Chris Adamo
Rebuilding the Republican Party for 2010
By Chris Adamo
It would be virtually impossible for the left to ignore the resentment among the people of heartland America that is currently simmering and threatens to soon come to a boil. The realization of the grave consequences of the liberal/socialist juggernaut, at the core of the "hope and change" rhetoric of the past year, is clearly motivating real America to take a stand for the sake of the country.
Those Democrats who had expected to ram through an agenda that would fundamentally alter the makeup of the nation are finding out that their task may not be so easy as initially expected. Admittedly, too many conservatives had pulled their punches during the past eight years in deference to President Bush, who all too often used his position to undermine his supporters, while trying in vain to find common ground with the opposition.
But now, with Bush gone and the Democrats holding both houses of Congress as well as the White House, few conservatives outside of Washington are feeling any need to soft-peddle their concerns in order to maintain coherency with GOP "moderates." Recognizing the need to play political hardball with an increasingly militant liberal ruling class, the conservative base no longer has any intention of being restrained by the failed appeasement tactics of the Republican Party establishment.
Unfortunately, that very Republican establishment may be the last group to figure this out. Far too many of its key players remain wedded to the idea of "bipartisanship" with a Democrat machine that clearly intends to dismantle the very precepts of America's greatness. In a twisted variation of the "half-full/half-empty" conundrum, many among the GOP inner circle continue to embrace the very concepts that have infuriated voters and spelled electoral disaster for Republicans in the past two elections.
When seeking to establish a political strategy, it is crucial to understand that the beauty-queen syndrome, by which all newly elected presidents reap a brief boost in public opinion polls, bears no correlation to the national popularity of any program or new policy. This is particularly true in the case of Obama, whose media-driven numbers soared briefly into the stratosphere, but merely represented an emotional reaction to the novelty of a new and "politically correct" chief executive. But as the dismal reality of his ideological inclination sets in, his numbers have plummeted almost as dramatically as they had risen.
In truth, this drop in the public opinion polls is far more significant than the previous rise, given that it is occurring in the midst of an ongoing orgy of media sycophancy that has not ceased since the day he received the Democrat nomination. Yet inside the Beltway, even among those in Obama's own camp, the turning tide of public sentiment has not gone unnoticed, even if it is still wrongly interpreted.
Amid all of the media accolades, America may have become smitten with Obama' s supposedly smooth style, and it may have briefly bought into all of the self-congratulatory rhetoric of some supposed triumph over past racial disparities (though the treatment of race in this whole episode by the left actually reflects a tasteless retrograde focus on quotas to a far greater degree than representing any noble societal milestone). But, day-by-day, the relevance of the racial tokenism and overblown media assertions of his legendary charisma recede in importance, and the significance of the policies of Barack Obama and the Democrats advance excruciatingly towards center stage.
In such an arena, truly conservative Republicans are presented with a golden opportunity to reclaim their party from their insipid "establishment" counterparts, and rework it into a vibrant and inspiring political force that can reassert the greatness of America, both in its international relations and in its domestic culture. This possibility is real, but it cannot be pursued by a political class that maintains its strategy of sitting the fence, and responding to every ensuing outrage from the Democrats by countering with watered down versions of the same abhorrent things.
The current public outrage over the bonuses being paid to AIG executives is a perfect case in point. These bonuses, unwarranted though many may contend them to be, are minuscule in comparison to other monies that have been flagrantly misspent by the current congress and administration. Yet by fanning the flames of indignation over this situation and thus providing a very effective distraction, the whole AIG bonus controversy is proving far more harmful to taxpayers in that it allows the government spending orgy to continue in countless other areas with comparatively little scrutiny, and to a degree vastly exceeding the $165 million the company allocated to executive bonuses.
For example, the portion of the fraudulently named "stimulus" package specified to "ACORN," an organization devoted to the remaking of America according to the principles of Marx, was approximately four billion dollars. That amount is twenty five times greater than the entirety of the AIG bonuses. Yet little was heard from those pontificating politicians about a truly abominable expenditure of taxpayer money that will ultimately be devoted to a coordinated dismantling of traditional America.
Political hacks who are sermonizing about the evils of AIG policy, but who remained silent during the "stimulus" debate, are hardly displaying any real concern for America or its economic viability. Rather, they offer incontrovertible proof of their hypocrisy, and their ultimate concern for the fortification of the political establishment at the expense of the rest of the nation.
Yet in the midst of this mire, some conservative rising stars are beginning to shine. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has very loudly decried the expenditures, and even engaged in the unheard of behavior of refusing funding from Washington. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford had done likewise, but on an even larger scale. In the midst of this sell-out of America, a few resolute and principled individuals are proving that neither they, nor their country's future, is up for sale.
The Republican Party can and must divest itself of the disastrous former "bipartisan" entanglements with the Democrats. It must resolutely communicate its opposition to the out of control spending practices of the current regime. And it must stay unabashedly on message despite the inevitable firestorm of criticism and antagonism from the left. By doing so it will realize an enormous advantage during the next election cycle.
© Chris Adamo
March 19, 2009
It would be virtually impossible for the left to ignore the resentment among the people of heartland America that is currently simmering and threatens to soon come to a boil. The realization of the grave consequences of the liberal/socialist juggernaut, at the core of the "hope and change" rhetoric of the past year, is clearly motivating real America to take a stand for the sake of the country.
Those Democrats who had expected to ram through an agenda that would fundamentally alter the makeup of the nation are finding out that their task may not be so easy as initially expected. Admittedly, too many conservatives had pulled their punches during the past eight years in deference to President Bush, who all too often used his position to undermine his supporters, while trying in vain to find common ground with the opposition.
But now, with Bush gone and the Democrats holding both houses of Congress as well as the White House, few conservatives outside of Washington are feeling any need to soft-peddle their concerns in order to maintain coherency with GOP "moderates." Recognizing the need to play political hardball with an increasingly militant liberal ruling class, the conservative base no longer has any intention of being restrained by the failed appeasement tactics of the Republican Party establishment.
Unfortunately, that very Republican establishment may be the last group to figure this out. Far too many of its key players remain wedded to the idea of "bipartisanship" with a Democrat machine that clearly intends to dismantle the very precepts of America's greatness. In a twisted variation of the "half-full/half-empty" conundrum, many among the GOP inner circle continue to embrace the very concepts that have infuriated voters and spelled electoral disaster for Republicans in the past two elections.
When seeking to establish a political strategy, it is crucial to understand that the beauty-queen syndrome, by which all newly elected presidents reap a brief boost in public opinion polls, bears no correlation to the national popularity of any program or new policy. This is particularly true in the case of Obama, whose media-driven numbers soared briefly into the stratosphere, but merely represented an emotional reaction to the novelty of a new and "politically correct" chief executive. But as the dismal reality of his ideological inclination sets in, his numbers have plummeted almost as dramatically as they had risen.
In truth, this drop in the public opinion polls is far more significant than the previous rise, given that it is occurring in the midst of an ongoing orgy of media sycophancy that has not ceased since the day he received the Democrat nomination. Yet inside the Beltway, even among those in Obama's own camp, the turning tide of public sentiment has not gone unnoticed, even if it is still wrongly interpreted.
Amid all of the media accolades, America may have become smitten with Obama' s supposedly smooth style, and it may have briefly bought into all of the self-congratulatory rhetoric of some supposed triumph over past racial disparities (though the treatment of race in this whole episode by the left actually reflects a tasteless retrograde focus on quotas to a far greater degree than representing any noble societal milestone). But, day-by-day, the relevance of the racial tokenism and overblown media assertions of his legendary charisma recede in importance, and the significance of the policies of Barack Obama and the Democrats advance excruciatingly towards center stage.
In such an arena, truly conservative Republicans are presented with a golden opportunity to reclaim their party from their insipid "establishment" counterparts, and rework it into a vibrant and inspiring political force that can reassert the greatness of America, both in its international relations and in its domestic culture. This possibility is real, but it cannot be pursued by a political class that maintains its strategy of sitting the fence, and responding to every ensuing outrage from the Democrats by countering with watered down versions of the same abhorrent things.
The current public outrage over the bonuses being paid to AIG executives is a perfect case in point. These bonuses, unwarranted though many may contend them to be, are minuscule in comparison to other monies that have been flagrantly misspent by the current congress and administration. Yet by fanning the flames of indignation over this situation and thus providing a very effective distraction, the whole AIG bonus controversy is proving far more harmful to taxpayers in that it allows the government spending orgy to continue in countless other areas with comparatively little scrutiny, and to a degree vastly exceeding the $165 million the company allocated to executive bonuses.
For example, the portion of the fraudulently named "stimulus" package specified to "ACORN," an organization devoted to the remaking of America according to the principles of Marx, was approximately four billion dollars. That amount is twenty five times greater than the entirety of the AIG bonuses. Yet little was heard from those pontificating politicians about a truly abominable expenditure of taxpayer money that will ultimately be devoted to a coordinated dismantling of traditional America.
Political hacks who are sermonizing about the evils of AIG policy, but who remained silent during the "stimulus" debate, are hardly displaying any real concern for America or its economic viability. Rather, they offer incontrovertible proof of their hypocrisy, and their ultimate concern for the fortification of the political establishment at the expense of the rest of the nation.
Yet in the midst of this mire, some conservative rising stars are beginning to shine. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has very loudly decried the expenditures, and even engaged in the unheard of behavior of refusing funding from Washington. South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford had done likewise, but on an even larger scale. In the midst of this sell-out of America, a few resolute and principled individuals are proving that neither they, nor their country's future, is up for sale.
The Republican Party can and must divest itself of the disastrous former "bipartisan" entanglements with the Democrats. It must resolutely communicate its opposition to the out of control spending practices of the current regime. And it must stay unabashedly on message despite the inevitable firestorm of criticism and antagonism from the left. By doing so it will realize an enormous advantage during the next election cycle.
© Chris Adamo
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