So, I've taken a month or so off. Sue me fans, sue me. As many of you who watch the news can attest many a pieces have been moved into place for the Republican party to regain the House, and to some speculators... possibly the Senate. With Scott Brown's on-slaught of Martha Coakley and matchup numbers across the board favoring Republican candidates, were starting to see a nation at the brink of busting one-party control. While this entry is a catalyst to future analysis, I would like to remind us how we have been inching our way toward this eventual shift in American opinion. Currently Rasmussen has our President's approval rating at 42% and while much of this might be a referendum on his policies, were seeing something else that I've seen hardly anyone comment on. An attack on incumbents, in both parties. Congress has had a 20% approval rating now since 2007, but many districts and states feel their guy is for them. In the next few parargraphs I want to very simplistically narrarate why Republicans will be winning in 2010.
I believe 2006 and 2008 taught Republicans across the board something. I remember the old proverbial wisdom of my father when he said, "sometimes you just need to get your ass kicked." Well Republicans did and rightfully so. With little to identify with and the so-called "need to moderate", many in our party felt a reallignment was needed. With a wave of anti-establishment sentiment, our countries moderates took to voting in sweeping majorities to Democrats in both houses and the WH. Many in the GOP believed they had been too conservative including Colin Powell, Chuck Hagel, Chafee Lincoln and Arlen Specter. With America's newly elected President, many saw our nation on a new course and hope to alleviate the recent econmic downturn. What Americans didnt suspect was an all out assault on capitalism.
Our President and Congress pushed the largest budget the U.S. had ever known and began to bailout companies in an effort to stimulate the weak market. With the debt growing to more than four times what it was, we raise our personal debt to 12 trillion dollars and began to increase taxes to attack the rich. The administration also looked into Cap and Trade which in itself is another tax, and the now infamous health care reform which has been an epic saga that has ignited huge opposition. Now we have the highest unemployment in 25 years, and the administration continues to blame his predecessor and the opposition party despite having super majorities in the House and the Senate for most of the year. Amidst this angst, a movement of conservatives, libertarians, independents, some liberals, and constitutionalists became increasingly impassioned by the outrageous spending and arogant management and decided to send Washington a message. That message was the TEA Parties which began on tax day last April and have been gaining speed throughout the U.S. ever since. Its no secret that the TEA Party largely supports many Republican beliefs, but plenty in the movement disdain the party for its lack of true leadership and backbone, and what many say is that theyve abandoned their roots. Time will tell.
Many simply say that the Republican party is the "so-called" party of NO, however little attention in the media has brought the fact that Republicans produced numerous reports and proposals on health care, energy, the economy, intelligence and war time protocol. The President and his administration campaigned on transparency and the public got just the opposite. Closed doors and sweetheart deals is exactly the kind of disgust voters have rejected in the past and the last year came to be much of the same stuff were used to. With this, weve seen parallel victories to 1993, by conservative victories in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts. The taking of Kennedy's seat has been the sonorous bell-weather that has Democrats quaking in their shoes.
While many have been saying that Republican victory of the House is inevitable, the Senate is another story. With several retirements in New Hampshire, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, and several other states we find it to be an uphill battle, but running state-by-state potential matchups, Republicans may be able to bring their total seats to 51. Is this big... yes! Why is this important? Several reasons... budget control, immigration and health care reform, and yes... the future of the Supreme Court. In 2011, John Paul Stevens will become the longest serving Supreme Court Justice in history and its no secret he wants to retire shortly after the record is shattered. Not too mention Ruth Bader Ginsburg's rumored desire to sit down. This is the interesting affect a new Republican majority could have, a block on future court appointees, remember Clinton's only two seated picks were in the first two years of his administration before the infamous "Contract with America."
My cautionairy tale to fellow Republicans and conservatives... elect our own. The problem with states who have open elections is that they can nominate anyone, including moderates. When we elect RINO's, thats when we get in trouble. If we don't stand for something, well fall for anything. With the possibility of Illinois' Mark Kirk as a Senator, I'm reluctant to say I'd be pleased to have him on my team. However, when we get a Scott Brown, or a Pat Toomey or another budding individual to ebraces free market principles, strong national defense, fiscal conservatism, social conservatism, and a constitutional understanding, the Republican party can be seen as the go-to party for big ideas whose concepts are birthed out of individual liberty and unprecedented freedoms.
