There was some good news coming out of CPAC this year. The younger, more Libertarian leaning Republicans rose to the moment and gave some stirring speeches. At least a few are trying to buck the trend of the RINO Republican Establishment Machine. But the Machine is fighting back. In a big way.
The Old Guard Republican Machine has this nasty habit of being completely principled and ultra Conservative, strict Constitutionalists… but only when they are in the minority.
Eric Cantor and John Boehner talked a tough game when they had minority status. They fought ObamaCare and unity ruled the day. ObamaCare is the largest single entitlement ever thrust upon the American Public by a totally partisan vote.
It made enough of us angry enough to drop our lives and pick up the battle to purge Nancy Pelosi and her minions from the seat of power in the House.
Those of us fortunate enough to live in Virginia and New Jersey were able to get a jump on the nation with our “off year” gubernatorial elections.
We were all looking for a sign that the Democrats had not mounted Washington DC permanently.
I was personally involved in the Republican sweep of 2009 in the Commonwealth of Virginia and cheered to the north when Chris Christie won in the Liberal stronghold of New Jersey.
Back home in Virginia, we blogged, formed alliances, traveled the state and spent both time and treasure knocking on doors, making phone calls and placing yard signs everywhere we could find a willing plot of grass or window. And in November, 2009 all that hard work paid off.
Or so we thought.
Virginia elects Delegates every two years and State Senators every four. So, every fourth year the entire legislature is up for election, though the Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General have two years left on those years. So, in 2009, the best we could do was elect Bob McDonnell Governor, Re-elect Bill Bolling Lt. Governor and Ken Cuccinelli became our new Attorney General. In addition, the Republican majority in the State House became overwhelming. And we had two more years to go before we had a shot at the State Senate.
And things plugged along for those two years with the House and Governor’s mansion in the hands of Republicans and the Senate controlled by Democrats.
But in 2011, and despite a redistricting plan drawn up by Senate Democrats maximizing job security, we managed to end up with a tied upper house. However, the Lt. Governor presides over the Senate giving Republicans the tie breaking vote. Unfortunately, the Virginia Constitution prohibits the Lt. Governor from voting on budgetary legislation. But Republicans managed to win the battle for a tie breaker in determining the majority party and the committee assignments. There was some magnanimous power sharing done by Republicans (who were far too generous to the Democrats who would have rolled over the opposition in the same circumstance. And no doubt will do just that some day.)
So, Republicans held a similar situation that Obama was gifted with when he was elected. Complete control by one party.
We all know what Obama and the Democrats did. They used their majority to steamroll the Republicans and half the nation and passed unaffordable and far reaching legislation.
And when the dust settled in Virginia in November 2011 the Democrats were fearing the same treatment in Virginia that the Democrats subjected the nation to in 2009 and 2010. And Conservatives were chomping at the bit to right the wrongs imposed by two consecutive Democratic Governors (who both happen to now be Virginia US Senators).
But the Conservatives who worked so long and so hard for this moment were about to be severely disappointed.
Governor McDonnell, who promised to think “outside the box” was elected promising to fund Virginia’s growing transportation needs (thanks in large part to the influx of Democrats in Northern Virginia) by privatizing the state run Liquor Stores. Democrats said it couldn’t be done and McDonnell insisted, as did those of us working for him, that it could, indeed, be done.
I think it took him 10 minutes after he was sworn in to decide a tax increase was much better than privatizing the ABC Stores. And this session, McDonnell submitted a plan to raise $3 billion by eliminating the 17 cents per gallon gasoline tax at the pump and doing a few other things he didn’t want to talk about.
Democrats wanted more in taxes. They wanted $4 billion in new taxes and spending.
So the Republicans, holding all the cards – the Governor’s Mansion, the House and Senate decided to “compromise”.
Somehow I think that they must have taken advice from Boehner, Cantor and Mitch McConnell on the art of compromising with Democrats.
At the end of the day, these Republican “brain-trusts” compromised the $3 billion McDonnell wanted and the $4 billion the Democrats wanted into a $6.1 billion tax hike, a new record hike for the Commonwealth. And all it cost them was abandoning the Republican Redistricting plan that would have corrected the job security plan drawn up by Democrats, Republicans were forced to appoint a gay activist judge to the bench, and we are now on our way to implementing ObamaCare insurance exchanges and expanding medicaid – another item McDonnell promised to oppose.
And even though 43% of the new “revenue” goes to grow government, and only 57% to transportation, they still call it the “Transportation” Bill.
Oh, and it cost McDonnell and 42 Republicans who voted for the increase the trust of Virginia Conservatives like me.
So, looking at the Republican majority in the US House, lead by John Boehner and (my Congressman) Eric Cantor, what have they been up to since we worked to give them control of the House in 2010?
Well, when they were the minority, they voted against government spending, continuing resolutions, more entitlements and all things Unconstitutional.
But since then, they have done an abrupt about face. They have gone from loyal opposition to accomplice and enabler for the Progressives. Boehner and Cantor are fond of throwing the “Obama” debt in his face, but we all know who signed every blank check that Obama has cashed – the Republican controlled House! That’s who.
The nearly $17 trillion in debt has been approved and authorized by Republicans and they are 100% responsible for it.
During the George W. Bush years, while Republicans were in the majority, they gave us war spending and more and more entitlement spending. Compassionate Conservationism is code for Progressive Liberal.
And what did all that social spending get the Republicans? Minority status. If we are going to spend money like drunken sailors why do we need Republicans? They are amateurs. In 2006, America hired professional money spenders – Democrats. And the fickle Americans decided to correct their mistake and put the brakes on the spending binge in 2010 when the Republicans were given the House.
Unfortunately, the dam the voters put in place has sprung a leak. Money is spilling over the top. Weak kneed Republicans like Boehner and Cantor are neither willing nor capable of showing the necessary spine it takes to stop signing the checks.
Shutting down the government while Obama has the “pain” switch is not the answer.
The answer is selling a better plan, something the Republicans have failed miserably at accomplishing. Probably because the leadership is too weak to come up with an actual plan.
In lieu of a plan, Republicans want to convince minorities that the GOP is the party for them. And, by golly, they plan to spend $10 million sending old white people into the ghetto to talk some sense into these Asian, Hispanic and black folk.
Really? $10 million?
I have some bad news for Republicans. They have signed the checks that Obama and the Democrats have used to pay minorities trillions of our tax dollars in the Democrat’s outreach program. It is called entitlement spending. Hard working taxpayers foot the bill, Republicans sign the checks and Obama and the Democrats get the credit, the glory, and most importantly, the votes.
I would advise the Republicans to save the money to supplement the unemployment checks House Republicans will be getting in the next election cycle if they fail to find a clue.
Just how stupid are these Republican elected officials?
They have pissed off the fiscal Conservatives and the religious right, and at the same time they are thoroughly hated and despised by the liberals and even the moderates who also tend to be the ones footing the bill for the spending. And the wealthy are not their friends anymore either.
I believe we can learn a lesson from what happened in Virginia on a national level. These guys pretend to be Conservatives until they actually get power and then they go fiscally insane. In Virginia, Conservatives, Liberals and Moderates have all been screwed by the Republican majority. I truly believe that the tax increase would have been far less if Creigh Deeds, the Democrat who opposed Bob McDonnell had won in 2009 in Virginia. Republicans only lose their spine when immersed in political power. Keep some of that out of their hands and they behave.
Republican will not regain the US Senate in 2014 and stand a really good chance of giving the gavel back to Pelosi and handing Obama a veto-proof legislature for his last two years.
And if that happens, Republicans will likely find their spine again, bathed in irrelevance, but the outcome will be no worse than when they hold the gavel.
Do Republicans deserve to hold a majority anywhere?
I really see no advantage.
And with today’s Republican leadership, we really have two choices. Vote for Democrats who will promise to bankrupt the country and keep that promise, or Republicans who will promise to balance the budget and pay down the debt and flat out lie.
America is in decline and both parties are hell bent on leading us there full speed ahead.
I have no hope for America under Democrats and the last flicker of hope with Republicans grows weaker every day with every Republican lie.
Article written by: Tom White
About Tom White
Tom is a US Navy Veteran, owns an Insurance Agency and is currently an IT Manager for a Virginia Distributor. He has been published in American Thinker, currently writes for the Richmond Examiner as well as Virginia Right! Blog. Tom lives in Hanover County, Va and is involved in politics at every level and is a Recovering Republican who has finally had enough of the War on Conservatives in progress with the Leadership of the GOP on a National Level.
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