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Jewish World Review Sept. 9, 2010/ 29 Elul, 5770 Giving Voters Something to Vote For By Arnold Ahlert
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I'm going to try this one more time because I believe the RINO faction of the Republican party is still of the collective mind that they can beat Democrats in November with nothing more than cynicism. That cynicism is embodied in one phrase: vote for us because we suck less than Democrats do. Not good enough. Neither are the "slam dunks," aka opposition to the federal lawsuit against Arizona, and the promise to repeal the health care bill. Americans need four more things from Republicans: an apology, a promise, an unpleasant truth and an explanation.
First, the apology. Apparently many Republicans still fail to grasp the fact that while many Americans have come to despise Democrats and their progressive bankruptcy, they are still depressed with the idea of putting Republicans back in power. Much of that depression hinges on the fact that Americans are truly appalled with the level of fiscal irresponsibility in Washington, D.C. And while it is true that Democrats have raised the ante on such irresponsibility, it's not like they started at zero. They merely doubled-down on the fiscal insanity perpetrated feckless Republicans and the see-no-veto Bush administration.
It's time for a national, "mea culpa" ad campaign. If the RNC had a clue, they would get every Republican in Congress in front of a camera and have them apologize to the American public for being fiscal dolts. Then they would have them make a collective pledge to never let it happen again. Then they would run that ad campaign in every state in the union.
The benefits would be two-fold. First, when was the last time either major political party collectively apologized for anything? That alone would make Americans stand up and take notice. Second, a lot of that voter depression would likely be transformed into at least a guarded optimism. Translation: giving the electorate something to vote for instead of merely something to vote against is a stone cold, no-brainer. Nobody understood that better than Ronald Reagan whose unbridled optimism was the ultimate antidote to Jimmy Carter's "malaise."
Anyone else think Americans could use a little dose of optimism right about now?
Second a promise, but one which can only be fulfilled if Republicans take the Senate--which is precisely why it would be a grand idea to bring it up now. It is the promise that, if another Supreme Court vacancy occurs during Barack Obama's time in office and he attempts to appoint another leftist radical to the highest court in the land, such an appointment will be D.O.A. in the Senate. While this particular promise may be somewhat arcane to the average American, those with an above-average understanding of government will get what it is all about: presidents and Congressional majorities come and go, but Supreme Court Justices are forever. In recent times, there hasn't been a critical issue put before SOTUS that hasn't resulted in a 5-4 vote, no matter how clear the Constitutional issue involved.
The proverbial canary in the coal mine was the recent McDonald vs. The City of Chicago case. The right to keep and bear arms was extended to state and local governments, as the Court declared it unconstitutional for cities and states to ban guns. Yet despite the Constitutional clarity with regard to "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms," Americans once again found themselves sweating bullets (sorry) over the outcome. 5-4? That vote should have been 6-3 or 7-2 in favor at worst. One more "living Constitution"-type Justice is appointed to the Court by the most radical leftist president in American history would be a disaster of epic proportions.
Acknowledge it, and promise it will never happen if Republicans take the Senate.
Third, an unpleasant truth. The American public has never been more ready for candor than it is right now. So give it to them: some kind of privatization, partial or total, must be done with the Big Three: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. And it must be done for the simplest of reasons: the alternative is national insolvency, including unprecedented levels of unemployment and a worthless currency. Americans already know "it's the spending, stupid," but no one wants to give them the "details." Give them the details, as in all three programs are completely unsustainable in their present incarnation, even if every other outlay in the federal budget was reduced to zero.
And while it is true Democrats have successfully demagogued privatizing Social Security, much of that is due to the ineptness of Republicans in framing the issue. Here's how to frame the issue: first, tell Americans that Congress already has to power to completely change the nature of the program. They can raise the age of eligibility and/or reduce the level of payout any time they want by simply voting to do so. Second, ask Americans a simple question: would you rather have the money that is currently taken out of your paycheck to fund Social Security deposited directly into an account with your name on it--one that is untouchable anyone but you--or would you rather send that money to the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. to do with as they please? Third, cut right through the fear-mongering by Democrats regarding the wild gyrations of the stock market and explain that the investments in those personal accounts will be limited to the safest, most vanilla kind of financial instruments available, those with a guaranteed rate of return. CDs or simple savings accounts come immediately to mind.
As for Medicaid and Medicare care, tell Americans that everyone must expect to pay something for medical treatment. There are better minds than mine out there who could devise plans by which the most devastating impact on Americans--serious, long-term illness--could be addressed without bankrupting the country. Find those people and listen to what they say.
Finally, an explanation. Elucidate how a states-rights approach to finding solutions to America's problems would be highly beneficial. For example, instead of a one-size-fits-all federal approach to health care, imagine fifty separate "laboratories," aka the states, embarking on fifty separate "experiments" to find an optimum health care system (hat tip to author Scott Chaney and his book Incredible Opportunity for spelling such an idea out in simple terms). Make Americans understand that the most effective form of representative government is one that works for the local level outward, not the federal level inward. A example of what this means could be made clear with a simple question: if you wanted a stoplight installed at a dangerous intersection in your neighborhood, would you rather deal with a local representative--or a bureaucrat in Washington, D.C.?
Memo to the RINO wing of the Republican party along with their enablers in the RNC: the emergence of Senate nominees like Mario Rubio in Florida, Joe Miller in Alaska, and Mike Lee in Utah should be seen for exactly what they are--a repudiation of the Republican party's thoroughly annoying, don't-make-waves status quo. You can either ride the new wave or get washed away by it. You can either embrace conservative values or get rolled by them. Take a good long look at the country and understand that something is decidedly different, perhaps even unprecedented, in the mood of the electorate. I'll make it simple for you: a substantial majority of Americans want their country back.
Give it to them.
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© 2010, Arnold Ahlert |
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