My Fellow Americans…Gridlock Is GOOD!
by Bill Simon
That sound that Republicans are hearing is the sound of what happens when a principled-based political party
ABANDONS principles in favor of the issue-of-the-moment strategy for governing.
We now have what may be the safest form of government in the world at the federal level: Gridlock. And, I see gridlock as being a good thing for America.
Why? Forget the emotional rants and hysterics. If every PRINCIPLED Republican does their job in Congress from this point forward, we will have a much better (I dare say) output from our federal branches of government.
But, that’s just me and my realistic view of the world. What do YOU think of our brave new America’s future?
November 8th, 2006 at 6:59 am
Bill Simon,
If they do what you say, won’t they be going up against the Bush agenda?
One thing I’m willing to bet on: There will be no more Terri Schiavos.
November 8th, 2006 at 7:10 am
Caroline,
Yes, they will…that is, the “principled” ones will. But, you see, it hasn’t been the principled ones that have been in charge of the House.
Somewhere in the background, the principled ones are still there. And, now that K-Street won’t be shoveling wads of cash into everyone’s pockets as much as they once did, I believe (hope?) the principed ones take the reins and put some principles back in to governing.
And, yes, you can bet there won’t be any more “Terri Schiavo” events.
November 8th, 2006 at 8:38 am
Bill Simon,
According to what I have seen this morning, there are no conservatives that will be doing what you are saying. The Republicans have learned nothing from this loss. They plan to continue doing the same thing they have done for the past 6 years.
November 8th, 2006 at 10:29 am
Bill, I agree with you. I think this will lead to better things in the future.
Caroline, be patient, the Republicans will need a couple of weeks to regroup and get the message heading in the right direction.
November 8th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
Bill, in case you don’t see it on PP.
Less Government
Less Taxes
More Personal Responsibility
This is my main 3 and I am to tired to come up with #4. I think we can start there.
November 8th, 2006 at 1:15 pm
I totally agree. This will go a long way toward restoring checks and balances into the political process on the federal level. Hopefully some of the damage done to our rights will be corrected and transparency will be restored.
I seem to remember reading an article not very long ago (possibly NYT, though I’m not sure) that talked about the fact that every time the Administration and at least one branch of Congress are on opposite sides of the fence that’s when the most truly beneficial and balanced legislation is passed, when foreign policy is sane and effective, and when the economy hums along nicely without major interference by the Federal Reserve. It’s because both sides have to work harder to get anything passed, so true oversight and compromise occur much more readily.
November 8th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
At least Brittany is single maybe she likes guys who run as a dem and know they will get beat, one can only hope.
The other note is yes from what I say the Dems in Georgia are dead, I called 640 and was interviewed a couple of times and spoke out against the BS flung the land deals were not in the playbook.
I called Sean last night and had a great conversation and I feel good and not angry. I think the only way for the Dems in the state to do anything is get away from the platform of huh now what.
Well its time for more court shows since I took the day off to recover from the 5 day virus and regain my voice.
November 8th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Gridlock is NOT GOOD for America. If Bush will do what Clinton did, that is, reach across the aisle to the Democratic leadership, he will find people willing to help him find solutions that work for the majority of the American people (rather than a few well connected friends which has been their previous modus operandi).
November 8th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
Regretably, Bill, I have to agree with your assessment of Congress. It’ll be interesting to see if the new democreets in the US House will govern as conservatively as they campaigned. I remember former Ga AG Mike Bowers telling the “class of ’94” that “If you become a majority, be leery of year 4 — that’s when complacency sets in, so watch out.” I wish he’d shared that sage advise with the US republicans.
November 8th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
You know how much I agree with the premise, Bill!
I have saying for quite some time that the GOP has become philosophically inconsistent at best – bankrupt more accurately. It started with George The Father wanting to become the “Education President” and has been spiraling down ever since.
If there is a common lesson to be drawn from the headlines, it is the ranks of political and religious leadership is rife with hypocrites.
Social Security Reform? The GOP used to seek its abolition.
No Child Left Behind? The GOP used to have a plank for abolishing the DoE.
PATIOT Act? The GOP used to loathe “Big Brother†government.
Fair Tax? The GOP used be against ALL taxes.
Iraq? The GOP had already learned the lessons about waging a war without the plans and the will to win.
Medicare? The GOP used to want to GET OUT of health care.
However, I think that there is more blame and points of failure at the bottom of the pyramid than at the top. Far too often I have sparred with the party faithful who have celebrated each wrong thinking endeavor only because it germinated from the lips of the President, or from the bowels of a Republican controlled Congress, or because a Democrat ws against it. Rank and file members of the GOP have to have the nerve to call “Bullshit!†on elected officials.
When the voters opt for bad Republicans over anyone else (idealistic Libertarians?!), they eventually get smug Democrats.
Lesson learned? We shall see . . .
JL
November 8th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Dear Bill:
You are right on target! Hopefully these results will restore the conservative values to the Republican Party for the 2008 campaigns. Sometimes getting your teeth kicked in teaches you what it takes to win. When you lose your values you lose your way.
Thanks for your focus,
Bill Byrne
November 8th, 2006 at 2:01 pm
Truth is, I’m scared. I’m frightened for this once great nation that has turned into a political squabble.
Prx Bush will likely get his ‘amnesty’ for several million illegal aliens. The borders will be open to all terrorism including drug cartels from Mx, C and S America.
Iraq will see little or no change in the next two years and the table talk among the nations with Iran and N Korea will go nowhere soon.
Sure, I sound negative and pessimistic. I was around in the 60s and 70s and watched a large part of our socio-cultural history go down the drain.
Now I’m watching third world countries run our social, political and even spiritual systems by way of the UN and socialist organizations.
Mexico has a big foot in the nation’s safe with the door wedged wide open.
Maybe China won’t be too harsh with us if we buy lots of rice paper and autos.
November 8th, 2006 at 2:29 pm
Allowing lobbiests and monied interests to lead our elected officials astray has put we citizens in this mess. Yes to principles and down with ‘welfare’, which leads all to feed at the trough and not to hold personal responsibility high.
America will overcome this malady and we will find true public servants.
November 8th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
What do I think of our brave new America’s future?
Look to the past, perhaps Germany of the thirties?
Brave?
I think not.
November 8th, 2006 at 3:34 pm
Bill, your presuppositions are showing.
What if PRINCIPLED Republicans hold as their bedrock, guiding PRINCIPLES issues like… oh, I don’t know… gay “marriage,” Ten Commandments, right to life, illegal immigration, etc.?
If those were the PRINCIPLES of every PRINCIPLED Republican in Congress, well then, if every PRINCIPLED Republican did their job in Congress from this point forward, would we have a much better output from our federal branches of government?
“I dare say.”
Seriouisly, Bill. Gridlock doesn’t give us a “safer” or “more efficient” form of government, any more than the gridlock on I-85 North every day at 5pm gives us a “safer” or “more efficient” form of transportation. It gives us GRIDLOCK, plain and simple. Which means that whatever *YOU* want done doesn’t get done, and whatever *I* want done doesn’t get done, etc.
And if what I want done is to reduce the size of government, cut taxes, cut spending, and protect the lives of the most vulnerable among us — well, guess what we get under gridlock? The status quo, which today happens to be: big government, high taxes, out-of-control spending, and 4000 dead babies a day.
So there you have “our brave new America’s future”. Nice.
November 8th, 2006 at 4:30 pm
I received this “Thank You Note” from “It’s My Party Too!” leader, former NJ Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, which says it all….
Dear Jean,
Thanks to you, IMP-PAC celebrated more than 65 victories in last night’s elections. Thank you for your hard work and support through this difficult election cycle!
IMP-PAC’s success in local races reinforces our decision to build the party from the ground up. But given the performance of Republicans nationwide, the party needs to take notice and learn from this experience.
There are several lessons to be learned: the very high turnout numbers indicate that voters wanted to register a protest with the status quo. Further, Senator Lieberman’s race shows that this was a much broader sentiment than merely the Iraq war, and Senator Talent’s campaign demonstrates that being more socially conservative isn’t going to appeal to most of America.
These truths further emphasize what we have been saying: that the Republican Party must return to its historical roots of fiscal conservatism and respect for personal freedom if it is to succeed in the future.
This is just the beginning for IMP-PAC–we demonstrated that our methods and our message are what the country needs and we are going to redouble our efforts going into the next election cycle.
Thank you for your help this year–I look forward to working with you to reform our party going forward!
Sincerely,
Governor Christie Whitman, Chair
It’s My Party Too (IMP-PAC)
ctw@mypartytoo.com
http://www.mypartytoo.com
November 8th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
The GOP has done its job in advancing the globalist new world order plans – they have implemented “visions” laid out by earlier democratic regimes. Now is time for new advances to the new world order visions so welcome back democrats! The Republicans will get another chance to implement this new round of “Sustainable” visions when the time is right.
Michael Shaw
http://www.freedom21SantaCruz.net
November 8th, 2006 at 8:00 pm
Gridlock is good for the nonpartisan tax recipients that fund the ying yang two party political cycles that serve them not the American people. Divide and conquer is the strategy and it has worked since Adams and Jefferson began it shortly after the formation of this country. What they did not teach you in public school was they were friends, Templar brothers and Masonic brothers. They along with Franklin were in France fomenting that revolution. I recomend to all your readers to dig into history. The Republicans start revolutions here and abroad the Democrats are in power to draft the common man into all the bloody World Wars. The corporations and the CEO’s fund both parties. We need to send the message that we have had enough by voting none of the above to break this endless cycle.
November 8th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
If gridlock means keeping my gun rights and property rights, which both have been attacked here in Georgia, read HB1439 (would have prohibited gun collecting at roadblocks during declared emergencies – only the Feds law applies to Feds) and compare HR1306 that makes your property rights into privileges vs. HR87 that would have bound down public use as such, we should have changed leadership here as well to protect our rights.
For if others were made to live as I do, then no smoking, drinking, gambling would be allowed, but my God didn’t die and leave me in charge of those issues, but as in 1st Kings/Chapter21 we will be treated like Naboth was with his vineyard or worst our abililty to defend ourselves from such injustices will be void and neutralized!
“With less government, more individual responsibilities, and God’s help a better World for all!” Otherwise the Kingdom shall be in the hands od fools.
November 8th, 2006 at 11:41 pm
I believe Demokrauts will do just as the Republikrauts were doing, since the leadership in both is controlled by exactly the same masters. There may be an appearance at first but when the bottom line is reached, America and the American people will suffer.
I must wonder just when the American people are going to wake up to the fact that R and D leadership is just two heads of the same snake, that the intent is to destroy America – what is left of it, anyway, which is in fact very little except the fantasy that it exists.
Others that are still indoctrinated will me crazy, weirdo, and a lot of other names but time will tell – and when it does it will be too late.
November 9th, 2006 at 12:39 am
Pelosi and Reid to become high wire acrobats….
Good news for Republicans in Georgia as Sonny Perdue was reelected handily becoming the first Republican Governor to win a second term. We also elected our first ever Republican Lt. Governor (Casey Cagle) and Secretary State (Karen Handel). Lots of di…
November 9th, 2006 at 10:02 am
You may very well be right. However, my fear is that the Republicans in Congress may think, “Hummm, so this is what gets you elected.”
I predict the Republicans will be willing to spend even more…in their desire to be more “loved” by the media than are the Dems.
November 9th, 2006 at 10:23 am
Sonny was a democrat for a very long time prior to becoming a neocon republican. The main reason he is in his current position is for the role he played as a legislator in getting natural gas (deregulation) reregulated in favor of Southern Company. Without similar legislative effort in other states the stage would not have been set for Enron and all the rest that followed. Inland natural gas wells were capped all over the US last year as we paid the highest prices ever. In an open market last year we sould have paid the lowest prices due an abundant supply caused by a mild winter. I want to know what Sonny is going to do for us on this issue to redeem himself?
November 9th, 2006 at 3:00 pm
Why Republicans Lost The House
The reality is the American people see no end game for Iraq.
American families feel their wages declining via a failed immigration and trade policy.
The lobbyist in Washington has bought off Congress, which is driving out of control spending.
The scandals from Abramoff to Foley shook the American faith in leadership in Congress.
The final straw was the lack of taking responsibility by the Republican House leadership on any of the above issues.
As a Republican I will say it is time for the GOP to get back to the Goldwater conservative roots. Democrats should realize America rejected Republicans, yet this is not a mandate for a liberal agenda. I hope Congress will be able to focus on the above issues for all Americans families.