GOP Needs a Rallying Cry
[Tim Cameron]
I’m extremely disappointed with a lot Senate Republicans right now, especially Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott (R-MS). Earmark reform is a critical piece of legislation, and these two Republican members of Senate just threw Sen. DeMint under the bus for trying to get it passed.
Anyone who regularly reads this website understands the importance of earmark reform from a fiscal standpoint. This legislation will create accountability for members requesting unnecessary pork-barrel projects, which will ultimately result in reduced spending by the federal government. We can’t continue to set record deficits and let our national debt spiral out of control because there will be a point where our international debt reaches solvency. I speak as member of the generation who will likely have to pay this debt. If we don’t start taking measures to reign in spending, people my age will face everything from unreasonably high taxes to total economic collapse.
The fiscal consequences might seem distant, but the effects of the GOP’s failure to pass this bill will be seen as soon as next November.
The GOP is lost right now. The only thing more troubling than President Bush’s approval rating is his disapproval rating. Fundraising by the RNC, NRCC, and NRSC is dismal when compared to their Democratic counterparts. This year Democrats only have to defend 12 seats while the GOP must defend 22. It’s going to be a tough year in 2008, and we can’t afford to make many mistakes. Unfortunately Sen. McConnell and Sen. Lott made a huge mistake by not embracing earmark reform. A mistake the Republican Party probably can’t afford to make. The lack of leadership exhibited by Sen. McConnell and Sen. Lott on earmark reform may have just handed the Democrats additional seats in next year’s election.
Right now it seems as though almost every Republican elected official is taking an “every man for himself” strategy. This strategy might protect the majority of Republicans seats in Congress, but it will likely leave the GOP further behind in the Congressional minority.
The GOP needs to unite. We took control of Congress in 1994 with the issues. It was the issues advocated in the “Contract with America” the propelled our party back into control of Congress that year. It was a platform that Americans wanted to see enacted. Ideas like welfare reform, lower taxes, and reducing the size of government were perfect for 30-second television ads and direct mail pieces. More importantly our party fought for these issues in Congress before the election, which gave us the necessary level of credibility on these issues to win back the House and Senate.
Sen. DeMint has the right idea with earmark reform. The majority of the American public despises some of the pork-barrel projects inserted into our federal budget. Both Republicans and Democrats hate hearing about their tax dollars being wasted on a $233 million “Bridge to Nowhere” and other ridiculous items like a teapot museum. Various newspapers and even ultra-liberal blogs have gone as far as to openly support this measure.
Republicans have an opportunity to take control of this issue. We might not currently have the votes needed to pass this legislation, but we can use this legislation to show the American public that Republicans are the party of fiscal restraint. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has clearly demonstrated he wants to prevent earmark reform from being passed. If the GOP would just unite and vote together on this issue, we can show the public that Democrats are the party of wasteful spending, and to prove to the voters that Democrats are only concerned with maintaining the “status quo” by running business as usual in Washington.
But the GOP can’t benefit from this issue if Senate Republican leaders (i.e. Sen. McConnell and Sen. Lott) don’t support this effort. Their failure to fight by DeMint’s side drastically reduces the positive impact this issue can have on the next election. Without the support of Sen. McConnell and Sen. Lott, the blame for lack of action on earmark reform rest on the entire Congressional body rather than squarely on the Democrats.
We are stuck in Iraq right now, and there is little the party can do to remedy public sentiments regarding the situation. But this issue alone will not cost us the election. The Democrats continue to lose credibility everyday on Iraq. They made a promise to voters that they would get us out, and they’ve failed dramatically in doing so. According to Real Clear Politics the Democrat controlled Congress has an average approval rating of 28.8 percent. American voters are still open to giving control back to Republicans, but we must capitalize on every opportunity.
Earmark reform is rallying cry the GOP needs right now. It won’t carry the Republican Party trough 2008, but we can’t create discontent for the Democrat controlled Congress overnight. The quicker the GOP begins to fight for this issue, the more time we have to saturate voters with our message of fiscal responsibility. There are going to be numerous opportunities for Senate Republicans to insert earmark reform into other legislation between now and next November. If Senate Republicans unite in an effort to insert earmark reform into as many bill as possible and then vote as a party bloc on this issue, we can garner countless points of earned media over prolonged exposure period.
The GOP will need a more complex issue-based agenda before the next election, but earmark reform is great foundation to build upon. I believe this issue has the potential to show Republican members of the Senate what they can accomplish through party unity. It’s time for Senate Republicans to put aside their differences, and come together to fight for victory in 2008. The outlook might appear grim right now, but this time last cycle the convention wisdom was that GOP would pickup seats in 2006.