Progressive World Review

The Republicans, already “thumped” in the 2006 midterm elections, have now lost three Congressional seats in special elections this year signaling a further decline in the confidence Americans have for the Republican Party.  From an article in The New York Times written by Carl Hulse and Adam Nossiter,

House Republicans struggled to regroup Wednesday in the aftermath of a devastating election loss in Mississippi, acknowledging that their party faced a significant challenge in November after the loss of three Republican seats in special elections this year.

“It was another wake-up call that we have to show Americans that we can fix the problems here in Washington and fix the problems they deal with every day,” said Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader.

No word yet on how Boehner and the Republicans plan on fixing the problems that they themselves created.

For around three and half decades or so this country has taken a significant turn to the right.  Starting with Nixon, gaining steam with Reagan and now culminating with Bush, with, until recently, a rubber stamp Republican Congress.  The mostly centrist Clinton, dealing with a hostile Republican controlled Congress, represented a slight detour at best from this conservative turn we’ve taken.

What do we have to show for the last thirty-five years?  A stagnant if not declining standard of living, a misguided and destructive war with more possibly to come, a reckless and irresponsible financial system that has left our economy in shambles.  The “small government” conservatives have created an Executive branch that believes and acts as if it’s above the rules, ignoring whatever laws it chooses, detains American citizens without due process and tortures whomever it pleases.

The Republicans have been inordinately successful at selling themselves as the party for everyday Americans, as righteous and virtuous men of strength and integrity while simultaneously portraying Democrats as effeminate, gender confused elitists.  It’s a strategy that has worked for years now but as they’ve left this country in shambles their message no longer seems to resonate,

“In 2006 the voters voted for change over the rubber-stamp Republicans who stood by and encouraged the president’s policies,” said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the House Democratic caucus. “They continue to identify, as the three special elections show, that Democrats are the party of change and the Republicans are the party of the status quo. That is one thing that is consistent in all three elections.”

And while the Obama/Wright controversy may have gained some traction in certain parts of the country, namely West Virginia where Clinton resoundingly beat Obama, polls show that most voters aren’t buying the idea that Barack Obama is even remotely like Jeremiah Wright.  Having nothing of any real substance to offer America, Republicans have consistently resorted to these types of personality based attacks on their opponents but as reality sets in it appears that voters are looking past the smoke and mirrors and are demanding real change in Washington,

And even in this district, it is not difficult to find conservative voters dissatisfied with the administration in Washington. “There’s a lot of people that are mad at Bush,” said Jim Jennings, a retired businessman, sitting at a table with Republican voters at a barbecue restaurant in DeSoto County.

Predictably, the Republican response is more about selling the message than the message itself,

Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the party was disappointed and needed to be better prepared to deal with conservative Democratic candidates, but he warned that time is short

“Voters remain pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general,” Mr. Cole said. “Republicans must undertake bold efforts to define a forward-looking agenda that offers the kind of positive change voters are looking for.”.

 Again, no word yet on what this “forward-looking agenda” is all about.  I can’t wait.

–Paul Wilden

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