REPUBLICANS GO THE WAY OF THE WHIGS

So, somehow I’ve managed to move through the 5 steps of grieving over the mid-term elections and arrived at a really hopeful and peaceful place about the future of the country.  Whether the Dems lose both the House and the Senate, just one, or lose neither and end up with more Repubs elected (and “nut-case Repubs” at that) I think that it’s soon going to become clear that the Republican Party is going to go the way of the Whig Party.  They appear to be a party in the death-throes-of-self destruction.

And, there are frankly just more of us than there are of them.  The Repubs are older, whiter, and meaner — and frankly out-of-step with where the American people are politically.  They are backward looking, longing for the-good-old-days — and the American people have always been forward looking.

The GOtP is whistling Dixie (actually, “Dixie” in more than a metaphorical sense!) in their exuberance to enact their archaic Conservative ideas — well, I guess we should say “re-enact.”  They may think they have a mandate to kill Social Security and Medicare, but they DON’T!

It’s true, public confidence in government is almost non-existent.  But, according to a new study done by Hart Research Associates for the Center for American Progress, “clear majorities of Americans of all ages want and expect more federal involvement in priority areas such as energy, poverty, and education,” the poll found.

What the American people are looking for is effective government, not small government — improved government performance by instituting reform that would kill programs that are not working and adopting more modern management methods, and implementing new information technologies. 

The American people’s disappointment in government is because of government performance rather than an ideological belief in small government.  Those surveyed indicated they would favor a political candidate who offers a reform agenda that would improve government efficiency and effectiveness. 

Essentially, the American electorate wants a government doing what works!  The survey also found a high level of confidence that government can be improved and a desire for that to happen. 

And, Republicans believe their call for repealing the health care reform legislation will help them be victorious in November.  But it’s not at all clear that they’re reading the American people accurately.  According to a recent AP poll the number of Americans who think that the health care law would’ve been better if it had done MORE, and gone further, outnumber those who want government to keep hands-off of health care by 2-to-1!

So, I’ve decided to stop being depressed and pessimistic.  Our problem as Progressives is that our idealistic hearts get impatient, but patience is what is needed right now.  IT’S GONNA BE OKAY.  JUST REMEMBER:

T H E  W H I G  P A R T Y  I S  “N O   M O R E”  &  T H E  G O t P  C A N ‘ T  B E  F A R  B E H I N D!