A long time ago, 1995, there was a Republican candidate for United States Senate that ran a very simple and straight-forward campaign. Each and every group he spoke to, it didn't matter if it was a group of farmers or a group of bankers, he wove into his comments the three main points of his campaign -- smaller government, lower taxes and more personal responsibility. The message worked, twice, and in 1996 that candidate was elected to the United States Senate for two terms.
Today, I am not so sure a Republican candidate, doesn't matter the office, can run on that platform. Under Republican leadership during various parts of the last 16 years, the federal government has grown in size, reach and spending, the urgency for tax cuts has subsided, and regarding personal responsibility, the list of Republican politicians finding themselves in precarious situations continues to grow. Granted, a lot has changed in 16 years -- 9/11, Iraq, Afghanistan and the 2008 financial crisis -- but that doesn't mean the Republican Party needed to abandon the message that worked so well 16 years ago.
I look forward to the day when a Republican candidate can again campaign with the message of smaller government, less taxes and more personal responsibility and be believable. Until then, the Republican message will continue to be jumbled and ever changing.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
2010 Elections
What is going to happen this November as Americans head to the polls? No one really knows. The press is saying the Republicans will make big gains. The Republicans are quietly confident. The Democrats flip-flop each week on whether the Republicans will have big gains, small gains, or even keep the status quo. No one really knows.
Politics, for the most part, is local. The national polls, telling us what way the country is leaning, are not valid barometers for the upcoming elections. Politics is local. It is roughly 75 days until the election -- an eternity in politics. Between now and then, the national polls will tell us several different stories. None to be believable until November 2.
However, I believe there is a general sense in the country, outside of Washington, D.C., that things are not going well. It is not a Republican or Democrat thing. It is a government thing. People are getting fed up with the unaccountable and frivolous federal spending. People are getting fed up with more of THEIR money being spent on salmon farms, railroad museums, subsidized airfares, etc. People are getting fed up with their paychecks becoming smaller and smaller because their taxes are going higher and higher.
This year's elections will be interesting. If incumbents (Republicans and Democrats) are thrown out, it will be a strong message to Washington, D.C., that business as usual is not acceptable. However, if we decide to keep the status quo, then what happens over the next two years is partly our fault.
There needs to be a real discussion in the future about what role we want the federal government to play in our lives. If not, paychecks will be too small and what is left of the middle-class will disappear. The United States will become a country of the "haves" and "have nots," with considerably more "have nots."
Politics, for the most part, is local. The national polls, telling us what way the country is leaning, are not valid barometers for the upcoming elections. Politics is local. It is roughly 75 days until the election -- an eternity in politics. Between now and then, the national polls will tell us several different stories. None to be believable until November 2.
However, I believe there is a general sense in the country, outside of Washington, D.C., that things are not going well. It is not a Republican or Democrat thing. It is a government thing. People are getting fed up with the unaccountable and frivolous federal spending. People are getting fed up with more of THEIR money being spent on salmon farms, railroad museums, subsidized airfares, etc. People are getting fed up with their paychecks becoming smaller and smaller because their taxes are going higher and higher.
This year's elections will be interesting. If incumbents (Republicans and Democrats) are thrown out, it will be a strong message to Washington, D.C., that business as usual is not acceptable. However, if we decide to keep the status quo, then what happens over the next two years is partly our fault.
There needs to be a real discussion in the future about what role we want the federal government to play in our lives. If not, paychecks will be too small and what is left of the middle-class will disappear. The United States will become a country of the "haves" and "have nots," with considerably more "have nots."
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