The Scary Side of This Election

  It seems to me these days that Republicans, voters and politicians alike, are really eating the sensationalist crap up. It is like they love it or something. But the reality is, is that as soon as those politicians get a congressional majority and they no longer have sensationalist crap to eat up they're gonna be caught with their pants down. Along with their pants being on the ground, they're also going to be caught with NO AGENDA! That is the part that worries me the most about this rise in the Conservative camp. Yeah, go ahead and criticize Obama, that is fine. Liberals criticized Bush like there was no tomorrow, but at least they had a plan in place so when the time was right, they could get the measures and bills they wanted passed, passed.
  I don't align myself with Republicans, at least not as of lately, but the one thing I will always commend Republicans for was the 1994 Contract With America. It was genius, unheard of, and held those politicians to their word. Republicans: Start another contract with America that clearly outlines your economic policies, not just the short-comings of President Obama's. Also, try not to alienate voters. Make this theoretical Contract as non bigoted as you can. Just because our nation is making strides to further assimilate groups of people that have been ignored for years, doesn't mean you have to be so vehemently against it. We're a Nation that holds a complex culture with a wide range of people with varying values, lifestyles, ethnicity, and beliefs. Embrace it and stop fighting it.

  Bring any of this to the table and then you can say you have a legitimate reason to be running for office other than the specter of a government run amok. Last I checked, letting a government go out of control WASN'T a partisan issue.

Boehner Might Be On To Something...

  Everyday, Representative John Boehner is further solidifying his role as GOP party leader on Capitol Hill. He hasn't always been the man for compromise on key pieces of legislation (ie, Healthcare and Financial Reform), but he is now slowing but surely becoming the man Democrats will need to go to in order to forge any meaningful deal before November. With both the expiration of the Bush-Era Tax Cuts and the Mid-Term Election looming large, incumbents in both parties are in a mad frenzy to appeal to their constituents in any way, shape, or form. While it is most definitely possible that Boehner's recent comments and subsequent shift on the Bush Tax Cuts may seem as a ploy to neutralize President Obama's blitz campaign on Congressional Republicans, it is most definitely Boehner's way of forging and solidifying himself as a compromise man on the economy and as a true Republican leader. Congressional Republicans are still readying themselves to fight the expiration tooth and nail, but John Boehner is taking a different, more calculated, approach to the matter. Rather than fighting fire with fire, Boehner is instead bringing a pale of water, rather than another torch.
  If his plan of allowing tax cuts for the wealthy (earners of $250,000 or more in annual income) to expire and keeping in place the tax cuts for the middle class, he could very well be looking at some middle class appeal come November. Much like Florida Governor Charlie Crist's tactical maneuvering and vetoing of the controversial SB6, this could garner, in one fail swoop, broad appeal to a rather large chunk of the American voting base regardless of their party affiliation.
  Strategic political planning? If Boehner and his aides have their heads on straight, you most definitely bet it is.

Few Options on Both Sides

As this recent New York Times article points out, Democrats are feeling the heat from Republicans in the lead up to November, and they're trying anything they can to keep the majority they have in both houses.
But the real question beckons, are Republicans in good enough shape to not only regain a majority but govern effectively? Policy differences aside, the real threat to a Republican majority wont come from Democratic opposition, but from within their own party. If there is one thing the primaries in Florida and Alaska have shown us is that the GOP is bitterly divided and ultimately fractured.
While Democrats face a serious crisis in November if the economy doesn't let up, the Republicans will find themselves in the same seat if they cannot unify and begin to have a solid agenda that isn't just criticism.

Something tells me a Contract with America isn't going to be seen for sometime.