From The Party of 'NO!', To The Party of "Repeat and Recycle"

(Photo Credit: nydailynews.com)

  As far as I'm concerned the Pledge to America is the same rhetoric we've been hearing from the GOP when they're not criticizing everything that moves. While their messiah, dear old Regan, has said that the "Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: if it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Their stance as of lately hasn't been any better: "If it moves, criticize it, if it keeps moving, call it something ridiculous and sensational, and if it stops moving, say the same thing we've been saying for decades." While I commend the party on releasing something other than criticism, you really do not bring anything new, or anything different to the table. It has been the same platform that has seen you voted in and ultimately out of office.

Stubborn little party you are.

The Inevitable Pledge to America

(Photo Credit: toothpastefordinner.com)

  Well, I did say a couple of days ago, that the GOP was still floundering around with no real agenda, and needed something voters could hold them to come election time. Today, two days after that post, we have the GOP's 'Pledge To America'. I'm personally thrilled by the fact that the GOP is finally doing something to be competitive. Will this be the necessary tool Republican candidates needed for the election? Maybe, maybe not. I'm still pretty undecided (I'll have a definitive answer in the morning), and the effect this will have can really go in any direction. But let me just point out some things the GOP dropped the ball on.

• First: The language on the economy seems fairly acceptable (this is coming from a Friedman and Keynes fan), except that the Bailouts weren't as big a failure as they make it seem. Sure, the oversight into Executive Bonuses was a flop (something I think was completely unacceptable on part of Congress), but as Fareed Zarkaria of Newsweek points out, the Bailouts worked. As painful as it was to see billions of dollars head to companies that ran themselves into the ground, it was absolutely necessary to avoid a situation that would have been 10x as worse as what we experienced a year and a half ago. Just because the Bailouts didn't spell out a booming recovery, doesn't mean you can consider it a failure.
• Also, Pre-Stimulus and Pre-Bailout spending levels wont be enough to drastically "Cut Government Spending." While you go on to list ways to further cut spending, I suggest you look towards the out of control and ballooning Intelligence Community and the equally ballooning Pentagon. Both of which are becoming increasingly inefficient in regards to the amount of money being thrown at them. Defense if vital, but not when it runs wild like this.

• Second, and continuing on with Defense spending, you focus quite A LOT on Iran in regards to National Security.  Sanctions, like some other high profile ones, do not work. Let me repeat, they do NOT, and have NOT worked. Iran has sufficiently found away around the sanctions, and has even positioned itself to benefit from them. Continuing on with them is useless. There is much more power and effectiveness in stripping Iran's pseudo-legitimacy in the region through efforts such as the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Talks. (That is a whole other discussion that I'll save for later) 

• Thirdly, is retaining 'traditional marriage' a part of your platform seriously something that is even remotely palatable? While social issues will take a backseat to the economy, your misguided and bigoted perspective is something that will not appeal to the country. As the court system in this country continues to disband laws that limit the freedoms of gays, don't you think it might be time to reevaluate that stance? This country has been at the forefront of personal liberty and pursuit, limiting those freedoms to a portion of society flies in complete contrast to everything you say about adhering to the Constitution's fundamentals on liberty and freedom. BS? I see and smell a whole lot!

  GOP, you're coalescing... Somewhat. But you still have some very misconstrued views about what should be done these days. Should you regain the majority, I want you to put your money where your mouth is and implement those economic policies on Day One. I'm holding you to it.  

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.

Well, Well, Well GOP

  Now I know I've been talking about the Mid-Term elections with quite some frequency lately. Every time I pop open my RSS reader, there is at least one or two articles pertaining to the Mid-Term election. Besides, what fun is a blog from a political junkie if he won't go over the looming elections.
  In any case, the Washington Post has reported today that the Republican Party is beginning the process of reining in fringe Tea Party members to avoid a massive fracture in the party's voter base come November. I've discussed the risk of a party fracture before, and really it almost comes as no surprise that mainstream Republicans are trying hard to bridge the gap that has formed.
  Is this too little too late? Possibly, but I am willing to bet that this outreach from mainstream Republicans is going to have some noticeable effect on how current Tea Party affiliates associate them selves in terms of political parties. But by the same token, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if this outreach effort fails. What will really interest me will be how and why the outreach succeeded or failed. Tea Party affiliates, for the most part, aren't dumb. Many of them will realize that this is just the GOP trying to collect their voter base to make gains in November. I seriously doubt the GOP has any interest outside of amassing voters, to seriously make the Tea Party movement a part of the party.

Washington Post report: WPost

Does Palin Spell Success? 'You Betcha!'

(Photo Credit:NewsHour)

  I called it last week, when I said that Palin and the Tea Party's endorsement of Christine O'Donnell would mark success for the Delaware GOP candidate. CNN now reports that Christine O'Donnell has indeed WON her Senate Primary against Republican incumbent Michael Castle. This is big news, not only for Mid-Term election, but for Palin and for the Tea Party movement. If this sort of endorsement record continues, and the Tea Party movement garners enough support behind these Republican candidates, then Democrats definitely face some very scary results in November. Now of course nothing is set in stone, and we could see something completely different come November, but this sort of thing is so much fun to watch and analyze that, regardless of the shift control, it almost never gets old.

Political junkies, start your engines!

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.

Does Palin Have the Midas Touch?

  Given how Sarah Palin's endorsement of Joe Miller in the Alaskan GOP Senate Primary played out, is it a stretch to say the same will happen now in Delaware? As the LA Times is reporting, former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin is endorsing Republican candidate Christine O'Donnell over incumbent Rep. Michael Castle. The anti-incumbent sentiment is running high, and it seems as though efforts on part of Sarah Palin and the Tea-Party Express is only going to amplify the anti-incumbent sentiment. But will Sarah Palin's formal endorsement really make a difference? Delaware is very different from Alaska, but given Sarah Palin's national status amongst Conservatives, it's not hard to see why her endorsement would be a game changing factor. But the story of the Alaskan Primary might have owed more to the Palin-Murkowski Feud than it did anti-incumbent sentiment.
  Family Politics aside, if Palin's endorsement in Delaware spells success for O'Donnell, will it cause a mad frenzy among Conservatives to vie for her support?
Disregarding the fact that Sarah Palin isn't even a candidate, this election season can be majorly successful for her if she continues a flawless endorsement streak.
Whatever the result in Delaware it is sure to be an exciting time leading up to November.

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.