This year, there will be a lot of talk about whether or not Republicans will regain seats in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. There is already talk of a Republican taking the seat of retiring Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd.
Meanwhile, in Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a 49 percent disapproval rate and is up for reelection. Despite all of the talk and predictions, I do not see Republicans making great leaps and bounds in numbers in Congress.
I believe this because conservatives have divided their base, thanks to this relatively new populist movement fueled by conservative political commentators such as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. If these Tea Partiers are true to their word, they will not vote for anyone who does not advocate policies of smaller government, less government spending and other libertarian ideals.
If the Tea Partiers live up to their promises, they will not vote for any Republicans or Democrats. Whether you believe they are right or wrong, this poses a serious campaigning problem for the Republicans who have held the conservative votes since Reagan (when the Dixie-crats started voting for Republicans on the national stage consistently). Republicans can no longer rely on their conservative base. These Tea Partiers will vote for third party or independents, paving the way for the Democrats.
Another reason Republicans will hurt in the 2010 election is because they have offered no alternative to Democratic solutions. As much as they will deny it, Republicans are indeed the “party of no.”
For example, no matter how financially irresponsible the Democrats’ solution for healthcare is, Republicans can only say “No” without offering any solutions of their own. If congressional Republicans had offered the solution of open markets and tort reform, this would have been infinitely better than their silence.
Why will this hurt the Republicans? Because it further proves what average Americans know to be true: Republicans are weak. This weakness, this indecisiveness, and this laziness will cost the Republicans the elections they crave in November.
But let’s be honest, whether or not Republicans win or lose seats in the House or Representatives or the Senate, nothing will change. The difference between a Republican and a Democrat is only a matter of speed. Democrats want to expand government and spending while decreasing freedom and they do it with such great speed.
Republicans want the exact same things, only they want to go at a slower pace. Democrats will expand government programs to protect a few in the name of medical safety at the cost of the many (Medicare), Republicans will stifle constitutional freedom for the sake of physical security (Patriot Act), and both of them will invest tax dollars to help an industry for economic safety (General Motors).
According to CNN, Congress’s approval rating stands at 27 percent. This is down from its all-time high in 2002 of 84 percent. The problem is the average American believes Congress is doing a terrible job, but their own representative is doing a good job. The truth, however, is as long as they have an R or a D beside their name, they are the problem.
The problems with our Congress have to be fixed by the people, and that starts with kicking out our representatives and senators and replacing them with non-partisan representatives. You must be thinking that I have unrealistic ideas and must be naive to think the American people will throw off partisan politics. I know this won’t happen; as long as men are fallen, political parties will exist. This is how I know no matter who wins, nothing will change.
Ryan Green is a junior majoring in electrical engineering. He can be contacted at [email protected].