Sometimes Victory Comes from Defeat, Other Times You Never Deserved Victory in the First Place
I'm fairly conservative. In a lot of ways, very conservative. I say "fairly" though, because of a few social issues about which I line up on the liberal side of the fence. I'm a proud Republican, and have voted (not once, but) twice for President Bush. I understand that if the Democrats gain control of half of congress (or especially both halves) they will make the last two years of Bush's Presidency one long painful episode. They (the Democrats) will likely try to force the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. They will endlessly investigate, suggest and outright accuse the President (and other leading Republicans) of falsifying intelligence that led us to Iraq, as well as all the other scandals the Republicans are involved in. The next two years will not be pretty if the Democrats win, and I know it. But, I've decided I might not mind if they do.
How does a reasonable, conservative fellow like myself, come to such a conclusion? After long thought, consideration and, frankly, a little prayer. I'm going to try to lay out my reasons in as organized a manner as I can, and hopefully I'll make a few of you see the light at the end of the tunnel after this possible loss.
1. The Republicans have become far too complacent in the position of power. -- No one could argue against this point. Scandal after scandal has come out in the past few years, which even when you account for exaggeration and sensationalism by the left-leaning media, seems to imply that this guys are no longer on the side of right. The big ticket issues (Social Security reform) get pushed aside, while overall spending and pork barrel waste continues to balloon. The GOP has been without a real opponent for so long, there is no more rush to govern. They just assume they'll be in power forever.
2. Barring a complete landslide victory (highly unlikely) the Democrats would be unable to actually "cut and run." -- I have no doubt that Nancy Pelosi, and Howard Dean would love to win control of Congress, immediately withdraw troops from Iraq and have scenes of them waving flags as troops arrive back in the states on the nightly news. This would be the worst thing that could happen for Iraq, the Middle East, and the U.S. The good news is even if they win and win big, they wouldn't be able to push this sort of thing through. Enough Republicans (and a few reasonable Democrats) would understand the horrible results of such a move and keep it from happening. This is the only real harm the Democrats could do in the next couple of years, and they wouldn't be allowed to do it.
3. It would revitalize the Right. -- The intellectual right has been stagnant for a while. Probably as a combination of being occasionally ignored by this administration and a dizzying series of political victories. Putting them on the outside looking in would remind them of all the things that still need to be fixed in the nation's capital, and would give them that "underdog hunger" again. I think a slight win by the Democrats in '06 would lead to a landslide victory for the Republicans in '08.
4. It gives the Democrats just enough rope... -- ...to hang themselves that is. No one is a better spokesman for the Republican Party than the Democratic Party and it's leaders. Why not give them center stage to showcase their inaptitude to the American people?
5. It provides a perfect opportunity for Sen. McCain. -- If you've read more than a couple of posts here at "Apathy as Activism" then you know that I think John McCain is the ideal choice to be the next President of the United States. He is the current front-runner for the Republican nomination, and the only thing that stands between him and the nom. is his "maverick" reputation. If Republicans maintain power, there will be those within the party that take that as a sign that nothing is wrong, that no change is required. A more "faithful" candidate will receive some of that party support and could sink McCain's candidacy before it starts (just like George W. Bush did). If however, the Republicans are on the outside looking in for the next two years, McCain will look like a man with foresight (which is exactly what he is). I'd gladly trade a few house seats now, for the Presidency in '08.
The Republican party has had an unheard of run of success. They've racked up victory after victory, with few setbacks in between since the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. A lot of good has been done in that time, by a lot of men and women that were hungry for change. I think it's become clear that the Republican party (or at least the leadership) is no longer hungry for change. It's time to put them on a diet, and if it takes a Democratic victory this November, this is one Republican that is ready to eat his humble pie.
How does a reasonable, conservative fellow like myself, come to such a conclusion? After long thought, consideration and, frankly, a little prayer. I'm going to try to lay out my reasons in as organized a manner as I can, and hopefully I'll make a few of you see the light at the end of the tunnel after this possible loss.
1. The Republicans have become far too complacent in the position of power. -- No one could argue against this point. Scandal after scandal has come out in the past few years, which even when you account for exaggeration and sensationalism by the left-leaning media, seems to imply that this guys are no longer on the side of right. The big ticket issues (Social Security reform) get pushed aside, while overall spending and pork barrel waste continues to balloon. The GOP has been without a real opponent for so long, there is no more rush to govern. They just assume they'll be in power forever.
2. Barring a complete landslide victory (highly unlikely) the Democrats would be unable to actually "cut and run." -- I have no doubt that Nancy Pelosi, and Howard Dean would love to win control of Congress, immediately withdraw troops from Iraq and have scenes of them waving flags as troops arrive back in the states on the nightly news. This would be the worst thing that could happen for Iraq, the Middle East, and the U.S. The good news is even if they win and win big, they wouldn't be able to push this sort of thing through. Enough Republicans (and a few reasonable Democrats) would understand the horrible results of such a move and keep it from happening. This is the only real harm the Democrats could do in the next couple of years, and they wouldn't be allowed to do it.
3. It would revitalize the Right. -- The intellectual right has been stagnant for a while. Probably as a combination of being occasionally ignored by this administration and a dizzying series of political victories. Putting them on the outside looking in would remind them of all the things that still need to be fixed in the nation's capital, and would give them that "underdog hunger" again. I think a slight win by the Democrats in '06 would lead to a landslide victory for the Republicans in '08.
4. It gives the Democrats just enough rope... -- ...to hang themselves that is. No one is a better spokesman for the Republican Party than the Democratic Party and it's leaders. Why not give them center stage to showcase their inaptitude to the American people?
5. It provides a perfect opportunity for Sen. McCain. -- If you've read more than a couple of posts here at "Apathy as Activism" then you know that I think John McCain is the ideal choice to be the next President of the United States. He is the current front-runner for the Republican nomination, and the only thing that stands between him and the nom. is his "maverick" reputation. If Republicans maintain power, there will be those within the party that take that as a sign that nothing is wrong, that no change is required. A more "faithful" candidate will receive some of that party support and could sink McCain's candidacy before it starts (just like George W. Bush did). If however, the Republicans are on the outside looking in for the next two years, McCain will look like a man with foresight (which is exactly what he is). I'd gladly trade a few house seats now, for the Presidency in '08.
The Republican party has had an unheard of run of success. They've racked up victory after victory, with few setbacks in between since the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan. A lot of good has been done in that time, by a lot of men and women that were hungry for change. I think it's become clear that the Republican party (or at least the leadership) is no longer hungry for change. It's time to put them on a diet, and if it takes a Democratic victory this November, this is one Republican that is ready to eat his humble pie.
posted by Daddy Rogue at 5:21 PM
2 Comments:
Yeah, the "McCain Migration" will be a lot of fun to watch. Thanks for the backup, Benz. I really do think that fiscal responsibility is the biggest problem the Republicans have right now (although scandals are about to take the forefront).
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