It’s been quite a while since I wrote about politics. Truthfully, it’s because up until Scott Brown came from behind to beat Martha Coakley, there was not a lot of interest occurring. That is primarily because the Democrats have managed to squander a rare amount of political capital. Rarely does a party possess both the presidency as well as the majority in congress. Simply put, if the Democrats had their act together, they could have passed healthcare, cap and trade, as well as immigration bills that favored their agenda. However, they did not have it as together as everyone in a post-Obama election euphoria thought that they did. Instead, we saw the far left ideologues of the Democratic Party do battle with mainstream America. The question really ought to be, “Who woke up mainstream America?” For years, Americans have been oblivious to the dealings of Congress and indifferent to legislation. What was it that finally gripped people who were not political activists to call out their leaders at town hall meetings and march on Washington? I believe it was the greed of the Democratic Party.
The greed I speak of first appeared during the passing of the stimulus bill. Yes, George spent live a Democrat and increased our deficit. I bet he wishes he would have done that a little less in hindsight. However, President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress have led us recklessly into a national debt that seems nearly insurmountable. This video from Political Math does a nice job explaining the difference in the debt between Bush and Obama.
I think, perhaps, Americans became afraid of the rate at which we were spending. I also think that had our debt not grown to such outlandish levels, Americans would have by and large, save those of us right wing extremists shouting “Socialism!”, would have had a fairly indifferent, passive response. Couple the debt with government bailouts of banks and the auto industry, and Americans smelled something rotten in Denmark. So, by the time the Democrats started working on healthcare, Americans were starting to pay attention. Who grabbed American’s attention and shone a light on the issue of the debt. Like or not Left Wing, I believe it was probably those Tea Party radicals. Yes, those crazy nuts who are by and large first time political activists, who sit by you at work, and coach little league. Americans saw the contrast of everyday Americans showing up to ask questions and hold their elected officials’ toes to the fire, dressed in everyday clothes, sometimes holding home-made signs. Contrast that too paid Obama supporters and union representatives getting off a bus with matching t-shirts and custom printed signs. Oh, the left leaning media tried to describe the Tea Party members as pawns of large corporations, but it was the opposition that actually looked like it had corporate support. These images flashed before us all summer. As the Tea Party grew, Obama’s approval rating shrunk. He increased his media appearances to bolster his ratings, attempting to once again woo us with his charm, but the ugliness of debt overshadowed the glamour of charm. Though polls indicated Americans did not support the legislation that the Democrats were fiercely pushing, even up until Christmas, Generals Pelosi and Reid led the Democratic brigade in Congress full charge up Capitol Hill to triumph over those of us who were not smart enough to understand their legislation. They cut deals in an unprecedented manner. First it was the “Louisiana Purchase” and then the “Cornhusker Hustle” that proved the Generals had no shame. The charge was abruptly halted when an up and coming foe seemed to fall from the sky, knocking one of their key soldiers off of her horse. In a single night, Scott Brown sent the Democrats back down the Hill, disorganized, confused, and in retreat. Now mainstream America had found her voice and it was shouting out against the ideology of the left, clamoring for more Conservative values. After all, polls have long indicated that Americans associate themselves with Conservative values; it’s the Conservative leaders they could live without.
So, here we are one year after the King has ascended to his throne. He has asked his secret weapon, Captain David Plouffe, to come out of retirement to once again help his reign shine with the luster it first blazed. Will the King try to make peace with his opposition and follow the old King Clinton’s example, or will he marshal the brigade to charge forward, irregarless of the cost? My bet is on the latter.
