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Latest Column:
Stopping
the Meltdown
What Beltway Republicans Need To Do
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 Stopping
the Meltdown
What Beltway Republicans Need To Do
[Carol
Platt Liebau] 4/10/06
These are
not easy times in which to be a Republican; it’s impossible
not to be disheartened by a lot of what’s coming out
of Washington.
Just this
week, Republicans in the House of Representatives failed to
vote on a budget because Jerry Lewis and other Republicans
on the Appropriations Committee objected to measures that would
have controlled spending. All but 18 House Republicans voted
against the First Amendment and in support of a bill to regulate
527’s (themselves a creature of the free speech-unfriendly
McCain-Feingold campaign finance law). Republicans in the Senate
were unable to vote on an immigration bill, after a much-touted “bipartisan
compromise” contained virtually no meaningful measures
for securing the border. Because of a personal feud with Ways
and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, Senator Charles Grassley
has reportedly refused to sign off on a compromise that would
have extended tax relief on dividends and capital gains. Bush
judicial nominees languish. The mainstream media tried once
again to create a scandal when it was reported that the President
had authorized the dissemination of previously classified material
in order to rebut Joe Wilson’s lies about the reasons
America went to war in Iraq.
Contributor
Carol Platt Liebau - Senior
Columnist
Carol
Platt Liebau is editorial director and a senior
member of tOR and CRO editorial
boards. She is an attorney, political analyst
and commentator based in San Marino, CA, and
has appeared on the Fox News Channel, MSNBC,
CNN, Orange County News Channel, Cox Cable and
a variety of radio programs throughout the United
States. A graduate of Princeton University and
Harvard Law School, Carol Platt Liebau also served
as the first female managing editor of the Harvard
Law Review. Her web log can be found at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com [go
to Liebau index]
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Now, polls
increasingly indicate that the Republican congressional majority
may well
be at risk come November. It’s not because
the Democrats have done anything too well – they haven’t.
They’ve no plan for victory in Iraq; their recently issued “national
security strategy” consists in the long-standing and completely
unoriginal proposition that the United States should “get
bin Laden.” They’re clearly unserious about protecting
the country. No, the Republican majority is at risk largely because
of the inaction of Republicans themselves. If the Democrats win,
it will be because Republicans have succeeded in disgusting their
own adherents into staying home.
Some suggest
that it will be sufficient to frighten the base by alluding
to the
possibility of a Speaker Pelosi, a Majority
Leader Reid and the specter of impeachment issuing from the House
of Representatives. And although it’s necessary to remind
Americans of what a Democratic Congress would both look and act
like, it’s certainly not sufficient.
Republicans
need to get it together, and show that they remember why they
were
sent to Washington. Continue to support the President
on the war – and vote on measures that highlight Democratic
weakness on national defense. Pass immigration reform that emphasizes
security – and links normalization of illegals living here
to reductions in the number of new illegals entering the country.
Move President Bush’s judicial nominees through the Senate
Judiciary Committee and onto the floor. Demonstrate seriousness
about reducing the size, scope and prerogatives of government,
through voting for spending reductions. Emphasize the ideological
differences between the parties by pushing more of the tax cuts
that are responsible for the strong economy.
Whatever
they do, Republicans need to show that they are more than pampered
creatures
who have been seduced by Beltway entitlements.
Even if they are not entirely successful in passing an agenda
consistent with their constituents’ wishes, that effort
would count for something. Heaven knows what they’re doing
at present counts for absolutely nothing.
The bright
side is that Beltway Republicans have 7 months to prove to
Americans
that they deserve to keep their jobs. The
way things look now, they’ll need every minute. ONE
Columnist
Carol Platt Liebau is a political analyst, commentator and tOR / CRO editorial
director based in San Marino, CA. Ms. Liebau also served
as the first female managing editor of the Harvard Law
Review. Her web log can be found at CarolLiebau.blogspot.com
copyright
2006 Carol Platt Liebau
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