In November’s mid-term election, the Republican Party ran on a platform based on establishing plans to “create jobs,” “stop out-of-control spending,” “reduce the size of government” and “repeal and replace the government ‘takeover’ of health care” and was able to gain a majority in the House. However, with this newly gained power, Republicans must fulfill promises made to their constituents. The GOP can start off the new decade by actually holding steadfast to their values and principles by fulfilling the campaign promises that helped them get elected.
People familiar with the matter agree that Republicans regained seats in the Senate due to “complacency” and a general inability to accomplish promises they made to voters. One strength the GOP has shown during the first two years of the Obama administration has been its inability to compromise, while forcing President Barack Obama’s hand on many critical issues by threatening to filibuster. This tenacity has allowed the GOP to mitigate the effectiveness of the Democratic agenda, garnering some power while still in the minority.
Republicans can start by standing by the values and talking points repeated to constituents. For example, most Republicans are against the expansion of health care through government mandate. However, almost every Republican continues to use government health care plans and pensions they fight against. If they really do not support government health care, they should deny themselves this health care, which includes Medicare and Medicaid. In addition, the GOP ran on the slogan of reducing the deficit by $100 billion every year. They have started by proposing cuts to Social Security and Medicare — a third rail in politics, or something many believed could not be cut for fear of voter backlash. However, if Republicans propose cutting programs considered by some to be “untouchable,” then no area within government spending should go without scrutiny and should be checked for waste. This includes military expenditures, the failed drug war and every other sector of our government.
However, if political history, regardless of party, holds true, these campaign promises won’t be kept.
As the African fable goes, there was a frog that had to cross a river but could not swim. A scorpion offered to carry him on his back. The frog at first feared being stung, but the scorpion retorted that if he did so, he would also drown. The frog agreed, and as they crossed the river, the scorpion stung him. With his last breath the frog asked why the scorpion had drowned both of them. The scorpion replied, “I’m a scorpion; it’s my nature.”
Just as Democrats with a majority in the prior Congress failed to live up to expectations, it seems unlikely Republicans will be able to fulfill their own idealized promises. It is the nature of politicians to fail to fulfill their lofty promises.