Paul BoudreauA Changing of the Guard
January 5th 2011 16:29
:
A Changing of the Guard
Good Morning Faithful Followers, whoever you may be.
So it's about 11 am Eastern Standard Time as I write this which means that we are about one hour away from the new, Republican, majority taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives. I, as a liberal by nature personally, cannot pretend to be pleased by this development. The new crop of congressional leaders and the newly elected members of Congress who propelled them into their majority status have made it quite clear that their objectives include items such as further tax cuts, repeal of the provisions of Health Care Reform (I will not refer to it now, or ever, as Obamacare. I believe that this is an attempt to denigrate a colossal legislative achievement by both Houses' Democratic caucuses and turn it into a vanity project of the President. I do, however, believe that this characterization may, over the long term, backfire on it's right-wing promulgators as the provisions become familiar and popular with the American people.), cut spending on domestic projects, slash regulations and engage in investigations of the President and his programs. As far as agendas go this looks like a fairly destructive and disruptive one at a time when America needs and, polling suggests Americans want, stability and bipartisan problem solving going forward. To be talking in the same breath about cutting taxes and deficit reduction is ludicrous, especially when you have just held the middle class and working class tax cuts and employment benefits hostage to ensure tax cuts for the least productive segments of the American populace. To denigrate even the idea of compromise with the President, and threaten to turn the entire next legislative session into a partisan battleground preparatory for the 2012 Presidential Elections, filled with symbolic, non-negotiable votes along party lines while the economy sputters and the nation suffers is utterly irresponsible. And yet this is exactly what they are promising to do.
While I understand how they (the GOP) may think that they have received a certain mandate from their overwhelming success in the mid-term elections, the polling data and vast majority of anecdotal evidence has suggested that the American people were largely voting along partisan lines. There was a depressed independent turn out, as often happens in midterm elections, and many of the new voters and Obama-boosters who made such a large impact in 2008 failed to turn out for the vote. What does this mean for their mandate? Well, I would argue that, much as the congressional Democrats who rode the Obama wave into Washington 2 years ago mistook enthusiasm for the new administration and its goals for a mandate to beat on the Republicans, the Republicans are in danger of becoming blind to the risks of hyper-partisan activity and creating gridlock in an environment in which the people want action, and not necessarily along pure right wing principles. The majority of the electorate is still centrist, not right wing, and the 30 percent or so of voters who identify as independents are not inclined to support the same policies that Sarah Palin and her Tea Party faithful demanded Republican officials endorse in order to win primaries.
What I'm saying is simple- learn from the election that just took place, and the real message that was sent. Voters were turned off by what they saw not as an over-reaching Democratic double majority, but by one that was unable to exploit its advantage to make things happen or fulfill its promises. Going in to 2012, people are going to want success on the job and economy fronts, a congress that actually can be seen to be working, not posturing all the time, and an end to the blame filled gridlock that has endured for the last several sessions.
PSRB
So it's about 11 am Eastern Standard Time as I write this which means that we are about one hour away from the new, Republican, majority taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives. I, as a liberal by nature personally, cannot pretend to be pleased by this development. The new crop of congressional leaders and the newly elected members of Congress who propelled them into their majority status have made it quite clear that their objectives include items such as further tax cuts, repeal of the provisions of Health Care Reform (I will not refer to it now, or ever, as Obamacare. I believe that this is an attempt to denigrate a colossal legislative achievement by both Houses' Democratic caucuses and turn it into a vanity project of the President. I do, however, believe that this characterization may, over the long term, backfire on it's right-wing promulgators as the provisions become familiar and popular with the American people.), cut spending on domestic projects, slash regulations and engage in investigations of the President and his programs. As far as agendas go this looks like a fairly destructive and disruptive one at a time when America needs and, polling suggests Americans want, stability and bipartisan problem solving going forward. To be talking in the same breath about cutting taxes and deficit reduction is ludicrous, especially when you have just held the middle class and working class tax cuts and employment benefits hostage to ensure tax cuts for the least productive segments of the American populace. To denigrate even the idea of compromise with the President, and threaten to turn the entire next legislative session into a partisan battleground preparatory for the 2012 Presidential Elections, filled with symbolic, non-negotiable votes along party lines while the economy sputters and the nation suffers is utterly irresponsible. And yet this is exactly what they are promising to do.
While I understand how they (the GOP) may think that they have received a certain mandate from their overwhelming success in the mid-term elections, the polling data and vast majority of anecdotal evidence has suggested that the American people were largely voting along partisan lines. There was a depressed independent turn out, as often happens in midterm elections, and many of the new voters and Obama-boosters who made such a large impact in 2008 failed to turn out for the vote. What does this mean for their mandate? Well, I would argue that, much as the congressional Democrats who rode the Obama wave into Washington 2 years ago mistook enthusiasm for the new administration and its goals for a mandate to beat on the Republicans, the Republicans are in danger of becoming blind to the risks of hyper-partisan activity and creating gridlock in an environment in which the people want action, and not necessarily along pure right wing principles. The majority of the electorate is still centrist, not right wing, and the 30 percent or so of voters who identify as independents are not inclined to support the same policies that Sarah Palin and her Tea Party faithful demanded Republican officials endorse in order to win primaries.
What I'm saying is simple- learn from the election that just took place, and the real message that was sent. Voters were turned off by what they saw not as an over-reaching Democratic double majority, but by one that was unable to exploit its advantage to make things happen or fulfill its promises. Going in to 2012, people are going to want success on the job and economy fronts, a congress that actually can be seen to be working, not posturing all the time, and an end to the blame filled gridlock that has endured for the last several sessions.
PSRB
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