Sense and Sensibility - What Dems Should Say

[Seahawk]

The reason I am a conservative, more a Libertarian, is in full flower below. I like the fact that a conservative blog prints the good and the bad. It is really better that way.


TOP OF THE FOLD
Republican Revolution?

What on earth has happened to Republicans in Washington? Twenty years ago, we conservatives could only dream of an opportunity like the one our elected representatives are now squandering: a Republican President with majorities in both houses of Congress, and two chances to nominate constitutionalists to the Supreme Court. For reasons we can't begin to explain, the Republican Party is in the midst of an identity crisis. Indeed, with each passing week, they behave more like the Democrats we elected them to displace. From education to prescription drugs to transportation to hurricane indemnity, today's Beltway Republicans can't seem to stop redistributing our money. Nor can they seem to embrace the idea that elections have consequences; that we elected them not only to protect the homeland, but to reign in spending and restore the primacy of our Constitution. Republican Revolution? What revolution? If this is our party in power, we'd be better off as a principled minority.

To be fair, we regularly applaud the President and the GOP for their staunch stand against Jihadistan, their timely tax cuts, their support of faith-based social services and traditional values, and their attempts to reform Social Security, among other things.

But there are far too many offsets. Under President Bush, non-defense (and non-homeland security) spending has soared by $303 billion.

At the current rate of government growth, conservatives will soon be longing for those laissez-faire Clinton years.

Since 2001, spending on regulation has grown at over twice the rate of the economy, rising by 41 percent. Agency personnel increases have grown by 46 percent. Homeland Security accounts for some of these figures, but the SEC and EPA, not traditional Republican favorites, have benefited most. Regulatory spending per year saw 2.2- and 3.2-percent jumps under Presidents Reagan and Clinton, respectively, but during Mr. Bush's tenure, increases have averaged a whopping 6.5 percent. At this rate, conservatives will soon be longing for those laissez-faire Clinton years.

Note to the American small businessman: Of the 4,083 regulations now in the legislative pipeline, 789 target you.

The recent $286.5-billion highway bill contained no fewer than 6,371 "earmarks" —literally, gifts of taxpayer money to voters back home. More than anything else, its passage was a profile in collective cowardice: Only eight members of the House and 11 senators voted against this legislative abomination.

Modest proposals to cut the rate of Medicare and Medicaid growth were dropped. Even promised cuts to wasteful federal education "programs," to Amtrak and to public broadcasting, quietly disappeared. In all, discretionary, entitlement and interest spending for FY2006 will exceed $2.5 trillion.

Last month, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher displayed that there's still a conservative movement on Capitol Hill. "Some of us came here to reduce the size of government after the model of Ronald Reagan," he said. To which then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay replied, "[A]fter 11 years of Republican majority, we've pared it down pretty good." Congressman DeLay, if an increase of more than a trillion dollars is "pretty good," how would you define "bad"?

Ever-expanding entitlement programs and general government do-gooding threatens the solvency of the Republic.

But as egregious as pork barrel spending is, it isn't responsible for the fiscal crisis we face. The ever-expanding largesse of federal entitlement programs—government do-gooding ad nauseam—actually threatens the solvency of the Republic.

Social Security faces collapse in just a few decades. According to the 2005 report of the Social Security actuaries, the entitlement's unfunded liability is $11.1 trillion in perpetuity. That's "trillion" with a "T." To his credit, President Bush has sought to reform the big-government enrichment scheme known as Social Security, though without success to date or much hope in the near future.

When compared to Medicare, however, Social Security's liabilities are a mere pittance. Medicare's total unfunded liability is $68.1 trillion in perpetuity. (If you're not appalled by this number, you're not alone; precious few humans can comprehend the immensity of one billion, much less sixty-eight thousand billions.) And the program could go belly up in just a few years. To lend further perspective to our misplaced Social Security angst, the total indebtedness of the recently enacted (but unfunded) prescription drug benefit accounts for $18.2 trillion—more than one and a half times the entire Social Security liability. Summing up, never let anyone tell you that you're getting free drugs from Uncle Sam. Your grandchildren will most certainly be paying for them.

The President's refusal to veto any legislation thus far is staggering.

The President's historic refusal to veto any legislation is further evidence of the low priority he places on fiscal discipline and constitutional limits on government. One has to go back 37 presidents and 180 years to find the last chief executive—John Quincy Adams, 1825 to 1829—who served a full term without a single veto. Even George H.W. Bush—a moderate—vetoed 29 bills during his single term in office.

Of course, the White House's excuse is that it's difficult to veto one's own party's bills. But this just doesn't wash. Franklin D. Roosevelt vetoed 372 bills from Democrat-controlled Congresses; John F. Kennedy, 12 bills; Lyndon Johnson, 16 bills; and Jimmy Carter, 13 bills. The sad and maddening truth is that party loyalty, political "considerations" and quid pro quos are far more pressing priorities than is constitutional government in Washington today.

"Compassionate conservatism," with its stiff price tag, constitutes neither compassion nor conservatism.

The President's "compassionate conservatism" certainly seems to come with a stiff price tag. We're still waiting to hear how enacting ever more unconstitutional laws and untenable entitlements constitutes either compassion or conservatism.

When President Bush recently spoke in New Orleans, he resolved, "We'll not just rebuild, we'll build higher and better." Of course, "higher and better" would be under the mind-numbing and expensive bureaucracy that is federal control. "Americans have never left our destiny to the whims of nature," he continued, "and we will not start now."



When it comes to fiscal restraint and many policy issues, Republican leaders in the White House and Congress have shown disregard, if not outright contempt, for the constitutional limitations placed upon the central government. Congressional Republicans have advanced the fastest growth in non-defense spending and regulatory expansion in generations, and President Bush has not vetoed a single bill during his five years in office. While Republicans have accomplished some conservative-agenda objectives in recent years, they have failed miserably when it comes to budget constraints, regulation and policy issues such as immigration. Enough is enough! American Patriots like YOU constitute the foundation of our Republic—the so-called "conservative base" that has been largely neglected by Republicans since we elected this President and this Congress.

[cowtown]

I couldn't agree more Seahawk. I'm also a Libertarian at heart who wants my vote to count, hence I vote R. I wish the Republicans would get back to core values - your rights are unlimited, but they stop at the tip of my nose, and the state you live in can make its own rules. I can't get over the central-planning attitude and massive federal spending this administration is doing.

[911pcars]

Don't take this personally, but I think too many people voted Republican without a thorough look at the guy who called himself one. I know hindsight is 20-20, but many people who were opposed to GW back then, unfortunately not enough people, felt black and white solutions were optimistic at best, that Republicans could've done much better than this guy who now represents them and who also knew this country was going to be in a world of hurt if this guy was elected.

Let's be more selective the next go-round.

MHO,
Sherwood

[RoninLB]

I posted about this Rep Beltway bs 2 weeks ago. The currently disfunctional Rep's will review how they got into a power majority in the 1st place and compare that to the Dem losers who were outspoken against Bush's policies. Many of them are running scared about next yr's election so they're trying to deflect Bush's heat. Bush was elected on a policy platform and doesn't care who likes it.
Before the next election the Rep's will have to revert to policy issues.

[Seahawk]

Don't take this personally, but I think too many people voted Republican without a thorough look at the guy who called himself one. I know hindsight is 20-20, but many people who were opposed to GW back then, unfortunately not enough people, felt black and white solutions were optimistic at best, that Republicans could've done much better than this guy who now represents them and who also knew this country was going to be in a world of hurt if this guy was elected.

None taken. That is why I posted it. IMO the Dems should leave their hatred of Bush and focus on the performance of the Rep controlled House and Senate, which has been abysmal, especially their spending appropriations.
I do, however, also wish there will emerge a more robust alternative to the current two party political malaise.

[fintstone]

Face it, elections are just a decision to decide the lesser of evils. Even now, I cannot think of anyone who would have handled the last several years any better. Certainly not his democratic opponents.....nor those who ran as Republicans. Not much courage on either side. Most of the Democrats are morally bankrupt and will not stand up to the nation's enemies and most Republicans don't have the nads to stand up to the democrats or the press.

[CamB]

Is the problem that Bush and his Admin are all about "Think Big" and strategerizing (TM) and not much for actually managing?

Or is it all an extension of the tax cuts and spending create growth which fixes everything mantra?

[RoninLB]

Bush is a polarizing president that creates a sharp partisan divide.
Even ex-pres Bill Clinton isn't as controversial.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by RoninLB
Bush is a polarizing president that creates a sharp partisan divide.
Even ex-pres Bill Clinton isn't as controversial.

Media volume controllers turned down the Clinton controversies, and turn up the Bush controversies...Real and threatening controversies were ignored or back-paged under Clinton, concocted controversies are amplified repetitiously under Bush.

[CamB]

I don't recall the media ignoring Monica - quite the opposite.

[jorian]

"Real and threatening controversies were ignored or back-paged under Clinton..."

I agree. Like the time Clinton used the CIA to get him the list of home phone numbers for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contestants. Where is the outrage?

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by CamB
I don't recall the media ignoring Monica - quite the opposite.

They ignored the real scandals. They also seemed to have no problem parroting almost any diversionary blame-gaming Clinton threw out...From the "nuts and sluts" defense, to the demonization of Ken Starr....What sticks out in your mind, Cam?...I'll betcha the "it is all about sex" argument...Why didn't the media bring up the case of Barbara Battalino who lost her law and medical license for equal perjury, under the Clinton Admin?...It seemed the media giddily focused on the salacious (which Starr did not) and went along with the "blame Republicans for it" spin.

[jorian]

Ken Starr demonized himself quite nicely.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by jorian
"Real and threatening controversies were ignored or back-paged under Clinton..."

I agree. Like the time Clinton used the CIA to get him the list of home phone numbers for the Miss Hawaiian Tropic contestants. Where is the outrage?

Better yet, the time Bill Clinton bombed Serbia, sold missile tech to the Chinese governement for campaign cash, or secured 900 FBI files on his political enemies...Did I mention burn alive the Christians in Waco?...Did I mention selling pardons to corporate crooks and terrorists?

These things got coverage, but they were either spun in Clinton's favor or back-paged.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by jorian
Ken Starr demonized himself quite nicely.

See...You bought it....Starr was demonized by the DNC and their media friends.

[Moses]

Originally posted by CamB
Is the problem that Bush and his Admin are all about "Think Big" and strategerizing (TM) and not much for actually managing?

Or is it all an extension of the tax cuts and spending create growth which fixes everything mantra?

Bush has betrayed every tenet of fiscal conservatism and embarked on a foolish and expensive nation building exercise in the middle east.

Much of his strategerizing has failed to produce any desireable effect.

[Moses]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
Better yet, the time Bill Clinton bombed Serbia, sold missile tech to the Chinese governement for campaign cash, or secured 900 FBI files on his political enemies...Did I mention burn alive the Christians in Waco?...Did I mention selling pardons to corporate crooks and terrorists?

These things got coverage, but they were either spun in Clinton's favor or back-paged.

Pure Arkansas politics.

[Mulhollanddose]

Originally posted by Moses
Much of his strategerizing has failed to produce any desireable effect.

Other than dismantling terrorism quite effectively (at least according to recent al qaeda interceptions) and attempting, however futile, to cure the Islam problem with democracy...Bold and improbably successful, yes...I think it is a little premature to deem the operation a total failure.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
Other than dismantling terrorism quite effectively

Wow!

Smeone should call Mul a cab - his BKL (Blood KooAid Level) is above the legal limit...

[Moses]

Originally posted by Mulhollanddose
... to cure the Islam problem with democracy...

"Democracy is a device that insures we shall be governed no better than we deserve."

-George Bernard Shaw