I have a few thoughts.
- Ironically, it could be the best thing to happen to the Obama administration. Arguably, the Republican takeover of Congress led to Clinton's re-election, since it drove him back towards the center and prevented him from some of the more liberal things he might have attempted. If a Republican Senate or Congress has that effect on The One, it may well assure his re-election.
- Irony can be pretty ironic, eh?
- But seriously, Obama is so genuinely and deeply arrogant, ideological, and spoiled, that it may not have that effect, and he may end up steamrolling himself out of office. Clinton was (among many other dank and repulsive things) a consummate politician and something of a pragmatist; Obama is neither.
- If the GOP resumes control — what will they do with it? I can understand readers thinking I'm an enthusiastic Republican, because I am so relentlessly critical of Dems. I am not. I am a Republican by default. What evidence is there that the GOP leadership as a whole has any more clue about what needs to be done than they had when they actually enjoyed a comfortable grip on the legislative branch?
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I have hope that the steamroller, which has been gassed up and idling for some time, has begun to roll. Your third point is important. The Clinton administration triagulated and moved to the center. This administration is full of Chicago bullies who meet resistance with force. That's a huge difference in methodology and I think Bayh's departure is more about being sick and tired of Axelrod and Emmanuel's hardball tactics than anything else.
I think you're right on every point, Kim. Many are urging O and the donks to go even harder and more aggressive. I say do it. Maybe we can bring the Dem presence in congress down to single-digits.
"Many are urging O and the donks to go even harder and more aggressive."
Sounds to me like 2 Kings 12:10-11.
It's ironic that I doubt most Dems would have heard that story before....
Re: point four:
I used to call myself a disenchanted Republican because it's been a long time since the party left me. I have hope that we can identify some worthy candidates who take their stand on the Constitution, property rights, fiscal reform, etc. but I have some concerns about the 'tea party' movement's ability to coalesce around solid, grounded candidates. The tea party movement reminds me of the home schooling movement (and I home schooled for 15 years)--it's like trying to herd cats. We all have our deeply held beliefs/reasons and mine might not be the same as yours. It's going to be tricky, especially since we are really looking for non-political servant representatives in Washington to turn it around. These are, for the most part, unknowns that will have to be carefully vetted (ie: Texan Deb Medina's truther leanings)
Sad but true, Chris.
Oh, forgot to add: We have every reason to hope and believe that Axelrod and Emmanuel will turn up the heat. That's the thing about Chicago politics; there's just one thing every one understands (capish?) and that's thuggery.
He claimed one of his reasons for leaving is the lack of bi-partisanship.
That is new speak for, "Republicans are not getting behind with supporting our magic bean ideas."
You said eh
What I get for hanging around so many CANADIANS.
I love the reason for leaving: too much partisanship. It's the other guys who are too partisan, of course.
You guys are too divisive. I'm leaving.
The big issue here is #4. So what if the Dems self-destruct, if all the GOP has to replace them with are DIABLOs? You would have thought that the 2006 elections, when conservatives stayed home in droves to protest their leftward drift, would have taught them a lesson. Yeah, not so much.
I don't know, I think I might even tolerate another 4 from Obama if we get some real conservatives into the legislature to oppose him. On the other hand, if we get another bunch of RINOs, maybe it really is time to move to New Zealand or go into the missions field where I expect to be oppressed and persecuted as part of the job.
I hear Guatemala's a great place.
You may not fully appreciate this unless you grew up with this commercial in Ohio, but the desperation and frenzied pace of this Roll On, Big-O jingle comes to mind (don't have coffee in your mouth):
This is the story of a tank truck express they call
'The Big-O'...
Roll on, Big-O
Get that juice up to Lawson's
In 40 hours...
I say he's not stoppin' till he gets that tanker delivered.
It will be interesting to see if the Republicans are going to get it. Here in Ohio, there has been a HUGE backlash against the Republican party bosses who are selecting and funding candidates before the primary. They're moving them around from race to race like chess pieces and in many cases, recycling the same old RINO's from years gone by.
The TEA party folks are not standing by idly...going as far as protesting at state GOP meetings (and having the police called). They're also sponsoring their own, more conservative candidates to run against the establishment candidates.
Mike DeWine (former 2-term Senator and Lt. Governor), who thought he'd cruise though the primary for OH Attorney General is scurrying around Ohio having awkward meeting and kissing the rings of county Tea Party leaders who can't stand him.
One interesting and rather unfortunate development we've discovered....I've been helping a couple candidates get signatures to get on the ballot for the May primary. Both of them require signers who are registered Republicans...meaning they voted Republican in the last two primaries. Anyone remember Operation Chaos? When lots of Republicans voted for Hillary in the primary in order to help John McCain? Yeah, well, now none of those folks can sign petitions as registered Republicans. Traitors...and lots of 'em!
Hey! I grew up in Ohio. I remember the Lawsons jingle! : D
I still follow Ohio politics and I can't stand DeWine either!
My question to even the most promising tea party candidates is this: If elected, how soon will you be returning to private life. No more career politicians.
I don't understand that last paragraph, though. Care to give more details to clarify? Is it the tea party candidates that are requiring registered republicans?
To elaborate on one of your points: if Republicans win control of Congress and force President Obama to the center and actually employ conservative principles to undo the damage to the economy he is doing, Obama wins re-election and gets another four years to appoint federal judges including justices in the SCOTUS.
Part of me doesn't want the Republicans to win in 2010 for this reason. Remember, much of the electorate could care less about moral issues. You have those on the kook fringe left that want abortion on demand. The care about moral issues but they want to force an evil morality. You have those of us on the right who are very concerned with ethics including pro-life issues. But much of the electorate in the center (the so-called, independents) care about one thing and one thing only, their pocketbooks. That's why you can tell how elections go, if the economy is good, the incumbent wins re-election, if the economy is not good, he loses re-election.
Kim asked, I don't understand that last paragraph, though. Care to give more details to clarify? Is it the tea party candidates that are requiring registered republicans?
No, sorry for the confusion...In Ohio...as it probably is in a lot of states, primaries are partisan - only Republicans can vote in the Republican primary, only Dems can vote in the Dem. primary. So if you want to get on the primary ballot, you have to have a certain number of registered members of your party to sign a petition to get you on the primary ballot.
Alas, all it takes (at least in Ohio) to change your party loyalty is to go into the primary voting place and say, "I'm Democrat now." as my DH did....WITHOUT TELLING ME!!! Imagine my surprise when I went in later that day to vote and saw a big, ugly "D" next to his name.
ME: "Excuse me...there must me some mistake here!"
Voting lady: "Whatever do you mean?"
Me: "MY husband would NOT have voted for one of these Democrats!"
Voting lade: "Well, everything looks to be in order...he changed to Democrat"
Me: (getting rather agitated that my beloved would betray our family) "NO! I'm CERTAIN there's been a mistake! That man would saw off his arm with a dull butter knife before he would vote for Hillary!!"
It was rather awkward after that.
@ChrisH - I had the same thought - but, I think you're referring to 1 Kings 12:10-11, right?
"The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins!
Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'""
Tom W.
WE can only hope that you are right.
Ligonier Ministries posted this today, I thought it was worth copying & pasting in full:
"Awaiting the City of God
Evangelical Christians love America. Some see in her the last hope of creating a Christian nation. But it is not a Christian nation. It is pagan to the core. It is in danger of becoming, if it is not already, the new “Evil Empire.” The Mayflower Compact is a museum piece, a relic of a forgotten era. “In God We Trust” is now a lie.
Yes, we must always work for social reform. Yes, we must be “profane’ in Martin Luther’s sense of going out of the temple and into the world. We do not despise the country of our birth. But in what do we invest our hope? The state is not God. The nation is not the Promised Land. The president is not our King. The Congress is not our Savior. Our welfare can never be found in the city of man. The federal government is not sovereign. We live—in every age and in every generation—by the rivers of Babylon. We need to understand that clearly. We must learn how to sing the Lord’s song in a strange and foreign land.
America will fall. The United States will inevitably disintegrate. The Stars and Stripes will bleed. The White House will turn to rubble. That is certain. We stand like Augustine before the sea. We pray that God will spare our nation. If He chooses not to, we ask for the grace to accept its demise. In either case, we look to Him who is our King and to heaven, which is our home. We await the city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, whose builder and maker is God."
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