My Humble Opinion
I agree with Steve Manacek that last night's victors should be humble, but I'm not sure for the same reasons. I view this as a protracted war that preceded us and will survive us. There will always be forces in the nation who want to move it ever further toward a socialist state (all the while denying it), so it's not as if last night concluded anything. It's just the beginning of another chapter in this ongoing struggle.
That said, we are not required to ignore or deny reality and learn from it. I detected way too much pessimism from the right last night when the mood should have been unbridled euphoria. I don't know if this was because of even higher expectations, a lukewarm media reaction (including Fox), the fact that certain particularly noxious characters retained their seats, or the hard cold reality that Obama is still president and the Dems still control the Senate despite last night's rout.
The reality is that last night's elections were nationalized and Obama's agenda was on every ballot -- to some extent -- and it was emphatically repudiated. That is cause for great triumph because it confirms a reawakening of the American people to systemic threats against their liberties and that Americans are still willing to jealousy fight for those liberties.
Even if last night had been a presidential election and we'd won back the presidency and both houses of Congress it would still be only the beginning in a new chapter. The fact is that Republicans have not been as effective in power as they've been out of power. And despite last night's turnaround, they're still not completely in power. We have a divided government. But that's a dramatic improvement from where we were the day before yesterday.
So I agree that we should be humble in the sense that in terms of governance, we haven't accomplished anything yet. So far we've just won the election albeit in historic terms.
But the true test is what happens next. Even though the GOP doesn't have full power back yet it surely will be held accountable as though it does. So it must be very smart in how it handles itself. Its best course of action is to adhere to conservative principles, which is clearly its mandate. It's mandate is not to implement Obama lite.
If those advocating humility are suggesting that we approach governance apologetically, propose half-measures, or immediately gravitate to the center for the sake of meeting Obama halfway, then I couldn't disagree more. He has been bankrupting the nation at warp speed. Slowing him down to Mach 2 for the sake of Kumbaya is contrary to the national interest. Obama's agenda has to be stopped in its tracks -- and reversed.
I know that's easier said than done, especially since we only have one of the two houses in one of the two political branches. But we have to try.
Understand this: Obama is not about to be deterred from his life goal of fundamentally transforming the nation. If you deluded yourself into thinking so after last night, surely you were disabused of that fantasy when witnessing Obama's press conference today, which Matthew Continetti admirably captured in his post today.
So by all means, let's be humble in realizing that we've only just begun to fight. But let's not be shy about pressing forward our agenda, which, by the way, is not a selfish or top-down agenda. Indeed to implement an agenda rooted in rolling back an oppressive government and unleashing the incomparable American entrepreneurial spirit is by definition humble in terms of governance, because it is reducing the role of government. It is command control, statist type politicians who tend toward hubris because they believe they know better than the people they were elected to serve, what is good for them. There is nothing humble in their governing philosophy and there was nothing humble -- substantively -- in Obama's speech today. Despite a few meaningless syllables paying lip service to the "shellacking," he made clear he still doesn't get it, because he still thinks WE don't get it. He knows nothing else than to pursue his Utopian schemes and that's what he intends to do. We can't be taken in by any phony overtures.
Let's be civil, let's be personally humble, but let's pursue a conservative agenda with vigor. In this case that happens to be humble because it is in accordance with the will of the overwhelming majority of the people.
PS -- Let me just say to those who might counter that this is just a midcourse correction and that people are just reacting to Obama's extremism by trimming his sails a little bit: you can't correct the urgent problems of this nation with mere sail trimming. We are hemorrhaging our children's money and we have to apply a tourniquet and then proceed to a transfusion. The statists have set in place a nationalized health care system that will destroy our health care and our liberties, let alone our treasury. They want to further burden us with cap and tax and full blown amnesty. Their odious financial bill makes our financial system less, not more vulnerable. They want to keep spending borrowed money -- in the trillions, and have no intention of reversing themselves on that. They have undermined our national security and are making it worse. This is gravely serious stuff, folks, and it doesn't serve us well to be too casual about it. More than a simple pendulum swing the other way is required. Let's proceed.
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Jul '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Hear Here!
And that RED You see across that map is the fire over which We'll hold every One of Their feet.
May '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
I think I'm on board here, David. I've been on record about my lack of enthusiasm over folks like Boehner and McConnell carrying the flag for our side. I have great respect for these folks. I have no question about their hearts and minds; it's their spine that concerns me. If their spine is the equal of their hearts and minds, I think we'll do very, very well. For all of us, that means holding them accountable for sure, but it also means having their back.
Re: My Humble Opinion
The first GOP test will be the response to Obama's attempt to further steepen the progressivity of the income tax by proposing extension of the Bush income tax rates only for those in the the lowest bracket or two, thereby hiking taxes dramatically on everybody else. Republican concern for small business capital formation and job-creation will be caricatured as holding the "working classes" hostage to the economic interests of the "rich." Many will no doubt counsel for accepting some tax reduction instead of none at all, but embracing Obama's essentially Marxist dialectic will inevitably come back to bite the Republicans--hard.
Every media opportunity should include an argument from first principles. No inside-the-beltway jargon; lots of Reaganesque anecdotes about constituents running the local coffee shop or deli; how hard it is to raise capital to expand and hire. You know. . . the basics.
Re: My Humble Opinion
David -- I couldn't agree more. I think humility is important precisely because this has been just one skirmish, and there are many battles to come -- and arrogance and hubris are the surest way I know to tilt the ground against us in those coming battles. "Humility" does not mean "abandonment of principles" -- it does mean I don't assume that anyone who doesn't share those principles is ignorant or evil; it means I recognize that the people -- all the people -- are ultimately sovereign, and the onus is on me to convince those who are doubtful or skeptical of the rightness of my principles.
Re: My Humble Opinion
Perfect, Steve. I love it when a plan comes together.
May '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Marco Rubio and Pat Toomey have their first assignment.
Aug '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Reaction here in Ireland has been predictable- Tea Party extremists funded by secretive billionaires,Reid the biggest winner of the night,no reference to the historical context of the swing in House seats- all topped off a few minutes ago by a former newspaper US Correspondent saying the result was not bad for the Dems,inconclusive, and sure isn't a President better off having the opposite party in the House. This is what passes for informed analysis here!Thank God for the Internet!!
May '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Jimmy Carter: Hear Here!
And that RED You see across that map is the fire over which We'll hold every One of Their feet. · Nov 3 at 4:42pm
I second that.
Re: My Humble Opinion
George Savage: The first GOP test will be the response to Obama's attempt to further steepen the progressivity of the income tax by proposing extension of the Bush income tax rates only for those in the the lowest bracket or two, thereby hiking taxes dramatically on everybody else. Republican concern for small business capital formation and job-creation will be caricatured as holding the "working classes" hostage to the economic interests of the "rich." Many will no doubt counsel for accepting some tax reduction instead of none at all, but embracing Obama's essentially Marxist dialectic will inevitably come back to bite the Republicans--hard.
Every media opportunity should include an argument from first principles. No inside-the-beltway jargon; lots of Reaganesque anecdotes about constituents running the local coffee shop or deli; how hard it is to raise capital to expand and hire. You know. . . the basics. · Nov 3 at 4:54pm
Very well stated, imho, George. Agree with every word.
Re: My Humble Opinion
Matthew: I just sometimes wonder about where McConnell is -- more than just the spine issue, which you well articulate. Sometimes he seems like such a winger, and other times, such a beltway "pragmatic" deal-maker. I'm not positive where his political heart is, but I'm hopeful. Regardless of what I think, he's clearly on probation as far as Tea Party watchdogs are concerned -- or so it seems to me.
Jun '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
You may quote me, good sir, to your countrymen who might be interested. Tea Party extremism includes the following:
1. Limited government based on constitutional principles.
2. Personal liberty leavened with personal responsibility.
3. Fiscal sobriety.
4. Free markets.
5. Genetically modified pigs fed with a nutritious slurry manufactured from sick and old people. (H/T James Lileks)
Edited on Nov 3, 2010 at 5:19pmMay '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
So, basically, liberty and bacon. Bring it home.
Aug '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
An Irish politician once defined the "plain people of Ireland" as the ones who eat their dinner in the middle of the day. There are still plenty of plain people around who would get the Tea Party, if they knew the reality and not the parody presented to them. As for our elites,they're really no different than yours. Unfortunately we don't have a Fox or a WSJ to keep them honest.
Jul '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
For those who wrongly think Obama will Triangulate (I'm looking at you Rich Lowry) listen to this.
Aug '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Great link Michael Tee- was there a tiny intake of breath before he referred to the next ...six years? I'm thinking he's thinking one-term and consequential. Didn't he tell us himself a while back?
Jul '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Great point! You could use that over at Professor Rahe's post about Hillary. If You don't I will.
Aug '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Jimmy, I never got a hat-tip before: I'm going straight there now to see if I have broken my duck!
Jun '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
On this side of the pond it's known as a lame duck.
Aug '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
Lame duck... Dame luck.... Lucky Dame... I could go on all night but on this side of the pond it's nearly 2am. Goodnight all.
Jul '10
Re: My Humble Opinion
When I heard the statements and responses in the Obama press conference this morning, I couldn't help thinking of The Black Knight* in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. He's just had both arms and both legs taken off, he's looking around and then he says to King Arthur, "Orl Right; We'll Call It A Draw!"
* Any potential racial implications of this comparison are purely coincidental!