A great opportunity
The citizens of Texas can seize a grand opportunity in the following year. The gubernatorial ambitions of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson will open the possibility to install a new senator in Washington that could have immediate and long lasting impact on your daily lives. If you have any doubt about the old maxim that "elections have consequences," then you have no further to look than the $800 billion legislative bill that is about to be enacted into law. The momentum of the Republican party began to slide during the 2006 election cycle, and the momentum swung to the Democratic side during 2008. The next few years will prove to be crucial, and you must be completely aware of the character and voting preferences of the (possible) next representative in the senior house of Congress. I am writing a series of essays to make my case that the time has come for some revolutionary thinking when picking your next Senator.
I cannot begin to describe how important this possible senatorial election will be. The democratic party currently has a 59 vote majority caucus in the Senate. As you have seen, they are able to persuade certain republican senators to cross party lines and vote with them to enable a cloture vote. Some of you reading this piece may think that 59 is close enough to 60, so why bother? The answer is that to legislate is to compromise, and to compromise is to persuade. Like it or not, the majority party persuaded enough minority votes to enable the passage of an enormous bill. If the next senator from Texas decides to caucus with the current majority, then the majority will have 60 guaranteed votes. This will mean that every bill sponsored by the majority will be able to pass with no real opposition. Most of you will remember the news of the last several years (while the democrats were in the minority) filled with the minority party slowing, and even stopping, the passage of legislation and presidential appointments. When I was young and naive, I thought that the minority was blocking what the people wanted. As I have grown wiser, I understand that it is the responsibility of the majority to legislate, but to also consider the arguments of the minority. With a majority caucus of 60 in the Senate, the minority will not have the ability to debate, slow, and possibly filibuster legislation. It is critical that Texas not be the final vote to enable every cloture for the next several years.
The first question is, how do we slow the momentum of the democratic party? We must field a candidate that can defeat the current advantage of the democratic party. Although Texas was still red after the 2008 presidential election, it could possibly slip to a very deep purple if we do not field an exciting candidate for the special election. We must also not forget that the winner of this special election will be an incumbent in 2012. Barring a complete reformation of the Congress in 2010 during the mid-term elections, the Senate will really be in play at the same time as the presidential election. We must also retake the "change" theme from the democrats. This is best done with a certain amount of political judo. If change does not come from Washington, but to Washington, then perhaps we should strive to look outside of the traditional candidates. Republican party members will complain about a lack of experience of a fresh candidate. But the senate is not the executive branch; it is legislating and not governing. The Framers of the Constitution thought that a person that had reached 30 years had enough judgment to be a senator. Why do republicans and conservatives artificially confuse age with reliability and judgment?
Hopefully you agree with what I have written. I will be writing more in the coming weeks on other topics. Other themes that I will be addressing include: qualities you should look for in your next senator, being wary of pragmatism and embracing "evil" ideology, the compatibility of conservative ideology with populist results, hero worship of public servants as antithetical to the democratic republic, federal spending, and the necessary pain of paying taxes. Thanks for your time and consideration.
I cannot begin to describe how important this possible senatorial election will be. The democratic party currently has a 59 vote majority caucus in the Senate. As you have seen, they are able to persuade certain republican senators to cross party lines and vote with them to enable a cloture vote. Some of you reading this piece may think that 59 is close enough to 60, so why bother? The answer is that to legislate is to compromise, and to compromise is to persuade. Like it or not, the majority party persuaded enough minority votes to enable the passage of an enormous bill. If the next senator from Texas decides to caucus with the current majority, then the majority will have 60 guaranteed votes. This will mean that every bill sponsored by the majority will be able to pass with no real opposition. Most of you will remember the news of the last several years (while the democrats were in the minority) filled with the minority party slowing, and even stopping, the passage of legislation and presidential appointments. When I was young and naive, I thought that the minority was blocking what the people wanted. As I have grown wiser, I understand that it is the responsibility of the majority to legislate, but to also consider the arguments of the minority. With a majority caucus of 60 in the Senate, the minority will not have the ability to debate, slow, and possibly filibuster legislation. It is critical that Texas not be the final vote to enable every cloture for the next several years.
The first question is, how do we slow the momentum of the democratic party? We must field a candidate that can defeat the current advantage of the democratic party. Although Texas was still red after the 2008 presidential election, it could possibly slip to a very deep purple if we do not field an exciting candidate for the special election. We must also not forget that the winner of this special election will be an incumbent in 2012. Barring a complete reformation of the Congress in 2010 during the mid-term elections, the Senate will really be in play at the same time as the presidential election. We must also retake the "change" theme from the democrats. This is best done with a certain amount of political judo. If change does not come from Washington, but to Washington, then perhaps we should strive to look outside of the traditional candidates. Republican party members will complain about a lack of experience of a fresh candidate. But the senate is not the executive branch; it is legislating and not governing. The Framers of the Constitution thought that a person that had reached 30 years had enough judgment to be a senator. Why do republicans and conservatives artificially confuse age with reliability and judgment?
Hopefully you agree with what I have written. I will be writing more in the coming weeks on other topics. Other themes that I will be addressing include: qualities you should look for in your next senator, being wary of pragmatism and embracing "evil" ideology, the compatibility of conservative ideology with populist results, hero worship of public servants as antithetical to the democratic republic, federal spending, and the necessary pain of paying taxes. Thanks for your time and consideration.
posted by BigCountry | 7:45 PM
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