[The above title derives from a quip made by Newt Gingrich on the Greta Van Susteren program, for what it’s worth].
Unless “hope and change” meant total Democrat annihilation (which it does for me, anyway), I would submit that something went wrong on Obama’s trip to Utopia.
There was a cartoon from months ago that pretty much summarized the election results from November 2:
And the American people – and most certainly conservatives – tried to warn them. Repeatedly.
Remember Virginia? When Republican Bob McDonnell won the governorship in a major setback to Obama? Remember Massachusetts? And the shock defeat by Republican Scott Brown to win Ted Kennedy’s seat? Remember New Jersey? Where Chris Christie defeated Obama-backed Jon Corzine with independents running away from Democrats to give Republicans the governor’s mansion in the bluest of blue states? Remember all the town halls across the nation? Where senior citizens were red-faced furious at Democrats for passing ObamaCare? Remember the tea party events across the country? And how they just kept getting bigger and bigger even as the Democrats and the mainstream media first ridiculed them and then demonized them?
Meanwhile, now former House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi assured everyone that Democrats would keep control of the House. And assured them “for sure.” And daring Republicans to “bring it on” in the process. And kept assuring. And then assuring some more.
And it wasn’t just Nancy Pelosi who lived in a bubble. Lots of prominent Democrats did. Such as DNC chairman Tim Kaine, who was predicting Democrats would keep the House of Representatives only days ago.
And, of course, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen joined San Fran Nan the very day of the election to loudly assure the world that the Democrats would keep their dominance in the House.
And, even after the admitted shellacking, Barack Obama demonstrated loudly and clearly today that he STILL doesn’t get it.
I don’t know if Obama and Pelosi cared one way or another; but Democrats were slaughtered for the sake of Obama’s incredibly unpopular agenda. Obama kept using the metaphor of a car and a ditch, but no matter how many “Danger, Bridge Out!” warning signs he passed, he refused to change his course as he drove his party right off a cliff.
It was not just a slaughter; it was a historic slaughter:
WASHINGTON — Republicans rolled up historic gains to seize control of the House on Tuesday, as voters disenchanted with the economy, President Obama and government dealt a strong rebuke to Democrats in every corner of the country.
The GOP ousted Democratic freshmen and influential veterans, including some considered safe just weeks ago. Republicans piled up their biggest House gains since they added 80 seats in 1938: By early Wednesday, they had netted 60 formerly Democratic seats and led in four more. The GOP victory eclipsed the 54-seat pickup by the so-called “revolution” that retook the House in 1994 for the first time in 40 years and the 56-seat Republican gain in 1946.
And it’s actually even worse than that. Because the most recent counts show that Republicans have seized 64 seats from Democrats. With more elections still not yet called, that could well add to the number.
What we just witnessed was the biggest pick up by any party in any election since 1932.
Here’s the latest political map. For you liberals, you are the ones who are now so marginalized you practically might as well not even exist:
I mean, literally, I have more legitimate grounds to deny the existence of liberals than I do the Tooth Fairy right about now.
And just two years ago you so incredibly arrogantly ruled the universe. And you were lecturing Republicans on the extinction of the Grand Old Party.
You were a ship of fools, captained by even grander fools.
But it gets even worse. Because we haven’t talked about the governor’s races yet:
Governors-Stunning loss for Democrats
Published in November 3rd, 2010America changed overnight in a very big way. Based upon election results at this moment, sixty percent of our country will now be led by Republican Governors. That number may grow as a few states with uncertain election results are solidified.
Yesterday, there were 37 Governor’s races and Republicans won 24 of them. Democrats took only nine, Independents took one and three are too close to call at this moment (Connecticut, Minnesota and Vermont).
This is an absolutely stunning loss for Democrats who, prior to the election, held 26 states to the 24 held by Republicans.
The balance of power has shifted and this will impact the 2012 elections as well as redistricting that will occur in each state as a result of the 2010 Census.
But as bad as that is, it gets even worse than that. We’re talking about complete devastation for Democrats in the state legislatures, where Republicans picked up a never-seen-in-history 680 state legislative seats. In doing that, they gained majorities in 14 states, and unified majorities (gaining control in both branches) in 26 states.
From the National Journal:
While the Republican gains in the House and Senate are grabbing the most headlines, the most significant results on Tuesday came in state legislatures where Republicans wiped the floor with Democrats.
Republicans picked up 680 seats in state legislatures, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures — the most in the modern era. To put that number in perspective: In the 1994 GOP wave, Republicans picked up 472 seats. The previous record was in the post-Watergate election of 1974, when Democrats picked up 628 seats.
The GOP gained majorities in at least 14 state house chambers. They now have unified control — meaning both chambers — of 26 state legislatures.
That control is a particularly bad sign for Democrats as they go into the redistricting process. If the GOP is effective in gerrymandering districts in many of these states, it could eventually lead to the GOP actually expanding its majority in 2012.
Republicans now hold the redistricting “trifecta” — both chambers of the state legislature and the governorship — in 15 states. They also control the Nebraska governorship and the unicameral legislature, taking the number up to 16. And in North Carolina — probably the state most gerrymandered to benefit Democrats — Republicans hold both chambers of the state legislature and the Democratic governor does not have veto power over redistricting proposals.
It wasn’t just a power shift; it was a historic power shift. It was a massive repudiation.
Now, for all of that butt-kicking of the Democrats and the Democrat agenda, how did the mainstream media react? Predictably.
I turned the channel from reliable, trustworthy Fox News to MSNBC and CNN. It was comical. From their coverage, you’d think that the entire election consisted in Harry Reid’s, Barbara Boxer’s, and Jerry Brown’s Democrat victories.
Barack Obama’s own Illinous Senate seat will now have a Republican’s butt-print all over it. That personalizes this ass whipping; Obama couldn’t even hold on to his own seat – even after all the previous shenanigans Democrats tried to pull. And Republicans snatched at least five other Senate seats from Democrats. But how about that Harry Reid win?
Laugh, liberals. Laugh hysterically. Laugh until you fall down and pass out.
Because you’re butt-kicking is just getting started. From Politico:
If Senate Democrats think 2010 is a tough cycle, just wait two more years.
They’ll probably hold the Senate majority Tuesday — with a couple of seats to spare, most analysts believe. But 2012 is a different story.
By then, Republicans will be poised to take control of the Senate — with pickup possibilities scattered across the map and a much narrower base of their own to defend.
It’s not simply the lopsided mathematics — with at least 21 Democratic seats on the table in 2012, including two independents who sit with the Democrats, compared with 10 Republicans. It’s where the seats are located.
Start with Democratic seats in three states where President Barack Obama lost in 2008: Nebraska, North Dakota and Montana.
Then go down a list of where Democrats are poised to lose Senate battles this year — Ohio, Florida and Missouri, for example — and Democrats will be right back at it in 2012, defending seats there again.
Throw in some bona fide tossup states — Virginia and New Mexico — and it’s pretty hard not to picture Republicans picking off the handful of seats needed to take control, if Tuesday goes as well for the GOP as experts expect.
For the official record, Republicans won all three of those Senate battles in Ohio, Florida and Missouri.
The really funny thing is that not winning the Senate during a tough economy is actually a blessing in disguise for Republicans – who never had much more than a halfway decent chance at best to capture the Senate this year.
Obama could have run against the Republican-owned Congress, the way Bill Clinton was able to do against Republicans after they took control of both branches in 1994.
Instead, poor one-term Barry will have Harry Reid wrapped around his neck like an albatross in two years. As all those Republican governors use the power of their offices to make sure he’s a one-term president. Even as they supervise the redistricting to make it tougher for Democrats to make any kind of a comeback.
The Republican House doesn’t even have to do much, really. All they need to do is vote on popular measures: the repeal of ObamaCare; permanently extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone; capping spending at 2008 levels; maybe ending the earmark process. And if Democrats in the Senate don’t pass it, well, doom on the Democrats in the Senate.
I think of it as a beautiful case of poetic justice and dramatic reversal wrapped into two election cycles, a story where Dorothy gets to say to the wicked witch of the West (and that’s Nancy Pelosi, not Christine O’Donnell), “I’ll get you my ugly, and your little messiah too!”
Absolutely everything that the most über-hard-core conservative commentators (such as Rush Limbaugh) have said about Barack Obama has come to pass exactly as they predicted. The corrupt Chicago community organizer was totally unqualified and unprepared for the presidency, and he has proven to be a total disaster and disgrace to his own political party, along with America.
The worst thing that ever happened to the Democrat Party – to go along with the United States of America – was the election of Barack Obama. And Republicans aren’t going to let Democrats forget it. And I’m talking for years to come.
Tags: 1932, 1938, 1994, 2012, 680, albatross, biggest gains since, Bob McDonnell, car, census, Chris Christie, ditch, GOP, governor's, keep the House, map, Massachusetts, modern era, Nancy Pelosi, New Jersey, Obama, Obama akbar, Obama still doesn't get it, one-term, red, redistricting, Republican revolution, revolution, Scott Brown, seats, senior citizens, slaughter, state legislatures, states, take control of the Senate, Tea Party, Ted Kennedy's seat, Tim Kaine, town halls, Van Hollen, Virginia, Watergate
November 4, 2010 at 9:20 pm
Overall, I am well pleased with the election outcome. Sharon Angle’s lawyers is requesting investigation into the Nevada election. Anyway, not only was obama’s democrats castrated, governorships went red and many state legislatures went red. My home state went red in both state houses for the first time since 1898. Unprecedented in my lifetime.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Voting-machines-in-Clark-County-Nevada-automatically-checking-Harry-Reids-name-Voting-machine-technicians-are-members-of-SEIU-105815608.html
November 4, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Lucky you. Are you in North Carolina, then???
Me, I live in the People’s Republic of Californiastan. The land that elects a governor named “moonbeam” and the senator who worked so hard for her title.
There were a few pockets of stupid: California, Washington, maybe Nevada, a very few other places. But the rest of the nation was fed up with these stupid and evil “corrupt bastards.”
November 5, 2010 at 4:41 am
You forgot MA/Barney “spittle” Frank(LOLOLOL!). But, yeah. It’s not all that great in that state either, unless you are a medical/biomedical type. It’s a very, very high tax state, the highest in the southeast. Tobacco, furniture and textiles were strong years ago, but, the job losses keep piling up. I was rooting for Carly and Meg, but I think CA…well…like MA and NY. CA is a wonderful state, but I have doubts about the electorate, like NC, up until now. I never though I would see it. The tea party movement did more than what I anticipated. My take on the election is this, overall happy with the results, but I want action and no compromising with democrats. They sure as hell did not compromise with the Republicans. As far as obamacare goes, even with a weakened democrat Senate, it still may be tough to get a repeal. Even if odumbo vetos it, Article 1 Sec 7 basically says, Congress can bypass veto with 2/3 vote. The hurdle is the Senate; can Republicans get enough democrats to go along with it? Newly elected Manchin WV, for one, says he will, but I won’t hold my breath. With unemployment so high, that should be a priority one in January. The Republicans have a lot of work on their hands if they are going to be successful. They can do it if they don’t compromise with the democrats. It got W in trouble. And, I surprised the Supreme Court case has not ruled obummercare unconstitutional.
November 5, 2010 at 6:25 am
Really GRATEFUL and RESOLUTE after Tuesday’s election.
I grieve for you Michael and all my loved ones in CA. It looks like ‘mass delusion and fantasy’, fraud and unions rule the election there………I mean seriously, Jerry Brown? GROAN!
As always great article, I really enjoyed the cartoon:)
November 5, 2010 at 7:22 pm
Manchin (West Virginia) is an interesting case of a guy who basically has to stand and deliver. Because he’s just serving the rest of Robert Byrd’s remaining time. In two years, he gets to face the voters again. And damn him if he goes back on his promises.
There is no way to repeal ObamaCare as long as Obama is there to veto it. But in 2012 we may well have a lot more Republicans in the Senate, PLUS Obama out of office as a tail-between-legs one-termer.
That said, the House can do quite a bit to simply not fund ObamaCare. People forget that it is the CONGRESS that controls spending, not the president. It will be interesting to see how that fight progresses.
“Stupid” seems to be in the water in California. And, yeah, there are giant wells of it in New York and Massachusetts, too.
November 5, 2010 at 7:27 pm
HL,
We did well. We did as well as we could reasonably expect. And we have every reason to believe that there’s more conservative whoopass yet to come in two more years.
California went its own crazy way. And it may well literally implode into bankruptcy as a result.
It will be VERY interesting to see what happens in the first budget they vote on.
If California hasn’t collapsed into a banana republic, I have a feeling a Republican landslide awaits in two years.
That’s what seems to happen WHENEVER Democrats get an actual chance to run things, as a general rule.
November 6, 2010 at 4:21 am
Michael said “There is no way to repeal ObamaCare as long as Obama is there to veto it.”
There is a small chance, but yes they can. If potus vetos, then, Congress can over ride potus’ veto by 2/3 vote. Article 1 Sec 7 Clause 2. I am sure the House will vote to over ride potus’ veto, but mustering enough votes in the Senate to overide obummer’s veto is the hurdle. But you may be right. The Senate may not vote to over ride potus’ veto. If obummer/ Pelosi keeps defying the American people, he and democrats will most certainly lose again on ’12.
November 6, 2010 at 7:51 pm
There will be a few scared Democrats (such as Manchin, whom we talked about). But very unlikely enough scared little Dems to override a veto.
I remember a few wise souls going back nearly a year ago who said that re-taking control of the Senate would be a two election cycle process.
Looking at the map and the math for 2012, it looks like we have an incredible chance to pick up big numbers in the Senate.
We retake the White House and the Senate in 2012, and ObamaCare is bye-bye.
Until then, the best we can reasonably hope for is for the Republican House to deny and frustrate funding, and to launch investigations (“Just where did these figures come from?”) that will further embarrass Obama and Democrats for ’12.
November 11, 2010 at 4:53 am
It’s going to be a tough call, but I came across a good analysis of it here:
I hope that the new Republican freshman don’t become spineless linguini RINOS caving into the democrats.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704737504575602312190896510.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_read
November 12, 2010 at 9:13 pm
Hopefully Republicans learned their lesson from last time.
They allowed themselves to be falsely blamed for what was clearly the Democrats’ faults.
They refused to hold votes they didn’t think they would win, when holding those votes would have demonstrated that REPUBLICANS were for the right thing, and DEMOCRATS were for the wrong things. As one example, they didn’t vote on Fannie/Freddie legislation when it became obvious that Democrats were going to oppose and filibuster. They should have forced that vote to leave an even more clear historical record of Democrats refusing to reform/regulate.
They played old time politics, rather than taking principled stands.
Politically, it was good that Republicans didn’t win the Senate. They have something to be hungry for, and they can easily avoid the traps that Bill Clinton laid for Republicans when they won both the House and Senate in 1994.
November 13, 2010 at 5:48 am
“Politically, it was good that Republicans didn’t win the Senate. They have something to be hungry for, and they can easily avoid the traps that Bill Clinton laid for Republicans when they won both the House and Senate in 1994.”
Yes, you are correct…keeps them biting at the chomp. (chuckle, chuckle)
November 13, 2010 at 8:58 pm
Dauntless,
It’s rather like the Nancy Pelosi as minority leader thing. As an American, I hate the Demoncrat (that’s “Demonic Bureaucrat”) Party’s stupidity in bringing in this ultra-liberal shrew who will divide the country with a liberal agenda the people clearly don’t want. We need to unite, and a Pelosi Democrat minority will absolutely prevent that. But as a Republican, I am overjoyed that Pelosi is going to be minority leader. We have someone to run against who is now more despised than Bush ever was. We have a bogeyman and can ask, “Do you want to wake up next to THIS in the morning?”
All Republicans have to do is vote for stuff the people want; they don’t have to pass it. In fact, if the Senate doesn’t pass it, it just fuels the argument that you need to vote Republican in ’12.
November 13, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Indeed, and if obamarx and the lame duck Congress doesn’t act on extending W’s tax cuts, the democrats WILL be history in ’12. The public needs to be educated about what makes a capitalistic economy works. As you discussed about A. Mellon, etc. and T. Sowell 3 part article about the same material you discussed in your other thread, that is what happens when corporate/capital gain tax are too high; the rich move their capital to some kind of tax free/ tax deferred vehicles. You can sum up Mellon’s work in 8 simple words “Capital moves where there is the least resistance”; meanwhile obamarx/pelosi/reed and leebruls stand on their head and tell the world it is upside down.
November 21, 2010 at 5:52 am
MichaelE; Remember “who are you” Bob Etheridge D-NC02, that assaulted a student on a street in DC back in June? Renee Ellmers, tea party backed candidate R-NC02 ran against him and won. He whined for a recount and conceded. It is embarrassing to say, but this my home district. Most of NC02 is rural farming, low income. Most of the older voters are FDR democrats and their children and grandchildren. After this altercation, I cannot believe the electorate in this district that voted for this goon, despite Ellmers winning the election. This electorate from NC02 is cut from the same cloth as the ones that put Barney Frank and Barbara Boxer back in. So, don’ t feel all alone in CA, Michael. We have goons on the east coast too. (chuckle, chuckle)
http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/8649714/
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/19/politics/main7071371.shtml
http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/11/02/bob-etheridge-lots-of-time-to-figure-out-who-are-you/
November 21, 2010 at 8:18 pm
The American people are still the greatest on earth. But that is only an indicator of just how truly pathetic the rest of the world’s people have become. Because dang are we pathetic.
And even Republicans are pathetic. I’m thinking of “Republican” Sen. Murkowski, who demonized Joe Miller as an extremist who would take their pork away from them and quit robbing taxpayers from other states. And “Republicans” voted for her.
And Democrats, of course, are far, far worse.
November 22, 2010 at 8:58 am
Indeed. I know I seemed hard on NC02 electorate, more to democrats than Republicans, but some I know cannot see one foot in front of their nose. Yes, many Republicans irk me too, like Lindsey Graham. Murkowski is full of herself. If she had any honor or dignity, she would have not ran as a write in and just step aside after Miller won the primary. Miller filed an injunction to try to stop, but I’m not sure how far it will go. The state of Alaska has to cerifty someone real soon.
November 22, 2010 at 8:58 am
Indeed. I know I seemed hard on NC02 electorate, more to democrats than Republicans, but some I know cannot see one foot in front of their nose. Yes, many Republicans irk me too, like Lindsey Graham. Murkowski is full of herself. If she had any honor or dignity, she would have not ran as a write in and just step aside after Miller won the primary. Miller filed an injunction to try to stop, but I’m not sure how far it will go. The state of Alaska has to certify someone real soon.
November 22, 2010 at 8:49 pm
As regards Graham and “Rinos” in general.
We need to realize that some states and some districts require a different view if Republicans really want to be a majority party. For a Scott Brown to remain in Massachusetts, he can’t run as a conservative. He just can’t.
The trick is to elect the most conservative candidate who can win. And work to make other districts more conservative, so that a conservative candidate CAN one day win.
Lindsey Graham, of course, is a Senator from South Carolina. Massachusetts may not be able to do any better than Scott Brown, but I’ll be danged if South Carolina can’t do better than Senator Amnesty.
But that said, if we vote out a Lindsey Graham in a Republican primary, we’d better be have a solid candidate in his place – or we’ll go the way of Christine O’Donnell in Maryland.
Mike Castle was a lousy RINO. But he STILL would have been better than Chris Coons.
Obviously, we can’t play all the shots right. And we did GREAT this November.
November 23, 2010 at 1:24 pm
True about S. Brown; not the most conservative Republican, but better him than another Kennedy/Frank. Yes, SC can do better, but like I said way back when and my theory may hold true: you can be the most fiscally/social conservative running for office, but if elected and seated, you have to fight tooth-and-nail the democrats and corruption will set ifn if you don’t keep your guard up. Graham has caved to the democrats since he has been in office. I sincerely hope these new Congressman will lead the charge not to compromise with democrats; make the democrats compromise with us. After all, this administration has not shown much cooperatoin with the Republicans.
November 23, 2010 at 7:48 pm
Me, too.
The House Republicans have to strike a balance. They can’t view this election as a “mandate,” and seek to take over the agenda of the entire nation. Which is to say that if they shut down the government – as the Gingrich-led ’94 Congress did – they’d better have a darn good reason.
We have to know how to pick our battles. And fight where we can win – or at least where the majority of the people are clearly behind us.
In a way, we’re in a good position. We don’t have to “rule.” We just have to be the voice of opposition, albeit now with a lot more power. All we have to do is vote on good things, vote against bad things, and present a clear contrast between the Republican and liberal philosophy.
Lindsey Graham aint the way to go toward that end. But that said, the Republican mindset should not be about “loyalty tests,” but about the conservative ideas of the majority of Republicans.
November 24, 2010 at 7:55 am
True, only to a point the House has to strike a balance since the Republicans only have the House. The problem is, historically, democrats have been the biggest whiners about spending. They demanded, demanded, demanded, the Republicans to spend, spend, spend, from 1994 ’til 2006. Did the democrats compromise with the Republicans from 94-06? Not much. The Republicans lost because of their compromising with democrats on spending and wanting amnesty for illegals to name a couple of the main issues. My big concern is keeping the current tax rates in this lame duck session. obamarx does not appeart to be compromising with the high income earners. And, yes the Repubicans have a golden opportunity unlike 1994 – many governorships and state legislatures went Republican. I sincerely hope they don’t screw up and live up to the conservative principles.
November 24, 2010 at 4:08 pm
“Balance” is the word.
Republicans have to live up to their conservative ideology and values without doing something that will enable the shockingly biased media to depict them as “crazy” or “obstructionist.”
“Boldness” must be tempered with “common sense.”
November 24, 2010 at 7:29 pm
Balance…hmm…to a point I agree and yes to living up to conservatism. However, we are already depicted as crazy and obstructionist. The media dragged the Tea Party over the coals since it started and still do. I think what you might be saying is not to fan the flames in that direction any more than where the media already has us pegged. If so, then yes, agreed. Anyway, I guess that “fightin’ Irish” is still with me…it got worse in my Navy days (chuckle, chuckle!!!) When leebruls want to dump the Constitution, as evidenced in abridging the 2nd will all kinds of legislation since the 1930s; over reaching with expansion of federal power with tons of legislation since who knows when and ignore the 10th, hello obamacare; slapped the 16th and us and robbed and plunder the peoples wealth and rammed the 17th on us instead of leaving the Constitution alone as let USSenators be appointed as originally designed…just to name a few of their so-called “sensible” legislation and the media as the nerve to call us “crazy”? Hey I have a better idea…we run for president and vice president in ’12!!! (chuckle, chuckle!!!!) Anyway, have a restful and peaceful Thanksgiving.
November 25, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Dauntless,
First of all, happy Thanks Giving to you. I had lunch with my parents today, but my real Thanksgiving event will be Saturday, when I meet my folks, my brother, my uncle my cousin.
I recently had a discussion with someone on a different article that I think is illustrative of my position. My article was on California, and someone posted a poem that had some racial slurs.
I responded that I had considered blocking the post; but that I chose to use it to set forth my own views on race instead (which is, basically, that I don’t blame Hispanics from coming here illegally; as I would too if I lived in a hellhole like Mexico. And that I hold to conservative positions knowing I will be attacked as a ‘racist,’ but I’m not going to put my chin in perfect position for the punch).
He responded that he’s sick and tired of all this PC crap.
I get that; I’m sick of the PC crap, too.
I am vehemently opposed to racial quotas; I am vehemently opposed to the hypocrisy of having a Black Congressional Caucus but having the very same people who have the Black Caucus scream racism at the top of their lungs if anybody were even to suggest a “White Congressional Caucus.” I am opposed to the welfare state; I am opposed to the runaway train of “affirmative action.” I am opposed to a great deal of the racial politicking that we have seen these last four decades.
But I’m not going to start speaking or writing in racial slurs. Because that’s just stupid. You invite making yourself a target in the very dumbest way possible. Not to mention I think racism is evil (i.e., that God created every human being in His image, etc.).
All that to say, it’s one thing to stand up for solid good principles. But don’t allow political demagoguery to take over your policies, and have an understanding as to how far you can go before you either cross a moral line or go beyond the policies where you can garner popular support.
Be good. And be smart (even a little crafty).
We still – to a watered down extent – live in a democratic republic. And in our system it is the president who governs. If conservatives with one half of one of the three branches of power think they can usurp the president’s role and start shutting down the government, it won’t end well for us.
The Democrats went way too far, and look what happened to them.
Take health care. We can do only so much. And liberals are literally hoping we’ll go too far, go beyond popular support, and do something that will undermine what would otherwise be an overwhelmingly strong position on our part. With ObamaCare, we’ve got to frustrate it on the margins, continue to make our case against it, and run on it in 2012. Because we need the White House to overturn it. And if we try to do it from the House of Representatives, we will be going too far.
We’re both students of history, including military history. One of the fascinating things about military history is the fact that a great many wars are won by generals who wisely choose when and where NOT to fight. And, of course, history is replete with examples (Stalingrad, Gettysburg immediately coming to mind) of foolish choices to fight when they should have kept maneuvering until they had the tactical situation to their advantage. And THEN attacked. In the case of Stalingrad, the Germans should have left it alone and at least taken the oil fields to the north first. In the case of Gettysburg, Lee should have withdrawn from Gettysburg and launched an invasion of the North that would have forced Meade to pursue – and allow LEE to choose the ground they would fight on.
And, like the Republicans in the immediately prior election, Lee came to Gettysburg having had huge victories, which led him to falsely believe that he was invincible. Republicans should learn the lesson of Lee and not go too far and launch a stupid attack.
Oourse, we ARE in a war now. And in a war, you don’t fight every battle – particularly when that battle has been framed in the enemy’s terms. Rather, you maneuver, you fight skirmishes, you build your forces, you develop a solid battle plan, and you strike hard only when you have the best ground/position to fight on.
P.S. I have been watching the Fox Series on “The Rise, Fall, And Rise of the Conservative Movement” (or the title is something like that, anyway). It’s been quite fascinating.
November 25, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Over all, you bring out good points. I might seem fed up with leebruls, but I would not shut down the gov’t. And, true, we have to think smart and strategize. Good point about the democrats going too far and got their shellacking. I predict they will get more shellacking in 2012 if obama and democrats don’t concede to keeping the current tax rates. They are living in a bubble. I would propose a graduated REDUCTION in corporate tax rates to less than 10% over, say 3-5 years, kill the death tax and inheritance tax, repeal the 16th and substitute some kind of flat/consumption/fair tax…not sure which type. But, it will rob the leebruls/democrats of their power. China has 16% corporate and NO capital gains tax. I have been watching some that series on Fox…great series. However, Bill Whittle of PJTV sums it up quite well.
http://biggovernment.com/bwhittle/2010/10/11/what-we-believe-part-i-small-government-and-free-enterprise/
P.S. if you ever get a chance to come to the east coast, stop in Md, Va and NC, SC…many Civil War battlegrounds and historical sites to visit. Some of these battlegrounds are national parks while others are state parks.
http://www.nps.gov/
November 26, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I went to several of the battlefields (particularly) involving Sherman’s March to the Sea when I was in the Army (as a lot of my training took place at Ft. Benning, Ga and Ft. Bragg, NC.). I also went to a couple in the vicinity of Ft. Jackson, SC. And I went to a few in Louisiana and a couple in Alabama.
Somewhere I’ve still got a box full of the pamphlets and souvenirs I got. I’ll have to look for them; I haven’t thought about that for several years.
Never made it further south, where a number of the greatest battles took place.
I wasn’t nearly as much of a Civil War buff as I am now (which is to say if I had to do it again, I’d try to see more). But I had read a lot about the Civil War as a kid, and being a soldier and seeing battlefields where American soldiers sacrificed their lives made a certain kind of sense even at the time.
As for the modern stuff,
The Republicans should have held a vote on their attempts to reform and regulate Fannie and Freddie, as a big example. Even if they knew they’d lose. That would have made it impossible for even biased reporters to blame Republicans for the economic mess. But they largely caved in to the Democrats stalls and filibusters.
So Republicans need to vote on things. They need to show on the official record where they stand.
At the same time, shutting down the government really hurt Republicans after the “shellacking” they had given Clinton.
We want to vote, but we don’t want to be crazy. We want to stay within our power base and within issues where we can build popular support.
On tax cuts, the issue seems clear: tax cuts for EVERYONE. The question is for how long. Longer is better. Longer means that some of the uncertainty paralyzing people and businesses would be removed for at least a period. But don’t shut down the government demanding that they be made permanent now. Rather, build for 2012, and then pass a permanent tax policy.
November 26, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Indeed. Ft. Bragg, eh? Fayetteville is one of my old stopping grounds, near my home. I almost joined the Army, but I went Navy.
an item of interest… I stubbled up this today…I almost fell out of my chair laughing…
…just like he thinks we have 57 states. (chuckle, chuckle)
November 27, 2010 at 6:17 am
Pretty good. I was watching a little “Gunny” last night on the Military History Channel before bedtime. Gunny practically tucked me in and kissed my cheek good night.
I like Gunny. Even though he keeps calling me “Numbnuts.”
I was actually stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA. But there were disappointingly few Civil War battles in Washington state.
I was at Bragg for over 3 months during my entire time in the Army. So I had some time to prowl around while I was in that neck of the woods.