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Jewish World Review May 11, 2005 / 2 Iyar, 5765 An awkward GOP spring By Tony Blankley
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It has been an awkward winter and spring for the Grand Old
Party, but as the city sanitation department sweeps away the last of the
cherry blossoms, the Republicans seem to be re-forming as a coherent
fighting mechanism.
Winter got off to a bad start when the tidal waves killed
hundreds of thousands of Asians and, more to the political point, swept away
the aura of good feelings following the Republicans' triumphant November
election results. That gave Democrats a chance to feel good about themselves
again by beating up on "American stinginess," while Republicans had to
apologize for the mere billion dollars and the seventh fleet rescue mission
we dispatched.
After a rousing Inaugural Address, President Bush set
Republicans to further nervous fidgeting with his State of the Union "cry
havoc and let slip the dogs of Social Security reform." Republican
congressmen naturally feared that "this foul deed shall smell above the
earth with carrion men, groaning for burial" (Shakespeare's version of the
third rail).
Then, the Republicans apparently irked the public with their
efforts to save the poor Schiavo woman, which in turn launched the
DemocraticPartyNewYorkTimesWashingtonPostCBSCNN mudball attack on Republican
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. For about three weeks, the House
Republicans, leaderless, wandered around bumping into each other and
thinking about throwing Old Tom overboard.
At the same time the Senate Republicans, without the benefit of
any White House planning or leadership, were letting the Democrats use
President Bush's nominee to the UN, John Bolton, as a human piñata (except
that in this game, the piñata was blindfolded and the Democratic children
with sticks had their eyes wide open).
Further enervating Republican élan was Senate Majority Leader
Frist's tedious, slow-motion, half threat of ending judicial filibusters.
It was a sorry picture indeed: A city full of large, ivory
tusked, bull battle elephants driven to fear, distraction and goring each
other by the braying of a pack of mangy jack asses.
But the Democrats appear to have overplayed their hand. The
tactic of "boo" must be used sparingly, preferably when it is dark and
preferably directed at unsuspecting targets. After the donkeys with
alligator masks on have jumped out from behind the Capitol columns three or
four times in succession in broad daylight shouting "boo," the Republican
elephants have begun to realize that the only danger to them is if they
stumble down the steps in response to the "boo."
The Democrats are powerless to do much of anything in national
politics of a functional nature. All they can do is malfunction and hope to
induce the Republicans to join them in their malfunctioning. By using angled
light, the Democrats have been able to spend the winter and spring casting a
larger shadow than their actual stature would justify.
Slowly, the Republicans have come to notice that the only thing
they have to fear is fear itself. As FDR explained: "nameless, unreasoning,
unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into
advance." Finally, the advance has begun.
First, the House rallied around DeLay and started to fight back
much to the discomfort of minority leader Pelosi, DCCC Chairman Rahm Emanuel
and at least two dozen of their quickly retreating flock who are too busy
correcting their own ethical lapses to give full throat to phony charges
against DeLay.
Then the White House restiffened the spines of the Republican
senators who are now ready to confirm John Bolton to his ambassadorship in
the United Nations. It will bring a grateful smile to many a Republican face
(and a rueful grimace to Sen. Biden and his Democratic associates) in the
coming months and years whenever Bolton is prominently quoted saying needed,
if unpleasant, things to the corrupt rabble posing as diplomats at the UN.
And given the prominence of his confirmation process, his quotes while in
office also will be more prominently reported than they otherwise would have
been.
Next week should see the official trigger pulling in the Senate
to kill the judicial filibuster. Then for the next three and three-quarter
years, President Bush, needing only 50 votes (plus the vice president's)
will be able to nominate and have confirmed solid, smart conservative judges
most of them under 45 years old. He may replace up to four Supreme Court
justices and a broad range of circuit justices. It will be a historic policy
accomplishment that will last at least 30 years.
Even Social Security reform has been clarified for Republicans
as they have been put on notice that Bush does not intend to back down. So
they have to decide whether to fight with him or against him. My guess is
they will fight with him to force passage of some meaningful fiscal reform.
Now that the fighting spirit has been reengaged, Republicans will prefer to
take the odd wound in the chest fighting for something, rather than a wound
on the backside running away from their responsibilities.
"Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here. Tony Blankley is editorial page editor of The Washington Times. Comment by clicking here.
© 2005, Creators Syndicate |
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