To be or not to be - the Republican problem
Is this the end of the line for conservatives? Or let us put it another way, is it the end of the line for the coalition of conservatives and the balance of the Republican party.
The Democratic party is a coalition of special interests. You have the unions, the gays, the blacks, etc. They each have a special area that is central to them, which many times is mutually exclusive relative to the other members. Therefore, they will support the other members in efforts in which they have no particular interests, as long as the others reciprocate. It has worked well for years.
The Republicans have a problem. For the past ten years or so, since they gained the majority, the coalition has been one of ideas. Ideas are more intangible than handouts. At first the ideas centered around principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, less taxes, and a strong national defense. To quote a well known coach, "They danced with the one that brung them." But to use Phil Gramms illustration, there were those pulling the wagon and those riding in it.
The ones riding got a little queasy. With success came the natural tendency to forget who "brung" them. They began to spend like drunken sailors. As the liberal press hammered tax breaks for the rich, they hid under the bed. As the war against terror drug on they read the polls and ran for cover.
Beyond a doubt, the country is pretty well divided. The defection of the "riders" ground the Republican wagon to a halt. Thinking of the next election detracted from the fact that if it hadn't been for the "ideas" there might not be a next election for some of them. They could not stay the course, thus we have the scuttling of the ANWR drilling, the failure to extend the tax breaks that have breathed new life into the economy and a resolution by the Republicans in the Senate to end the war regardless of the cost in the long run. Poll driven politics is the order of the day. But poll driven decision making is dangerous. There is nothing more fickle than public opinion. This knowledge is one reason the founding fathers favored representative government over direct democracy. A politician sticks his neck out today based on a poll and tomorrow its chopped off. Ask the democrats who went on public record when we went to war in Iraq based on intelligence of weapons of mass destruction (not that the mainstream press will trumpet this).
There is a void of congressional leadership. That is a megaphone on Bill Frists sweatshirt, not an "S. He can lead a cheer when we're winning but he can't carry the ball. They sidelined the "hammer" in the House with the trumped up charges from Austin. Therefore there is no party discipline there as there once was.
What has to happen? In my opinion a couple of things. One, the President has to put some new leadership in his staff who can help him deal with Congress. Second there has to be some leadership in Congress who can fight fire with fire. We need a Republican Lyndon Johnson who can twist arms either by persuasion or by force. There are three more years to right the ship. It's listing badly but hasn't taken on water to the point of no return.
Will we recover or will the Republicans again become the "go along to get along" party. Only time will tell.
The Democratic party is a coalition of special interests. You have the unions, the gays, the blacks, etc. They each have a special area that is central to them, which many times is mutually exclusive relative to the other members. Therefore, they will support the other members in efforts in which they have no particular interests, as long as the others reciprocate. It has worked well for years.
The Republicans have a problem. For the past ten years or so, since they gained the majority, the coalition has been one of ideas. Ideas are more intangible than handouts. At first the ideas centered around principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, less taxes, and a strong national defense. To quote a well known coach, "They danced with the one that brung them." But to use Phil Gramms illustration, there were those pulling the wagon and those riding in it.
The ones riding got a little queasy. With success came the natural tendency to forget who "brung" them. They began to spend like drunken sailors. As the liberal press hammered tax breaks for the rich, they hid under the bed. As the war against terror drug on they read the polls and ran for cover.
Beyond a doubt, the country is pretty well divided. The defection of the "riders" ground the Republican wagon to a halt. Thinking of the next election detracted from the fact that if it hadn't been for the "ideas" there might not be a next election for some of them. They could not stay the course, thus we have the scuttling of the ANWR drilling, the failure to extend the tax breaks that have breathed new life into the economy and a resolution by the Republicans in the Senate to end the war regardless of the cost in the long run. Poll driven politics is the order of the day. But poll driven decision making is dangerous. There is nothing more fickle than public opinion. This knowledge is one reason the founding fathers favored representative government over direct democracy. A politician sticks his neck out today based on a poll and tomorrow its chopped off. Ask the democrats who went on public record when we went to war in Iraq based on intelligence of weapons of mass destruction (not that the mainstream press will trumpet this).
There is a void of congressional leadership. That is a megaphone on Bill Frists sweatshirt, not an "S. He can lead a cheer when we're winning but he can't carry the ball. They sidelined the "hammer" in the House with the trumped up charges from Austin. Therefore there is no party discipline there as there once was.
What has to happen? In my opinion a couple of things. One, the President has to put some new leadership in his staff who can help him deal with Congress. Second there has to be some leadership in Congress who can fight fire with fire. We need a Republican Lyndon Johnson who can twist arms either by persuasion or by force. There are three more years to right the ship. It's listing badly but hasn't taken on water to the point of no return.
Will we recover or will the Republicans again become the "go along to get along" party. Only time will tell.
posted by Oldhugh | 5:39 PM
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