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« on: October 18, 2013, 01:47:56 PM » |
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The Patriot Post - Alexander's Column 10-17-2013
From The Federalist Patriot
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Silver Linings on the CR and DC Debacles
Great News for Conservatives -- If...
By Mark Alexander
Oct. 17, 2013
“We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” –Benjamin Franklin (1776)
Despite a political blunder derailing the conservative House Continuing Resolution strategy three weeks ago, which predictably led to a partial government shutdown furloughing 17% of “non-essential” federal employees, which predictably collapsed approval ratings for anyone with an “R” after their name, which predictably resulted in Republican submission to Barack Obama’s agenda, there are three silver linings on the horizon that will pay rich political dividends.
Each of these favorable outcomes will greatly benefit the campaigns of conservative Republicans for a generation if, and only if, there is a cease-fire in the foolish and fatalistic “Tea v. GOP infighting1,” which undermined the outstanding CR strategy House conservative were advancing on schedule four weeks ago.
I’ll get to those opportunities in a moment, but first, let me recap where we were just four short weeks ago:
In mid-September, Republicans had Barack Obama and his Leftist NeoCom cadres2 on the ropes, getting pounded and losing ground fast. Obama was plagued with the IRS3, Benghazi4 and Syrian5 scandals, among a growing list of other failures, which were thoroughly undermining his second term agenda.
Making matters worse for The Party of Obama, the inevitable launch of ObamaCare (the so-called “Affordable Care Act”) on October 1, a day after the deadline for the CR, was, by all accounts, going to be a cascading disaster – not just from a technical standpoint but also from a political standpoint in the months and years to come.
Ahead of the CR deadline in September, the conservative House Republican strategy6 was to attach amendments to the Continuing Resolution which would 1) force Demo senators to go on record with a vote against defunding ObamaCare; 2) then force Demo senators to go on record with a vote against delaying ObamaCare; and, finally 3) force a vote on a CR with an amendment to require all members of the legislative and executive branch to comport with ObamaCare regulations and requirements.
The third amended CR, which by all accounts had enormous popular national appeal across political lines, would have passed the Senate and received Obama’s begrudging signature. The first two “defund” and “delay” amendment votes would be lead anchors on many 2014 Demo campaigns.
Then, against a backdrop featuring wall-to-wall coverage of the ObamaCare launch disaster (technical failures, lack of enrollees, sticker shock for the few who successfully navigated the site, new questions about privacy, etc.), Republicans would be in a strong position to enter the debt ceiling debate with a wish list of other amendments, including tax reform, approval of the Keystone pipeline, regulatory and entitlement reforms including means-tested Medicare, a “chained” Consumer Price Index (CPI) and other conservative budget measures.
(For the record, this is not “hindsight 20/20” analysis, but precisely the winning strategy6 conservative House Republicans were advancing in early September – which now seems like a political lifetime ago.)
So, how did conservatives convert a win to a loss?
Unfortunately, a unilateral diversion by Sen. Ted Cruz7, however well-intended, derailed the conservative House CR and DC strategy, leaving House and Senate Republicans on defense8 with no way out and no ability to recover. He was right to stand up for the House bills, but he did not know when to stand down. Undoubtedly Cruz is smart – he is a graduate of Princeton and magna cum laude from Harvard Law. But he just completed his first course in political strategy, and failed. There is much to like about Ted Cruz, and my objection is not over his motives, but his timing. However, he gained a lot of admirers who will be chastising me for daring to break ranks with their admiration.
Consequently, establishment Republican Senate and House leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner acquiesced to Demo demands, passing a status quo CR and Debt Ceiling agreement9, ending the paid furlough and allowing the federal government to continue borrowing money to pay debt service on money it already borrowed – basically a Ponzi scheme – as we soar through the $17 trillion national debt mark. It punted any CR debate to January 15 and debt ceiling debate to February 7. (Oh, and members of Congress and their staffs will still receive their taxpayer-funded subsidies for health benefits.)
Regarding the Senate vote Cruz said “I have no objections to the timing of this vote, and the reason is simple. There’s nothing to be gained from delaying this vote one day or two days, the outcome will be same.” In a tragic case of irony, that is precisely the position he should’ve taken four weeks ago, instead of delaying the Senate vote, which put Democrats in a position to force a partial government shutdown and blame it on Republicans.
Obama, who has singlehandedly increased the nation’s debt by 55%, could hardly contain his glee when signing the “deal.”
For the record, I have never witnessed such a dramatic reversal of political fortunes in the span of one month. The ability of a few Republicans to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory,” be they of the “establishment” or “conservative” ranks, is astounding.
Disagree if you will, but the consequences are clear. For example, in July, Republicans had a 12-point lead with independents. Now Demos lead by nine – a dramatic shift in a political group that typically determines national election outcomes. And the GOP’s overall favorability rating has dropped by 10 points to 28%. In the words of John Adams, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclination, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
(Oh and while all eyes were on Washington Wednesday, in the New Jersey Senate race to fill the seat of the late Frank Lautenberg, Democrat Cory Booker trounced an outstanding Tea Party conservative, Steve Lonegan.)
So, what are the positive outcomes of this debacle, opportunities which have the potential to grow the ranks of conservative Republicans in the House and Senate in 2014 and beyond – if, as I wrote, moderate and conservative Republicans will lock arms and take the fight to our Leftist adversaries rather than each other?
First, this is the BIG one.
Obama, the consummate narcissist, having even embraced the name “ObamaCare,” will himself, along with every member of the House and Senate with a “D” after their name, suffer a significant reversal of political fortune after ObamaCare is implemented. And this will continue as long as ObamaCare exists.
Why?
Because from October 1 forward, with increasing frequency, Americans of every political stripe who have any issue with health care, whether a hangnail or heart transplant, a delay in a doctor’s office or in critical care for a loved one, will tie blame for their discontent like a noose around the necks of Obama and his Democrats, who were solely responsible for forcing this abomination upon the American people. (And that was the basis for the derailed Republican strategy to force Democrat House and Senate votes on the “defund” and “delay” measures!)
Additionally, dealing with government clerical minions in this new bloated bureaucracy will be no different than dealing with any other huge government bureaucracy – endless and infuriating. No matter how Fab-Tastic ObamaCare may be for some Demo constituencies, Democrats are going to be the target of every health care complaint – and that includes Hillary Clinton. |
