Time To Derail The Obamacare Express

Tomorrow night America will be treated to a one hour health care infomercial that will have the look and feel of a genuine news story thanks to ABC (which is now in competition with NBC for which major news network can provide more favorable coverage to the President).

On the eve of such an important event I am compelled to join those across the country who have had enough of the out of control spending and are drawing a metaphorical line in the sand in opposition to Obamacare. 

This is the one economic issue that the GOP (and all fiscally conscious Americans) can not afford to lose. Creating a massive new entitlement program (on top of Social Security, Medicare, & Medicaid and equal to 1/6 of the economy) in healthcare would be the fatal decision that sends this country over the cliff to the European welfare state. 

This is the time and this is the issue around which to get involved. On my end, I'll be blogging almost daily about this issue for purpose of both educating people and providing suggestions on how to get involved.  If you find following me on Facebook or this blog is a hassle, drop me your email address and I'll send my posts directly to your inbox. 

Colin Powell Makes No Sense

One should tread lightly in criticizing an American hero like Colin Powell, but the comments he made about the GOP this week made no sense. 

The Republican Party is in big trouble and needs to find a way to move back to the middle of the country, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday.

Powell said the GOP is "getting smaller and smaller" and "that's not good for the nation." He also said he hopes that emerging GOP leaders, such as House Minority Whip Cantor, will not keep repeating mantras of the far right.

"The Republican Party is in deep trouble," Powell told corporate security executives at a conference in Washington sponsored by Fortify Software Inc. The party must realize that the country has changed, he said. "Americans do want to pay taxes for services," he said. "Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less."

Powell also criticized other GOP leaders, for bowing too much to the right.

He blasted radio commentator Rush Limbaugh, saying he does not believe that Limbaugh or conservative icon Ann Coulter serve the party well. He said the party lacks a "positive" spokesperson. "I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without," Powell said.

Americans want to pay taxes?  Americans want more government?  What? 

Anyway, in the 2008 Presidential election, the GOP nominated a man in John McCain who is arguably one of the most moderate Republican Senators in American history.  So one would think Mr. Powell would show his support by endorsing and voting for McCain.  

This, however, did not happen.  Powell endorsed and voted for Obama.  And continues to support Obama even as he governs to the far left.    

I have tremendous respect for Colin Powell's accomplishments, but I can't really take his political opinions very seriously.   

Revitalizing Conservatism - Expand The Base - Minority Leadership

America is unmistakably changing color. Analysts predict that by 2050 whites will become the majority minority.

And this more than any other reason (and there are others) is why I believe the Republican Party is in deep trouble.

Why? Because currently conservatives have very little voice in minority communities. McCain lost the Latino vote roughly 70-30. McCain lost the black vote roughly 95-5.

It seems pretty obvious to me that unless the GOP finds a voice with these groups it will quickly become irrelevant. The GOP will no longer be able to win elections simply by winning the majority of the white vote.

One of the first and most obvious steps to take in talking with these groups is to make sure the people talking to them aren't almost exclusively white. The GOP needs not only new blood, but it needs fresh faces who bring a little diversity to the party.

I know, I know, conservatives don't view the world through the lens of race. We view diversity as something that undermines democracy and excellence. In general that's true, but in this case, conservatism needs to "embrace change".

Consider these comments the other day from Rush Limbaugh:

This whole business of class politics, it gets confusing. You know, it makes me just want to abandon all this class politics. I hate identity politics and I hate class politics, because we are all Americans. I don't like, "We gotta go out and get the Hispanics, though, Rush." There's a way to get Hispanics. We can get African-Americans. We can get women. We can get everybody with a set of core principles that we do not abandon that benefit everybody regardless the damned color of their skin or their gender! We're all Americans, for crying out loud. And now we got people on our side who want to get into class politics and identity politics and come up with a portion of our agenda that targets this group (say it's Hispanics) or this group (say it's the working poor) or gotta go get this group: one-armed amputees on West 14th Street in The Village. I mean, however they want to get this down pat, we gotta go do it. Wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. Broad pricniples that apply across the board: conservatism, liberty, capitalism, free markets, property rights, national security.

Before I analyze this quote, I want to make it clear that I am not a Rush Limbaugh hater. Rush has been and continues to be a strong leader in the conservative movement.

In general, I think Rush in right. Conservative principles are powerful and compelling. I believe, as he does, that these principles speak to the lives of all Americans regardless of color or class. But there is one problem. There is one area in which I diverge from his opinion.

Hispanics, African-Americans, and many other ethnic groups (on the whole - there are obviously exceptions) aren't interested in hearing conservative principles from Rush Limbaugh. They aren't open to embracing conservative principles as articulated by Sean Hannity. It's just not going to happen.

The conservative columnist Tony Blankley touches on this in the article "Forging a Conservative Agenda" which he wrote immediately following the election.

But, as a national cause championed by a national party, a conservative agenda must learn to speak persuasively to a near majority of Hispanic Americans, or we will be merely a debating society. When Texas joins states such as Colorado, New Mexico (and even North Carolina, Virginia, Arizona, Florida and many others) where Hispanic votes are necessary for victory, there is no possibility of national governance without finding that voice.

Our challenge is not to retreat to the comfort of self-congratulatory exile, but to sweat and bleed - and be victorious in the arena of public opinion.

Blankley essentially argues that the GOP should return to principled conservatism, but then should also fight for these principles among all people groups.

Speaking to other ethnic groups doesn't mean conservatives have to open up their pocket book and promise huge government entitlement programs. But it does mean an investment of time, relationship, and a modeling of what this looks like.

The Republican Party has some very strong leaders who also reflect the growing diversity that is America (there I go again using the evil d- word).

Sarah Palin - Bobby Jindal - Michael Steele (and there are others of course). These are the names of some current strong leaders who can assist in the process of expanding the conservative base.

Revitalizing Conservatism - Return To Principled Conservatism

This new brand of conservatism based on building a coalition of interests (the K-Street Project) as opposed to building a coalition based on principles and ideas has a created a Republican Party that sold its soul for the benefit of a few years of political power. The fact that there is even a discussion as to whether or not principled conservatism should be the foundation of the GOP is evidence of just how far conservatism has lost it's way.

What are the core principles of principled conservatism? Now that is a debate worth having and thankfully many conservative thinkers are engaged in this discussion.

First Principles - National Security / Smaller Government / Fiscal Responsibility / Personal Liberty

That's a pretty good list.

Michael Steele - Empowerment / Ownership / Opportunity

That's a good list.

Jeff Flake wrote a good article which appeared in the Washington Post the day after the election.

I suggest that we return to first principles. At the top of that list has to be a recommitment to limited government. After eight years of profligate spending and soaring deficits, voters can be forgiven for not knowing that limited government has long been the first article of faith for Republicans.

Of course, it's not the level of spending that gets the most attention; it's the manner in which the spending is allocated. The proliferation of earmarks is largely a product of the Gingrich-DeLay years, and it's no surprise that some of the most ardent practitioners were earmarked by the voters for retirement yesterday. Few Americans will take seriously Republican speeches on limited government if we Republicans can't wean ourselves from this insidious practice. But if we can go clean, it will offer a stark contrast to the Democrats, who, after two years in training, already have their own earmark favor factory running at full tilt.

Second, we need to recommit to our belief in economic freedom. Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" may be on the discount rack this year, but the free market is still the most efficient means to allocate capital and human resources in an economy, and Americans know it. Now that we've inserted government deeply into the private sector by bailing out banks and businesses, the temptation will be for government to overstay its welcome and force the distribution of resources to serve political ends. Substituting political for economic incentives is not the recipe for economic recovery.

There are, of course, other pillars of the Republican standard -- strong national defense, support for traditional values and the Second Amendment -- but these are not areas where voters question Republican bona fides. In any event, as we have seen over the past several months, economic woes tend to subsume other concerns. We shouldn't complain. We can now play our strongest hand.

In some respects, raising a new standard was made easier by yesterday's rout. The Republican Party is not bound by election-year promises made by its presidential nominee. More important, the party is finally untethered from the ill-fitting and unworkable big-government conservatism that defined the Bush administration.

At the end of the day, a return to principled conservatism away from big government big spending conservatism won't be enough by itself to win elections, but it is a great place to start.

Critiquing Obama - Hillary For State?

Just for the record, I would be absolutely shocked if Obama offered and Hillary accepted the Secretary of State position.

I think Obama floated the idea and Clinton leaked it to use it as leverage to position herself for something else.

But if Obama does offer it and she does accept, I think it's probably a bad move for him. Can't trust the Clintons.

Publish Post

Michael Steele For RNC Chairman - Part II

It appears Michael Steele's attempt to win the RNC Chairmanship may have hit a dead end before he even threw his hat in the ring.

Like any good political party that has been devastated at the polls over the last four years, watched the opposition party gain both the Presidency and near supermajorities in both the House & Senate, proven itself woefully out of touch with modern American politics, and spent the entire 2008 Presidential campaign scrambling just to keep the Obama machine within its sight, the Republican National Committee has decided they are doing just fine and want to elect one of their own. Great strategy.

Sundheim said of Michael Steele: “He understands where the party needs to go, he has got a strong set of principles, he is well able to articulate a message in all the media forms, and can take that message to the growing areas of the country — youth and minorities — and he does very well with women. He is the future of the party.”

But one influential Republican believes that RNC members are going to insist that the next chair come from the RNC.

“As to the new chair, don’t pay any attention to people who aren’t on the RNC,” he told me. “This is not a good thing, but the current RNC believes only one of their own should be chair. Maybe a dozen have a clue politically — and that’s being very kind. None (as chairman) could be an ideas leader or command the substantive respect of Republican senators or representatives.”

I say it's time for a little grassroots campaign to demand excellence, charisma, leadership, fresh ideas, and new grassroots approaches in our leaders and Michael Steele as RNC Chairman is the first baby step in that direction.

It took me some work, but I was able to get the email addresses of the Nebraska Republican Chairman, Committeeman, and Committeewomen and it would be great if as many Nebraskans as possible could contact these people and let them know you are supporting Michael Steele (or another candidate if you want).

Nebraska Chairman - Mark Quandahl
mquandahl@bglaw.com

Nebraska Committeeman - Pete Ricketts
pete@petericketts.com

Nebraska Committewoman - De Carlson
demaruscarlson@yahoo.com

If anyone out there would be willing to help me do some legwork, I would love to post the emails of every RNC voting member to this post and call people across the country to get engaged. Please email me or leave a comment if you have names and emails of voting members from other states.

Revitalizing Conservatism - McCain Loss Creates Opportunity

I voted for McCain. But I'll bet many of you who voted for McCain had motivations similar to mine, you voted against Obama as much as you voted for McCain.

To be honest, I wasn't that disappointed when McCain lost. The historical nature of Obama's victory combined with the Republican In Name Only GOP candidate who was leading the GOP down a dangerous path made my own enthusiasm pretty weak.

On the bright side, I'm tending to agree with Dick Morris that if you are going to lose an election, this was the one to lose.

If ever there was an election that was not worth winning, it was the contest of 2008. While it was hard-fought on both sides, had McCain won, it might have spelled the end of the Republican Party. As it is, the party is well-situated to come back in 2010 and in 2012, if it learns the lessons of this year.

Simply put, all hell is about to break loose in the markets and the economy. The mortgage crisis will likely be followed by defaults in credit card debt, student loans and car loans. We will probably be set for two years of zero growth, according to economists with whom I talk. And the federal efforts to protect the nation from the worst of the recession will probably lead to huge budget deficits and resulting inflation. We are in for stagflation that could last for years.

If Obama raises taxes, the situation could get even worse. With a liberal Congress on his hands, he will be constrained to move to the left, if he needs any pushing. When Clinton was elected in 1992, the Democrats in control of Congress gave him a clear message: Either you govern within the four walls of the Democratic caucus or you won’t get our support. Crossing the aisle to get Republican votes, even including the GOP in negotiations, was a no-no for which the president would pay dearly if he transgressed.

The result was predictable. Moderate initiatives like welfare reform were scrapped, the Congress passed tax hikes and legislation became festooned with liberal amendments. Faced with the need to round up every last vote in the Senate and House Democratic caucuses, Clinton had no choice but to load up conservative bills like an anti-crime measure with liberal pork (like a provision for midnight basketball courts in urban areas) to get unanimous caucus backing.

Obama will have to move left to appease his caucus. He will become their hostage, and they his jailers.

Obama is inheriting quite a host of problems (including the far-left House & Senate and all his campaign promises) and if he stumbles significantly, a revived and focused Republican Party can be there to pick up the pieces.

And the GOP really does need to use this time to get their act together. The party is currently wandering in the wilderness edging ever closer to a cliff and it has no idea it is lost. If the soul searching is done effectively and quickly, conservatism will be fine. But if the GOP is unable to adapt to the changing world around them, then they will be wandering for the proverbial 40 years.

On a different note, if Obama successfully deals with the economy, adequately handles any national security issues which will inevitably come his way, and doesn't go wildly overboard with far left policy during his first term, he will be unbeatable in 2012 no matter who the GOP throws at him.