Little-Acorn
04-28-2009, 04:34 PM
(My reply to the topic in another forum)
Specter's Departure a Wake Up Call for GOP
It's a wakeup call, all right, but maybe not in the way you think.
Democrats now have the means to ram through any and all programs they ever wanted, with nothing the Republicans can do to stop them. It's useful to look at a little history, to see what the results of this might be.
Last time anything close happened like this, was in 1992. They didn't have 60 Senate seats, but they had a clear majority. And they started putting through things like "Don't ask, don't tell", big spending increases, a so-called "assault weapons ban", hordes of extreme-left judges, and finally the Hillarycare plan to nationalize one-seventh of the nation's economy. The latter didn't pass, but it was close.
And the American people, who had just elected those Democrat majorities, took one look at what the Democrats intended, and kicked them out of every majority in the Federal government at the next election, plus most states.
It helped, of course, that the Republicans put together a program the people actually DID want, promising to bring ten key bills out of the committees the Democrats had bottled them up in, and vote on them on the House floor. (Amazingly, this became one of the rare times when a group of politicians actually kept their promises 100%).
Now, my guess is, the Democrats will forget history and thus doom themselves to repeat it. IMHO they will ram through even more than they already have. Hillary-style nationalized health care will be back, along with various gun bans. Entitlements will be greatly expanded, and tax increases everywhere. Simultaneoulsy, the military will be cut even as tensions worldwide increase.
And the people will quickly get their fill of such socialism, as they have before, and look to replace the Democrats with politicians who are more conservative, and who offer programs they actually want.
But the problem is... right now, the Republicans ain't it. The last group of Republicans in majorities, spent like drunken Democrats (until the Dems came back and out-spent them hugely in 2008-09), increased entitlements, supported open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens over the aliens who obeyed U.S. law, and generally acted like Democrats. Why should people vote for Democrat-lites while they reject real Democrats?
So the wake-up call for Republicans, is that they'd better get back to what the people really want (smaller government, less spending, strong borders with limited immigration, tax cuts, more personal responsibility , strong defense and foreign relations)...so they are in a position to give people what they want for a change, next election day when people turn against the socialistic extremism of the Democrats (as they did last time the Dems got free rein).
And that will take a lot of change... in the right direction this time, not Obama-style "change". Republicans abandoned small govt and spending discipline a decade ago. And if they don't go back to them, people will have no reason to vote for them, even while they vote against the Democrats whose socialism they reject.
Republicans have to become conservative again. And not because people MIGHT notice them next election. But rather, because people will be SCREAMING for an alternative to the big-govt Democrats by then.
And the Republicans had damned well better be sure they are it by then. They certainly aren't now.
Specter's Departure a Wake Up Call for GOP
It's a wakeup call, all right, but maybe not in the way you think.
Democrats now have the means to ram through any and all programs they ever wanted, with nothing the Republicans can do to stop them. It's useful to look at a little history, to see what the results of this might be.
Last time anything close happened like this, was in 1992. They didn't have 60 Senate seats, but they had a clear majority. And they started putting through things like "Don't ask, don't tell", big spending increases, a so-called "assault weapons ban", hordes of extreme-left judges, and finally the Hillarycare plan to nationalize one-seventh of the nation's economy. The latter didn't pass, but it was close.
And the American people, who had just elected those Democrat majorities, took one look at what the Democrats intended, and kicked them out of every majority in the Federal government at the next election, plus most states.
It helped, of course, that the Republicans put together a program the people actually DID want, promising to bring ten key bills out of the committees the Democrats had bottled them up in, and vote on them on the House floor. (Amazingly, this became one of the rare times when a group of politicians actually kept their promises 100%).
Now, my guess is, the Democrats will forget history and thus doom themselves to repeat it. IMHO they will ram through even more than they already have. Hillary-style nationalized health care will be back, along with various gun bans. Entitlements will be greatly expanded, and tax increases everywhere. Simultaneoulsy, the military will be cut even as tensions worldwide increase.
And the people will quickly get their fill of such socialism, as they have before, and look to replace the Democrats with politicians who are more conservative, and who offer programs they actually want.
But the problem is... right now, the Republicans ain't it. The last group of Republicans in majorities, spent like drunken Democrats (until the Dems came back and out-spent them hugely in 2008-09), increased entitlements, supported open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens over the aliens who obeyed U.S. law, and generally acted like Democrats. Why should people vote for Democrat-lites while they reject real Democrats?
So the wake-up call for Republicans, is that they'd better get back to what the people really want (smaller government, less spending, strong borders with limited immigration, tax cuts, more personal responsibility , strong defense and foreign relations)...so they are in a position to give people what they want for a change, next election day when people turn against the socialistic extremism of the Democrats (as they did last time the Dems got free rein).
And that will take a lot of change... in the right direction this time, not Obama-style "change". Republicans abandoned small govt and spending discipline a decade ago. And if they don't go back to them, people will have no reason to vote for them, even while they vote against the Democrats whose socialism they reject.
Republicans have to become conservative again. And not because people MIGHT notice them next election. But rather, because people will be SCREAMING for an alternative to the big-govt Democrats by then.
And the Republicans had damned well better be sure they are it by then. They certainly aren't now.