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As Republicans enjoy a massive
victory on Tuesday, party leaders should not misunderstand the message of the
public. They should not feel too comfortable about their large margin of
victory. Indeed, the GOP will be on a very short leash. If they return to the
big government Republican policies of George W. Bush, their reign of power will
be incredibly short-lived.
During the Bush years, the
Republicans in Name Only (RINO’s) were in charge. In that era, a budget surplus
turned into $458 billion in deficits, the government added entitlement programs
like Medicare prescription drugs and social spending exploded with liberal
legislation such as “No Child Left Behind.” In addition, under Bush, a brand
new federal bureaucracy was created, the Department of Homeland Security, which
took over management of multiple agencies including FEMA and failed miserably
during Hurricane Katrina.
After the Bush years and twenty
one horrific months of President Obama, voters do not want such big government
solutions for our societal problems. In this election, voters sent a very loud
and clear call for less government and a return to the bedrock constitutional
principles which made this nation great. In this election, voters did not cast
a ballot for the Republican Party, they voted against the socialist agenda of
Barack Obama and his allies in Congress. They voted against a party that
tripled the already large budget deficits of George W. Bush. They voted against
a party that added more to the national debt in 21 months than the nation
accumulated in the first forty presidential administrations, spanning two
hundred years.
Obama has pushed so far to the
left that the country naturally turned to the Republicans as a counterbalance
to his radical agenda. Historically, the party out of power wins big in
mid-term elections. In 1994, Republicans captured 52 house seats and took
control of Congress for the first time since the Eisenhower years. In 2006,
Republicans lost control of Congress as Democrats benefitted from massive voter
dissatisfaction with the Bush presidency.
Clearly, the Democrats abused
their power in Congress and the last four years have been a nightmare for our
country. Democrats pursued policies which helped create the worst economy since
the Great Depression. While Democrats have controlled Congress, the stock
market has lost fallen, the trade and budget deficits have soared, unemployment
has more than doubled, and the housing industry has been devastated.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is
such a hated figure that “Fire Pelosi” rallies were held all across the
country. In one poll of Independent
voters, Pelosi scored a pathetic approval rating of 8 percent. On Tuesday,
Pelosi and her leftist colleagues in Congress were fired for just cause.
However, Republicans cannot use this leadership opportunity to enact more sugar
coated liberalism. As Ronald Reagan stated many times, the Republicans must
raise “a banner of no pale pastels, but bold colors.”
In these troubled times,
Americans want to see real action, not just rhetoric. They want to see the
Republicans reduce the size of government, push for tax reduction and work to
rollback the socialist programs of President Obama, especially the disastrous
healthcare plan. They don’t want Republicans to compromise with President Obama
on a watered down version of his agenda.
If Republicans do not use this
opportunity to pursue a real conservative program and fight Obama on these
important matters, they will never be given another chance to lead. This is the
Republican Party’s last chance to get it right.
The tea party activists who have
helped make this victory possible will not have much patience. If the GOP fails
this time, the party will crumble and a new conservative party will emerge. The
RINO’s have had their chance for success and have failed. It is now time for
true conservatives to step forward and show the country that the timeless
truths of the Founding Fathers will work once again and save our nation from
total catastrophe.
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