Is it possible for Republicans to make significant political headway in the
2010 mid-term elections, and thereby put the brakes on the Obama/Reid/Pelosi
program of dismantling the greatness of America? Even a cursory examination
of last week’s off-year elections in Virginia and New Jersey render a
resounding “yes.” However, the special congressional election in New York
district 23 adds the sobering reminder that the GOP can certainly blow this
opportunity if it resorts to its past pathetic pattern of dithering and
posturing.
Naturally, the Democrat leadership is trumpeting the win by Bill Owens in
the New York race as a defining characteristic of the current political
landscape, validating everything from the budget-busting “stimulus” bill to
the Democrat push for socialized health care. Yet Owens typifies the
fraudulent nature of such a claim, having perpetrated a complete flip-flop
of his professed opposition to the “public option” once he had achieved a
victory at the ballot box. In typical liberal fashion, upon securing victory
he abandoned every conservative principle that he had touted during his
campaign, and now supports the worst aspects of Obamacare.
Nevertheless, he won on Tuesday. If his rambling trek to the halls of
Congress represents the manner in which Democrats can maintain their hold on
power, so be it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-CA) will gladly accept the
presence of such minions if that is how she is to remain at the top of the
heap.
It therefore behooves the Republican Party, if its leaders have any
expectation of regaining their former political clout, to contemplate the
situation in New York with uncharacteristic objectivity and immediately set
about to fix the horrendous mistakes made there, in order to ensure that
such foolishness is not repeated. For if the GOP once again ignores the
glaring evidence and reverts again to its recent abysmal tactic of attempted
pandering to the “middle,” a series of repeats of the New York 23 outcome
will just as inevitably follow, and the Democrats will retain or perhaps
fortify their hold on power in Washington. At this critical juncture,
America simply cannot afford such a fate.
Doug Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate, lost to Owens by four
percent, which is hardly a poor showing considering how severely the deck
was stacked against him. The Republican Party began its foolhardy endeavor
in this election by selecting Diedre Scozzafava, an ultra-liberal candidate
with connections to the party inner circles as well as major leftist
political players. Instead of focusing, as they should have, on what was
wrong with Owens, the clueless Republican Party then dumped nearly a million
dollars into Scozzafava’s campaign, often running political ads against
Hoffman on the very basis of his conservatism.
Once it became apparent that the liberal Scozzafava was going to be blown
out in the general election, she dropped out of the race. But the malignancy
of her liberalism was not yet fully manifested. While hapless Republicans
lauded her for the noble deed of abandoning a bid that would have proven to
be an embarrassing and resounding loss, and extolled her as a great member
of their party, she proceeded to endorse Owens, the Democrat candidate.
Against such a backdrop of delusion and confusion, the conservative Hoffman
plugged along, maintaining his message of traditional values and true fiscal
stewardship of taxpayer dollars. Ultimately, his effort was not sufficient
to overcome the obstacles thrown in his path by both major parties. Yet he
managed to display a coherent message that generated an amazing degree of
momentum in a short period of time. Had he been properly supported from the
outset of the race, and had Owens been exposed for the disingenuous fraud
that he is, the end result could well have been completely different.
So where does this misbegotten profusion of errors leave the GOP and its
prospects for significant gains in next year’s races? The lesson is simple
and unchanged from times past. If the party establishes and adheres to a
goal of truly advancing the conservative agenda (a move which should be
undertaken immediately), it can benefit greatly from every devious liberal
effort to unravel the fabric of America that the Democrats pursue between
now and Election Day 2010.
On the other hand, if liberal Republicans repeat their double-minded
attempts to find politically “safe” ground that bears outward commonality
with that of the Democrats, they can expect to be relegated to the political
outback for the foreseeable future.
Real America has roared in the past several years, and in particular since
the advent of the Obama regime. The grassroots protests, “Tea Parties,” and
Town Hall confrontations are merely reflections of an electorate that has no
intention of seeing its country and its heritage mutated beyond recognition,
from a free and prosperous society into one of subservience and repression.
Such sentiments are aimed primarily at those Democrats bent on perpetrating
this transformation, but also at Republicans who, out of stupidity,
cowardice, or some misbegotten devotion to “bipartisanship,” refuse to
appropriately confront the liberal threat and effectively neutralize it.
Contrary to the propaganda regularly offered as “analysis” by the liberal
media/Democrat Party Axis, the backlash against Republicans in 2006 and 2008
was by no means an embrace of the mindset of the political left. The
American people overwhelmingly identify with conservatism, but no longer
with Republicans, who all too often disavow any loyalty to it. Having vainly
attempted to ingratiate themselves with the political “center,” GOP
“moderates” lost touch with the conservative base.
America is ripe for a reestablishment of those former ties. But it remains
to be seen whether the Republican Party will recognize and seize this
opportunity to return to its roots and return to power. It would be a
welcome change.
‘Christopher G. Adamo has been active in Wyoming politics for many years and is a managing partner in Best American Buy (www.bestamericanbuy.com), an e-commerce business that markets American made products including the incomparable Abigail Adams Bedspread Set from Bates Mills. Contact information for Chris Adamo, and his archives, can be found at https://www.chrisadamo.com’