Big Loss

We are half way through 2013.  The dog days of summer are almost upon us and what will the political buzz be about after Labor Day?  The mid-term elections of 2014 will be just over a year out.  Too soon?  Don't bet on it.

So I ask myself what do the Republicans stand for?  That used to be a pretty easy question.  They were for government getting out of the way and letting the private sector and people showing their worth; less government intrusion into the citizen's lives.  They have also loudly proclaimed that they are the party of fiscal responsibility taking the fiscal high road as opposed to "tax and spend" liberals.  The Republican party was also supposed to be about personal freedom.  As long as you did not bother me, then what you did was your own business.

But at this time in our country's existence the Republican picture has been muddied if not completely turned on its ear.  It has become apparent that the Republican party is a party of contradictions. 

The Republican party is for smaller government as long as they are not in the White House.  No republican president has ever shrunken the size of government going back to Ronald Reagan.  President Reagan talked about smaller government in his many rhetorical speeches but in fact increased the size of government and when it comes to fiscal responsibility ballooned the Federal Deficit during his time in office.  Another fact is that President Obama has allowed the bureaucracy of government to shrink while in office through attrition not filling some of the open positions in order to shrink government and slow the deficit.  Had this president hired replacements the government employment numbers would look much different.

No Republican president has balanced the Federal budget in modern times.  Not Nixon, not Reagan, neither Bush 1 or 2.  The only president to deliver a balanced budget to congress is President Clinton.  When George W.  When Bush had the opportunity to pay down the deficit he pandered to the American people and claimed that President Clinton's fiscal surplus was due back to the American people.  Where was the Tea Party when this was happening?  There guy was in office so they looked the other way.

Even now, the Republicans are holding up an historic Immigration Bill until more border security guards are hired and a 700 mile fence is built to keep out illegal immigrants.  The cost:  $37 billion.  Funny how you don't hear the Tea Party screaming about this. 

What the Republican party has become is lazy, self-centered and vindictive.  They have become a party of tantrums.  Since President Obama was elected in 2008 and took office in early 2009 the Republican party has made it their official policy to stand in the way of the great recovery that is slowly emerging after the worst recession since the great depression.  Would we have recovered more quickly had they been partners rather than obstructionist?  Many think so.  Is the act of obstruction in an economic emergency anti patriotic?  I would say so.

But a dynamic where if they don't get, nobody gets is a hurtful.  A situation where they are trying to suppress anyone who does not think like them is downright nasty.  The Republican party has in the past four years continuously blocked or stalled common sense legislation to regulate fire arms, create an immigration policy that helps this country move forward and provide equal rights to all that live in this country.  They have tried to put limits on woman's healthcare decisions and choices.  They also have tried over 37 times to overturn a health plan that their own party originally came up with.  Talk about a waste of time and money.  And they wonder why their party doesn't get the votes.  The Supreme Court this week, lead by the Republican (or conservative) majority struck down The Voting Rights Act that 98% of Congress approved of in 2006 when it was renewed.  Did the court say it was unconstitutional?  No.  In their opinion they just claimed it was out of date; not necessary anymore. 

Within hours those states that were under the jurisdiction of the Voting Rights Act did exactly what the Voting Rights Act was designed to stop.  They moved forward with previously agreed upon restrictive voting rules limiting the poor and minority classes in anticipation of the ruling.  Figuring that Congress may step in to re-examine and pass a new Voting Rights Act, Speaker of the House John Boehner said that there was little interest in Congress to handle such legislation.  This just seven years after a Republican President signed into law the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.

So where does this leave the Republicans in next year's mid-term elections?  The Republicans, along with their new attitude, have a warped perception of how the electorate remembers these actions.  The tantrums will begin shortly.  Why don't they vote for us? Remember Mitt Romney's shock at not winning the 2012 Presidential election. He could not believe what had befallen him.  He even had fireworks ready to go in Boston harbor. 

My prediction is that the American people are smarter than the Republicans (and often Democrats) give them credit for.  They will remember.  Latinos will remember that the Republican party had no interest in real immigration reform.  They will remember that the NRA has a bigger say then they do when it comes to common sense gun control.  They will also remember that it is the Republicans who want to restrict the poor's ability to cast a vote; a very basic right that goes back the founding of our country.  Finally, I think that the American people are finally coming to the realization that the Republican party has prolonged the misery of so many for so long who are simply trying to get back on their feet.  They will remember that the Republican party's primary interest is propping up the rich, financial institutions and those who already have.

Be aware.  The landslide will come in November 2014.