longer atrophic,
and the populace regains strong mental and Moral muscles,
or not, it is their own choice.
If a person wishes to destroy themselves, that is their business,
whether I help my neighbor, or not, is my business.
It is no-one Else's, except God
And each individual is accountable for this
I am intensely Conservative,
but I see no kindness, or necessity in,
forcefully removing one's free will
Except in so far as it impacts someone elses
There are huge differences between the Republican Party and the Democrat Party.
That you refuse to notice only means that you are some type of Libertarian who does not care about:
Abortion
Euthanasia
Gay Marriage
National Defense
Libertarians I know are generally supportive of
National defense, Contract issues, and Natural Law issues
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