For years Democrats have been insisting that they are still popular with the American people. Columnist David Broder certainly seems to think so. On Oct. 12, 2006, he wrote, “The voters have been pointing a symbolic gun at the Republican regime in Washington for many months now. All that remains is for them to pull the trigger on Election Day.”
Before we pull the trigger on ourselves, let’s not get confused about the source of voter apathy and outrage. It’s not because voters prefer Democrats, but because many Republican lawmakers seem to prefer appeasing big government liberals. Broder cites lack of Republican leadership on issues like immigration, government spending, energy, and health care, yet that doesn’t mean voters in turn prefer Democrats.
To the contrary, in several elections with those issues at the helm, such as the Republican primary wins by Randy Graf (AZ-08) and Tim Walberg (MI-07), voters chose to replace wishy-washy Republicans with true conservatives. If Republicans lose control of the House and Senate it is not a mandate for Democrats, but rather an expression of voters’ frustrations with Republicans who have turned their back on conservative ideals.
Voters are hungry for leadership and a return to a fiscally responsible federal government that won’t encroach on their daily lives, but instead tackle the nation’s big problems like the global war on terrorism. It’s obvious that Democrats’ internal polling is picking up these feelings because of their recent claims of moderation from people like George Soros and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Voters should beware of these hollow claims. As HUMAN EVENTS Editor Terry Jeffrey wrote, “We don’t need Congress to become more liberal to fix what’s wrong with Bush, we need Bush to become more conservative to fix what’s wrong with Congress.”
Republican candidates need to buck the trend and start talking about the differences between the candidates rather than trumping sexed-up scandals that are sure to make the evening news. The media may seem like a cohort when Republicans have the goods, but in the end the media still roots for Democrats. Live by the October surprise, die by the October surprise.
Senate races in both Tennessee and Virginia have fallen prey to “gotcha politics.” In Tennessee, Bob Corker and Harold Ford Jr. are playing their campaign out on YouTube. In response to Corker’s campaign condemning Ford for attending a Super Bowl party that Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner also attended, the single Ford uttered the best line during this election season—“I like football and I like girls.” Unfortunately for Corker, many voters’ response was “I like Harold Ford.” Having met Ford outside the Fox News D.C. bureau, I’ll just say that he can make weak Republicans (and girls) vote Democrat.
In Virginia, Sen. George Allen ended October by shining light on his opponent’s novel, which included creepy and inappropriate behavior by a father toward his son. In contrast to Ford, Jim Webb’s defense only increased the creep factor when he said the behavior was not meant to be a sexual act. HUMAN EVENTS contributor Michelle Malkin reacted to the news by recalling instances when Democrats have tried to formulate a scandal out of Lynne Cheney and Scooter Libby’s novels. On her blog Malkin wrote, “It is beneath [Allen’s campaign] and there’s plenty else about Webb that is damning… But if this is what Republican Senate candidates need to do to win elections, I don’t think any of us should be cheering.”
Voters should be reminded that Democrats’ true beliefs are stranger than fiction. To win elections, they’re the ones that lie about their agenda and turn the focus on meaningless scandals in order to win. Consider recent legislation supported by Democrats in Congress:
• Gas Stamp Act (HR 3712)—Would give billions of taxpayer dollars in the form of “gas stamps” to those who are eligible for food stamps (Perhaps there should also be a “car payment stamp”)
• Crack-Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act (HR 2456)—Would eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for crack-cocaine convictions.
• Ex-Offenders Voting Rights Act (HR 663)—Would allow convicts to vote when they are out of prison. (It should be no surprise which party would get the coveted crack-cocaine user vote.)
• Social Security Forever Act (HR 2472)—Would impose a new income tax on workers, employers and the self-employed in order to sustain Social Security. (Let’s be honest, Social Security isn’t the “third rail,” it’s a train wreck.)
• Department of Peace and Nonviolence Act (HR 3760)—Would establish a taxpayer-funded Department of Peace and Nonviolence (also known as the Handouts for Hippies program).
The stakes are high for all Americans. Republicans need to get their act together and fight Democrats on the issues, not on the tawdry evening news. If Democrats take the House, the Senate or both, their scary agenda will succeed. Rep. Charlie Rangel (D.-N.Y.) will chair the House Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) will be speaker of the House. Sen. Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) will be Senate majority leader. Traditional values will be replaced by Las Vegas, New York City and San Francisco values. Boo!
