GOP, The Way

While stumbling around in the wilderness, often mumbling incoherently to itself, the GOP has possibly been shown the way to reunify itself, and maybe pick up a few unintended allies along the way. Enter the inspiration, Far Left crazed-spending into oblivion.

In an article on the heavily conservative American Thinker, author Larry Anderson takes a poignant look at the lies and exploitation the GOP has perpetrated on conservatives.

As Mr Anderson points out, most of the rhetoric attached to the Republican "big tent" speeches promise of returns to free markets, tax cuts, government reform, and fiscal responsibility are just that, rhetoric. Exactly the message to get a group of conservatives fired up and ready to retake Washington. Ironically, most of the funding and time for the GOP is provided by these very same conservative activists, who in the end get rampant spending, socialist lite policies, and government expansion for their trouble. Not exactly delivering on what was promised.

There are many reasons we have a President Obama today; DNC mastering of tech, tapping into a younger voting base, 50 state strategy, Latino voters, ACORN, Iraq, etc., take your pick. While all of these were obvious factors, the one that is barely talked about is the mandate against President Bush and those who recklessly supported his bad spending habits. Unfortunately, we are still getting more of the same old same old.

Right now we stand on the brink of an $800 billion plus "stimulus package" to get the economy off life support. What American wouldn't be ecstatic about getting a nice little hunk of change from their Uncle Sam. The problem is these checks will be passed out, hopefully, to make you start spending, not paying bills or saving for the leaner times. Furthermore, this solution fails to address the long term ramifications of the economic downturn and inevitable fiscal constriction.

This brings up the obvious question, "How are we going to pay for all of this?" Are we going keep printing money to the point of making it valueless. Are we going to keep borrowing from the Chinese till Beijing owns every home in America? No, they will have to raise taxes, and raise them they will. If this doesn't prove to be enough, then what? The government will then have to find alternative ways to generate more capital to pay the bill. The only answer is a profitable return on a government investment, better known as the nationalization of domestic companies. This is not saying Obama is a socialist, it is an observation that he is not leaving himself or future administrations much choice.

This path leaves the constituency of America with few options. Overt taxation will be levied to God knows what level, leaving many with little or no earning, spending, savings, or investment potential. An expanded government, possibly doubled in its size, and only adding to its already horrible mismanagement. And nationalized businesses and companies which have to answer to the very same broken bureaucracy that got us into this mess in the first place. How can we expect our technocrats to manage and provide sound services within a larger government, when they can't take care of the one they have now?

With all this in mind, triangulation on a message that can bind together the factious movements in the GOP, as well as garner some allies (i.e. Blue Dogs), should be top priority to the RNC. That message is fiscal responsibility and reform of the present process of government spending. If the weak-minded GOP Congressional leaders could get this through their thick skulls and start practicing it, they could become a positive force to be reckoned with. However, they won't due to fear of the President's approval rating.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal the Senate minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, shows his true colors when it comes to being the leader of the opposition.

"I think it's important not to be in a hurry," Mr. McConnell, of Kentucky, said in an interview in his office in the U.S. Capitol last week. "The new president has high approval ratings. Polls indicate that both Republicans and Democrats want him to be successful. We want to be a respectful, loyal opposition."

Let's not forget our conservative leaning experts either.

From D. R. Tucker of Human Events,

Frum’s “Diary” blog at National Review Online has been a must-read for the past few years and, unfortunately, a target of much unfair criticism. Frum has been smeared by the talk-radio world for allegedly being a RINO or a faux-conservative, largely because he a) didn’t buy the right’s effort to position Sarah Palin as the new Queen of Conservatism and b) believed that merely recycling old lines from the Reagan ‘80s would not lead to a new era of Republican dominance.

He of course goes on in his post to show the backlash against Sarah Palin as obvious proof that the 80's style Reagan message is dead. Tucker, in all of his myopia, is overlooking two important points: message is one thing, actually practicing it is another and we tried running a moderate Republican in John McCain, it didn't work.

Tucker's point about the death Reagan conservatism is very important, though. But not for the reasons he intended. How can you put forth the message of fiscal responsibility when you haven't been practicing it? The American people don't trust the GOP anymore because of their wanton disregard for America's prosperity. It's time to rebuild that trust by standing up for them through opposition of stupidity,like the stimulus package, communicating to the people directly, offering viable fiscal solutions, and why they work. As far as McCain, I think the answer to that is painfully obvious.

Finally, all is not lost, from Senator David Vitter's (R-La.) attempted opposition to the release of the second half of the TARP funds, to Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin's, Roadmap for America’s Future, to gentlemen like Senator Demint who offers some sound advice,

"We have to have a remnant of the Republican Party who are recognizable as freedom fighters," Mr. DeMint said. "What I'm looking to do as a conservative leader in the Senate is to identify those Republicans, and even some Democrats, and put together a consensus of people who can help stop this slide toward socialism."

Freedom in America is inexorably connected to the economy and its prosperity. It is what our country was founded on and the more the government controls the less you have. You don't even have to use critical thinking to figure that out.


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