Repealing Obamacare, Part I

The newly in place House Republican leadership has scheduled a vote to repeal Obamacare for January 12th. That the effort almost certainly will not be successful is not important. What matters is the GOP make it a point to show the American public that they are different from their Democratic adversaries and fully intend to honor their campaign promises.

For far too long in the United States we have heard the jokes about Demopublicans and Republicrats. If either party is to become a majority party for well into the future, one of them must step up and show that they are really different. One of them must show that they really do care about doing what's right while also having an ear to the will of the American people when and where they should. We need a group of politicians truly dedicated to the Constitution and willing to work within its parameters, rather than stretch the credibility of the document until it becomes meaningless (health care reform justified under the Commerce Clause? Please).

What we have here is an opportunity of historic proportions for the GOP. The party must either do what it can to merit the trust it has been given, or become merely another manifestation of the mire which is political center. Hopefully, this vote will not be shallow symbolism but a first step in reclaiming government for the people, by the people, and of the people. More so than when Ronald Reagan said it thirty years ago, the time is now, America. Or more to the point, the time is now, Republicans. You fail to use your advantage if you do not push it.

A Little more on the Election

Now that a bit of time has passed and we are beginning to digest the full effects of Tuesday's historic election, there are some things which come to mind which may have been lost in the initial glow of the massive GOP victory.

Some political wags bemoan the idea that many good politicians with much political experience have fallen by the wayside. This ignores two things: one, that their experience doesn't matter if they aren't doing what the people in their districts want, and two, putting political capital ahead of good government policy is a dangerous idea.

So what if John Spratt of the House Budget Committee was shown the door? If the people of his district want Republicans in charge of the government, then his experience doesn't mean a thing. When you toss in the possible benefits of a long term legislator more effectively getting pork for his district, then what you have is no longer a government of the people but a government of the special interest. That isn't good government. It's only a recipe for selfishness.

The possibility of stalemate surely hangs in the air for the next Congress as well. So be it, should that actually happen. But the best guess is that we will see several games of chicken as budgets and laws are made as each side will attempt to paint the other into a corner heading into 2012. At some point decisions will be made and folks will be called cowards or courageous for their acts, or lack thereof.

In the end, if the GOP doesn't stand its ground, they likely will face a kick to the head themselves. The real trick for them is not to be bullied by all those who want compromise. Throw it back at the Democrats: make them compromise with you. With the right amount of backbone, the GOP will be the majority party for years to come. But if they let Obama run the show anyway, their victory will, in the end, be hollow.

A New Day in America

The American people have spoken, and the message is as clear as it is simple: 2008 was not the the kind of change that they hoped for.

So what if the Senate was never seriously in play? The House of Representatives is closer to the people anyway, and the results there were astounding: a 63 seat swing as of this writing, and perhaps a few more as close races are resolved. Republican gains in governor's seats and state legislatures were significant. This leaves the GOP with plenty to work with in the next two years ahead of the 2012 elections: 2/3rds of the federal government is still held by the Democrats, which allows room to criticize Washington excess all the more, while taking control of a redistricting process all but certain to aid further Republican political gains.

Yet even looking at the upper House, the GOP did gain big in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, while Taking President Obama's old seat in Illinois. Couple this with a virtual Republican win in West Virginia, and there may be a virtual GOP control of the Senate anyway.

We now have true hope and change at our fingertips. If the GOP has learned anything, it is that a return to its roots appeals to the majority of Americans. Fiscal discipline, lower taxes, spending cuts, small government; all these things are important to the average Joe. Further, Americans don't want to apologize for being Americans. Part of the win last night was that most Americans believe in American Exceptionalism, the creed that it is the ideas on which our nation is based along with the drive of individuals who believe in themselves which has made our country great. There is no arrogance in that; it's actually rather humbling when felt properly. Americans quickly tired of their own President apologizing for their being American.

There is a new dawn in America. It simply came in 2010, and not 2008.