01 November 2010

Is the US about to experience a minor revolution?

Janet Daley in the Sunday Telegraph thinks the mid-term elections might just mean that.

"It was widely known in Europe that the American Left hated George Bush (and even more, Dick Cheney) because of his military adventurism. What was less understood was that the Right disliked him almost as much for selling the pass over government spending, bailing out the banks, and failing to keep faith with the fundamental Republican principle of containing the power of central government. So the Republicans are, if anything, as much in revolt against the establishment within their own party as they are against the Democrats.

The sheer simple ignorance of many to think this is simply another swing away from the Democrats to the Republicans.  It is something rather different..

 
"One of the more electorally far-reaching effects of this is that Republicanism could become the home once again of a plausible political and economic programme, rather than simply an outpost for those who seem to reject many of the features of modern life. The gun-toters and gay-bashers and pro-lifers may have jumped aboard the bandwagon, and Sarah Palin may be frantically attaching herself to the parade, but this is not their show: the Tea Party protests began (as their name suggests) as a campaign against high taxation and the illegitimate intrusiveness of federal powers. That is what they are still about"

Quite right.  It is not something to fear, it will not match either Bush era, and could be far more useful than the Reagan Administration in shrinking the state.

Obama doesn't know what to do with it.  So he is playing the game of saying it is a repeat of the Bush years on offer.  He is so wrong.  The Tea Party is not about more government, it is about less.  It isn't about trusting politicians to effect change, but about getting politicians out of the way.  The problem Obama has (and most Democrats) is that this simply does not compute - their brains don't understand that they are the problem, their politics and their solutions are not what is wanted.   That what people want is government to stop picking winners, stop supporting losers, to stop increasing the Federal debt and to pay less tax.  They actually do believe people should reap the rewards of their efforts, and bear the consequences of their losses, and that people are inherently benevolent and will look after each other without the state.

If Obama faces both the House and the Senate, controlled by individuals who believe this, then his philosophy will face complete gridlock.   The big question that will remain is who can the Republicans pick to stand for the Presidency?

3 comments:

Jeremy Harris said...

The Republicans have a real problem with a presidential nominee for 2012...

Palin faces a massive credibility gap after 2008, a staggering lack of knowledge of diplomacy and her religious fundamentalism make her a poor, unelectable choice...

Ron Paul sadly is getting along and in his mid 70s is largely unelectable, although I hope he runs...

The others, Romney, Huckabee, Guliani and the like are Bush style retreads and evolution deniers... I hope they don't get the nomination...

Maybe a Governor..? All up this is America's best chance for a return to their constitution since FDR I believe...

Anonymous said...

The revolution appears to have already happened amongst a large number and you make a good point that Obama and the Dems (and much of medialand) just don't get it and probably never will despite the extent of the losses they're about to take. It's a fascinating situation.

I'm not so sure the big question is who the GOP picks for prez. The Tea Party aren't in search of a leader but rather a particular course of action and results. The big question is can the GOP deliver those results? They
have about 6-9 months next year to prove themselves otherwise it'll get even more interesting. These elections will return the GOP to power but not because there's any love for them.

There's a radical and rogue spirit on the move.

Jeremy Harris said...

Ultimately it's about the public, if the GOP can cpntrol the house and radically cut spending without risking seats then the Tea Party pressure will make this likely, then does the whining begin..? The budget is in such crisis that something drastic must be done now, if the GOP can act to reduce the inefficient defense spending, reform Medicare, Madicaid, Social Security to at least make it "sustainable" rather than private, repeal Obama-care, tort reform, repeal the Patriot Act, introduce the Fair Tax, eliminate the Departments of Education and Energy (which is a state issue and a pointless department) and audit the Fed, they can build some real momentum...

I don't think there is anyone in the Tea Party who can run for President, Rand Paul and Rubio need more time methinks...