Cowboy Confessional

The Republican party grew a pair.

This is no small feat given the way they neutered themselves during the declining Bush era/error.  So reviled was the public over Republicans violating their brand and former positions, the country dismissed them from power throughout the legislative branch and tossed in the executive twig as well.  So thorough was their exile from power, only one thing could possibly return them to a state of influence.

Namely, the Democrats.

In a period slightly shorter than the attention span of toddler, the Democrats did the opposite of what the Republicans had.  Where as individually the Republicans abandoned their positions on family values, fiscal restraint and limited government, the Democrats stayed faithful to their ideology of more government, less fiscal restraint and total societal control, for which the public ousted them in 2010.

Seems the only thing worse than an inconsistent political party is a consistent one.

Hence, voters escorted Democrats out of half the legislative branch faster than cute girls are tossed out of a Barney Frank pool party.  Republicans re-occupied the House and immediately started making promises nobody thought they would keep.  As is the nature of such things, first rumblings of their positions were understandably calculated, such as voting to repeal Obamacare given that before passage 64% of the public wanted no part of it (the other 36% were ne’er do well who got something for nothing in the deal).  The repeal vote was calculated to lose because Democrats and other dinosaurs still roamed the wastelands of the Senate and would devour anything sent there by the Republican house.

Then Republicans swung such a big hammer it made even strong Democrats (both of them) wet their under britches.

Combined Bush and Obama added about two trillion dollars of debt onto your shoulders.  The new Republican-controlled House proposed cutting a little over two trillion in spending cuts (over ten years), most of it being prized Democrat agencies, projects and slush funds.  Not only was the dollar amount symbolic, and the size meaningful (unlike the paltry billion-here, billion-there cuts creeping out of Obama’s oval orifice), but the ruthless targeting of fobs favored by the opposition was designed to make the other side perk-up and spit-up.  To wit, the newly engorged GOP sought to:

• Kill the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (subsidy)
• Eliminate the (left leaning) Legal Services Corporation
• Alienate the National Endowment for the Arts
• Heave-ho the National Endowment for the Humanities
• Axe Amtrak
• Bounce beach replenishment
• Ice intercity and high speed rail grants (slush fund and make-work programs)
• Eliminate economic assistance to Egypt
• Suck the subsidy for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
• Defund the Presidential Campaign Fund
• Denude the dower Davis-Bacon Act
• Terminate taxpayer funded union activities by federal employees
• Murder mohair subsidies and more …

You could hear Nancy Pelosi moaning in distress, an act that cannot be mistaken for her moaning in passion because nobody in their right mind would copulate her castor. Immediately, the scurrying feet of a million cockroach were heard throughout Capitol Hill as everybody getting free money from Uncle Sugar scuttled to call the proposals unfair, racist, anti-woman, anti-child, anti-labor, anti-immigrant, Nazi inspired, a Satanic offering and the first sign of the Apocalypse.  The scope and depth of the Republican’s fiscal reverse-gear was enough to shut Chris Matthews up (albeit for only a few nanoseconds, but what a blessed fleeting moment it was).

Since Democrats control one half of the legislature (until 2012, unless the Republicans begin shooting their toes off, as is their style) the proposal in its entirety will not pass.  Republicans know this, but proffering the plan achieved many goals in one gasp.  It put Democrats on the defensive in a way they have not experienced since Ronald Reagan started mocking them.  It has fractured the opposition party as each member begins to isolate their favored program against fellow Democrats.  It put Democrats into the unenviable position of seeking the bipartisanship they studiously avoided giving when they held complete control of the federal government, which in turn initiated horse trading away certain sacred subjects to retain more revered socialist scams.

Mostly, it communicated to the public very loudly and very clearly to what ends the Republicans were willing to scorch Democrats fields.  Reagan was fond of going over the head of congress and directly to the people.  His GOP, having belatedly rediscovered that fidelity has value, is doing the same.

What matters now is not the Republicans or the Democrats, but the Tea Party.  Willing to scalp members of either tribe, Tea Party activist will likely back most and perhaps all of the proposal, and enforce it in November of 2012.  Proving themselves effective in the last election cycle, they can – and will – apply significant pressure on any politician who doesn’t vote to cut a lot from the budget, using the GOP’s ground plan as the template. Left of center ideologues won’t budge, and many are safe.  But the closer to center any of them are, the more vulnerable and pliable they become.  Expect electoral head lopping unless the ten-year deficit drops at least a trillion bucks (which is $1.95 in Ike era cash).  Also expect those new family jewels that Republicans are swinging to be bobbed if they back-off by even a dime.

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This entry was posted by Guy Smith on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Economics, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.