How Bad Will It Be?

Fred Barnes takes a hard look at the electoral scorecard and finds that the GOP is in deep trouble.

If politics were fair, Democrats would be in as much trouble as Republicans. And they’d be just as vulnerable. They’ve been obstructionist, anti-tax-cut, soft on terrorism, and generally obnoxious. On top of that, Pelosi is the most unpopular national politician in America. But in the sixth year of the Bush presidency, with a GOP-run Congress, Democrats aren’t the issue. Republicans are.

This explains why efforts by Bush and Republicans to target Democrats have been so unsuccessful. A veteran Republican consultant says lavish spending on TV commercials in races he’s involved in has largely failed to either boost the poll numbers of his Republican candidates or drive down those of Democrats. Worse, in blue states, the Democratic crossover vote on which Republican candidates often rely has dried up. Democrats have gone home in droves.

Barnes is right, the GOP’s momentum in September is gone, the victim of the Foley scandal and the weight of their own past mistakes. There are only three weeks left in this campaign, and with the GOP playing defense on all fronts, the chances of the irresponsible, defeatist, and dangerous Democrats taking power are far too great for comfort. The Republicans have failed to hold themselves to the import of the moment, and not only will they pay a political price, but the country will pay as well.

We cannot afford to have the party of Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Kerry, and John Murtha in power. Not when we face a crucial point in what is clearly a war that will define the course of our civilization for years to come. The result of such fecklessness is already observable: look at weakened Europe and see what the result of socialism and cultural nihilism has wrought. The Democrats would push the same set of failed policies, and the results could be even worse.

Our economic growth would be destroyed by Democratic tax increases which would erase the gains made since the end of the 2000-2003 recession. Our gains in the war on terrorism would be wiped out when the Democrats demand that we hand victory to al-Qaeda. Our efforts to stop terrorism at home will be set back years when the Democrats suspend the PATRIOT Act and once again tie the hands of intelligence and law enforcement in prosecuting terrorism.

These are serious times, and were the Democrats a responsible party that stood for a stronger America, a change in parties would be nothing more than a temporal political loss. But the Democrats are not such a party. Their ideology is dangerous to this country at this point in history, and their win would be this country’s loss.

The Republicans have done much to deserve the electoral spanking they’re heading towards. Their “leadership” has been weak, they’ve made costly and critical mistakes, and they’ve failed to elucidate the stakes in this election in a meaningful way. However, when it comes to punishing the country by putting in the most feckless, arrogant, and mindless political party in recent American history into power, the stakes are simply too high.

It’s common for societies that have been battered by war and conflict to chose a “safer” alternative — the voters of Britain rejected the lion of Churchill for the timidity of Atlee. However, our war isn’t over, not by a long shot, and while we imagine ourselves safe, while we imagine that the totalitarianism of radical Islam isn’t a threat, the reality is otherwise. The signals we send now will effect the way the rest of this century proceeds, and if we sent the signal that we’re tired of fighting for our values, we shall surely lose them.

7 thoughts on “How Bad Will It Be?

  1. Once again, you sacrifice all intellectual integrity on the altar of rabid, unwavering partisanship. The ideological worldview embraced by your ilk has had plenty of time to perform its magic and impress the American people, but even in your friendliest enclaves of redness, voters are recoiling and searching for alternatives. Be it Tennessee, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado Springs, or suburban Cincinnati, the ability to sell the world’s problems on the “tyranny of the minority” is no longer working. Voters in these parts are reaching the same conclusion. That the decidedly centrist agenda of the opposition party couldn’t possibly do worse than the faith-based clowns running the show today. They will vote for the DEMOCRATIC Party this November.

    Democrats, Jay! DEMOCRATS!!!

  2. I’m an independant, so what political party controls what isn’t a big concern for me. My main reason for wanting the Democrats to take control right now is that I feel the Republicans are screwing everything up. And if those Democrats end up being as power-hungry and corrupt as the current Republicans, I’ll probably want them out as well.

    For me, it’s all about doing what they can to help the citizens of this country. If a politician cares more about their own power and party politics, then what’s the point of voting for them?

  3. “I’m sure that’s what they’re saying along the Afghan/Pakistan border too.”

    Considering that the NIE report confirmed that America’s invasion of Iraq has grown the ranks of terrorists in the Middle East, I’m fully expecting another video from Osama the weekend before the election with one of his patented quasi-endorsements of “staying the course and giving me more enraged underlings to sacrifice for the cause”.

  4. “I’m sure that’s what they’re saying along the Afghan/Pakistan border too.”

    I know you didn’t just say that with a straight face.

  5. Considering that the NIE report confirmed that America’s invasion of Iraq has grown the ranks of terrorists in the Middle East, I’m fully expecting another video from Osama the weekend before the election with one of his patented quasi-endorsements of “staying the course and giving me more enraged underlings to sacrifice for the cause”.

    You can’t pull that bullshit on someone who read the thing. Anyone dense enough to think that handing al-Qaeda a victory on a silver platter wouldn’t be the biggest boon to their recruitment is a complete and utter idiot. What happened when the mujihadeen defeated the Soviets in Afghanistan? How did bin Laden react when the US pulled out of Mogadishu?

    The idea that attacking terrorism causes terrorism is not only patently dumb, but dangerous. It’s like saying that arresting rapists causes more rapists, like bombing Germany caused more people to become Nazis. It’s another complete and utter misunderstanding of what really drives Islamic terrorism.

    If we pull out, it will be viewed as a sign of our weakness and a sign of the strength of al-Qaeda. The idea that giving the enemy a major victory will cause them to stop fighting is an idea so incredibly stupid that only a typically sheep-like member of the Democratic Party could even entertain it.

  6. It would be horrible if we had anyone with actualy military experience willing to take a look at what needs to change in order for us to be successful in the war on terror. Jay, you’ve convinced me, I’m voting straight Republican.

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