You have probably heard the pundits all over the news with their dramatic questions: Is the GOP over? Will they ever be back in power? James Carville predicted 40 more years of Democratic rule in his presumptuously titled book ‘40 More Years.’ And so it seems reporters in the mainstream media love to report the end of a political party. But for all the sensationalism and wishful thinking, the GOP is NOT dead.
In the 2008 Presidential election Barack Obama received 52.9% of the popular vote, while John McCain received 45.7%. In 2004 George W. Bush received 50.7% of the popular vote. So Barack Obama received 2.2% more of the popular vote than George Bush and suddenly Mr. Obama has a mandate to do whatever he wants while the GOP is doomed to oblivion. Yes, elections do have consequences but "Obama's mandate" is a clear overreach. This is evidenced by signs of discord among the American people with regard to President Obama’s policies. In a recent CNN poll 23% of the respondents believed that the economy is worse off because of the policies pursued by Mr. Obama, while 40% believe his policies have had no effect. That’s 63% of people who believe he has either had no effect or has made things worse.
Also, California voters this week rejected more taxes and government spending by a 2:1 margin. Even California, a state used to higher taxes and government spending has said "enough is enough!" What's that popular refrain, as California goes so goes the nation? If this is an indicator of what is really happening on the grass roots-state level, Obama must be getting a little nervous.
In a surprising twist, Gallop released a poll this week showing that for the first time in their polling history the majority of Americans (51%) consider themselves pro-life. This is further evidence of an opening for the GOP that we haven't seen in decades. There is clearly room for a party platform that is pro-life and believes in personal responsibility, smaller government, lower taxes, and a strong national defense. So maybe the GOP is not . . . dead.
Some time ago, former Vice-President Dick Cheney scheduled a speech at the American Enterprise Institute on national security. Not to be outdone and possibly feeling a threat that people are catching on to him, President Obama decided to speak on the same subject on the same day, and just before the former Vice President. For having such low approval ratings, it is odd that the White House and the mainstream media want to silence Cheney. They call his behavior undiplomatic, even sleazy. They believe he is an easy target and easy to caricature. Indeed, it would be difficult to find evidence of a President in his first 100 days that has attacked and vilified the previous administration more than Obama. When his back is against the wall and he is facing genuine criticism, Bush and Cheney are the target. But how long are people going to buy this?
Thank goodness Cheney is speaking up and not accepting being silenced. And here’s why. The supposed adversarial press has yet to be adversarial in asking President Obama tough questions. Because of this, we really have not had a legitimate debate on enhanced interrogation techniques (aka torture?). With Cheney speaking up, he has brought this debate to the table and it's finally time we talked about it.
Does water boarding really work? Do the memos Cheney has requested to be declassified back up his claims or is he just overstating? If water boarding does work, would we be willing to do it if we could get information to stop an imminent terrorist attack? Is water boarding even torture at all? It certainly is coercive and uncomfortable, but is it torture? If it is torture why are navy seals water boarded as part of their training? Clearly we aren't torturing our own soldiers! And do enhanced interrogation methods affect those administering the interrogation? We don't know the answers to these questions because we do not have all the information before us.
So let’s have the debate so we can determine what is real and what is not, what works and what does not. If the press did their job, Cheney wouldn't have to be out there. Surely, he'd rather be in Wyoming, fishing.
