Posted on 10/25/2014 9:03:01 AM PDT by Kaslin
The vast majority of political journalists -- and I include some of my conservative colleagues -- are missing a very big story.
The Republicans are going to recapture the Senate, picking up more seats than most any forecaster expects. And the House GOP is going to add to its majority. But then comes the big story: The beginning of a new conservative revolution.
The idea that nothing much will change if the GOP captures the whole Congress is just plain wrong. The politics and policies in Washington are about to change in a major way.
Obama may still be president. But he is going to be immediately confronted with a flood of new bills that will change the debate on tax reform, energy, health care, education, international trade and regulations.
Obama will no longer be able to hide behind Harry Reid, who has stopped all voting on these matters. And Mitch McConnell, as Senate majority leader, will be able to move forward the reform ideas of his caucus and House policy leaders like Paul Ryan, Jeb Hensarling, Kevin Brady and many others.
Obama's head will spin with all the new paperwork on his desk. He may even have to cut back on his golf game.
Of course, because of his left-wing ideology, Obama may veto everything. But if he does, he's setting up a new Republican agenda for the 2016 presidential race. Either Hillary Clinton completely jumps the Obama ship, or she's pulled way left by the Democratic party's Bill de Blasio/Elizabeth Warren/Sandinista wing. Either way she's in trouble.
And maybe some Senate Democrats vote to override Obama's vetoes, with some even converting to Republicanism. An Angus King or a Joe Manchin may cross the aisle after the likely midterm GOP landslide.
Unfortunately, the current GOP never put together a clear national-policy election agenda. Not even a downsized Contract with America. But I suggest two Big Think thoughts for the first 100 days of the new Congress.
First is optimism: We know what the problems are, we know what the solutions should be, and we can make these changes quickly. Second is a re-energized evangelism by the Republican party for pro-growth, market-oriented, consumer-driven, pro-family policies.
"We all see this coming," House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan told me in a recent interview. "Energy and tax reform are going to be at the top of the list." And House Financial Services chairman Jeb Hensarling told me, "It's time to put up or shut up for tax reform. Fairer, flatter, simpler, so the American people will at last know what the GOP would do for economic growth to rescue the country from the worst recovery since World War II."
Hensarling also emphasized the need to expand the energy revolution and to stop the massive overregulation that has stunted growth. "The regulatory red-tape burden, which violates the Founding Fathers' Federalist paper 47 by diminishing the rule of law and increasing bureaucratic power in the executive branch at the expense of the constitutionally mandated legislative branch, has got to be stopped."
Let me weigh in on the first two bills that the GOP should put on Obama's desk.
The Republicans should start with energy by legislating a Keystone Pipeline Authorization Act (this is how the Alaska pipeline was approved in 1979), and include energy reforms that would open federal lands to development and drilling and remove all restrictions to energy exports.
More energy supply means lower energy prices and more overall economic growth. Everybody benefits. Who loses? Our enemy Vladimir Putin and his client state Iran. And if Obama kowtows again to the left-wing enviros, so be it. It's a 2016 GOP agenda item.
Second would be a business tax-reform plan that would slash the corporate tax rate to 20 percent, stop the double taxation of foreign profits and allow small business S-corps (including unborn start-ups, which are America's real job creators) to take advantage of the new lower corporate tax rate. This tax cut should also be scored with a reality-based economic-feedback model.
But the key here is that the GOP regains its footing as the party of optimism and growth. A new Republican Congress should message that they're tired of obsessing about Obama's mistakes. Everybody knows about those. The trick now is to focus on solutions. On change. On saying, "We can do this. We can fix this."
Harking back to Ronald Reagan, Republicans should also remind everyone that a nation that's strong at home is one that becomes strong abroad. Not only can we put people back to work in the U.S., with real take-home pay, but a new recovery will gather new respect from our allies, and new fear from our enemies.
This is the potentially huge story that so many in the media are missing.
That ‘somebody’ is the GOPe methinks.
Not the way he’s been criticizing the GOPe.
Should all of us who are skeptical of this be banned too?
I've always been an optimist. I would love to believe that Kudlow knows something that the rest of us don't. I really would.
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It still will take 67 or more and even that wouldn't occur until 2015. In the meantime Obola can do pretty much as he pleases without fear of consequence. The SCOTUS nominees are the concern.
Lol. Where did you get that idea? I want the GOP to win every election. However I’m not optimistic much will be accomplished should they win the senate and increase their margin in the house. Honestly I hope Larry’s right but I don’t think you’ll see much in the way of bold moves from the RINOs
Reality troll should make an appearance. If we stay the course with this GOP, absolutely abandon hope. This election should be a slam dunk and not even close. It isn’t. Demographics. This is a VERY different America and not one I like.
No. The results of Nov 4 will not matter regardless of what they are. Some GOP conservative renaissance is a joke. Only remaking the GOP will MAYBE accomplish that.
” What do you think the chances are, under a GOP majority in both Houses, that they will defund Obamacare?”
0% chance. They already said so, and they are talking up amnesty too!
"More energy supply means lower energy prices and more overall economic growth. Everybody benefits. Who loses? Our enemy Vladimir Putin and his client state Iran. And if Obama kowtows again to the left-wing enviros, so be it. It's a 2016 GOP agenda item." -----------------------------------------------------------
Leaving aside and ignoring the nut jobs who value Putin's rebuilding the Soviet Empire over America and the West, Kudlow's observation is also a great point about how the weak economic policies, especially on energy production, empower and embolden America's enemies. That's got to stop and if it doesn't stop those who cause that weakness must be identified for all to see. They make America weaker and poorer while making the US government and Democrat party bigger. That's anti-American and morally wrong.
We must do what the rats do and this is be united against them
Consider Haley Barbour: he owes his seat now to Negro Democrats not to Conservatives.
Then go to a forum where all the already-defeated can rend their shirts and gnash their teeth. You've already quit -- but I don't believe your goals align with FR's. I believe you are a Concern Troll.
If, on the 2% chance I am wrong, why don't you offer solutions, as I have (my sarcastic 'caving' downthread, aside), instead of staying mired in the problem?
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win. -- Sun Tsu
The leadership will complain because they are not used to being told what to do
The libs have been telling them what to do for years now.
I still see gridlock with Obama vetoing everything, doing everything by executive order and republicans sitting on their butt doing nothing.
I do understand that some Texans wrote in Cruz, I too detest Cornyn and still can’t believe they put up a weak Stockman. I will hold my nose and against my wishes vote Cornyn ONLY because I want a majority due to SCOTUS.
Yeah, all will be great. If Ebola doesn’t bring the country to it’s knees.
As long as the Ruling Class Establishment is in power and leadership, they will render Conservatism politically irrelevant.
What did we think McConnell meant by declaring war on Conservatives, stating we needed to be punched in the nose for daring to challenge him; vowing to crush Conservatives wherever they are found and asserting Conservatives will never again be able to field a Conservative candidate on the ballot anywhere, ever again?
The GOP establishment hates and loathes Conservatives as much as the Democrat MarxoFascists do.
I have absolutely no reason to be optimistic. The fruits of the party are exactly as Mark Levin has been stating: it is a party that is dying and of no difference than the Democrat party. As he also says, fixing Washington IS NOT going to happen by electing Republicans, because Washington will not allow itself to be reformed. Fixing this Fascist Oligarchy will have to come from OUTSIDE the system they have corrupted for themselves.
Right on.
Nothing like a optimistic post to bring out the wet blankets on FR...LOL
Just because Rush ‘criticizes’ the GOPe doesn’t mean he’s not on board with them in general.
In his position to maintain credibility he has to find some fault (legitimately) with his own, just as he pretty much has to praise some people who think quite differently than him (or I or you probably). For example, I’ve heard him praise James Carville for his success and political acumen; people constantly seek him out for advice and comment.
A man like Rush is not easily influenced by anyone or any organization. He’s lived too long and seen too much of his own success. But he’s just as tired of a fundamentally transformed America as we are and Rush sees a huge Republican sweep as the first step. It is for this reason he’s on board with the GOPe, not because they’re pushing him around.
Just my opinion - I could be wrong.
Good points.
The OP wasn’t optimism, it was cognitive dissonance with a fatal dose of Normalcy Bias thrown in.
Some of us still remember when the GOP had total control of both Houses and the Executive not that long ago.
“Optimism” while completely ignoring reality used to be called fantasy.
Now, fantasy governs all, and those whom rule us demand we believe in their fantasies or we will be blamed and punished when reality comes knocking.
I wrote-in Stockman. I pulled for Stovall in the primary because he had a better chance, but I preferred Stockman.
I bet that plunged my vote into a black hole somewhere :)
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