Mule-Headed Republicans and the Whomping Club of Motivation

Slowly, Republicans in Congress are getting the message that America isn’t in any mood to play silly political games. Unemployment is unacceptably high and not likely to come down to a reasonable level any time soon. We’re running a debt so large that it changes the orbit of celestial bodies. The Democrats refuse to come up with an economic plan that doesn’t involve unicorns, powdered Bigfoot toenails, and elfin magic. You don’t have to be a political genius to see how well a simple and positive plan would be received.

Of course, Republicans are stubborn beasts and it appears that we’ll have to continue to beat some political sense into them.

Fearing angry protests, some GOP lawmakers have decided to skip public town-hall meetings. Others have mustered courage to face constituents in unpredictable settings, sometimes with uncomfortable results.

“I’ve never seen people as angry as they are right now. They’re angry at the whole system and evidencing that in their comments to me,” said Rep. Timothy Johnson (R-Ill.), who has crisscrossed his district attending chicken dinners and state fairs.

“Being an incumbent in either chamber in either party is an unpopular brand. I’m trying to show people that I’m different, that I listen and don’t engage in a lot of partisanship,” said Johnson, who plans to redouble his efforts as a member of the Congressional Center Aisle Caucus to promote bipartisan cooperation in the fall.

Yep, that’s exactly what the voters want — a politician who can’t lead unless he’s surrounded by members of the opposition party who, I hasten to remind you, have called ordinary Americans like you and me terrorists and racists because we won’t give them as much control over our lives as they desire. I don’t know Rep. Johnson from Adam, but I’d hazard a guess that he couldn’t give you an opinion on anything unless he asked someone else what they thought. That isn’t leadership. That’s cowardice.

The other Republicans in the article aren’t much better. All of them think they can help the economy by swapping one government program out for another one that brings more taxpayer money back to their districts. We already know that won’t work. If it did, West Virginia would be a prosperous utopia. They all talk a great game — how we need to hack away at the jungle of regulations that strangles entrepreneurship in its crib, and that jobs have been a priority for the Republicans since “day one” — but they still don’t understand what it is we want. Paul Ryan’s flawed but brilliant plan is all but dead because his fellow Republicans couldn’t muster the backbone to defend it as fiercely as Democrats attacked it. If they wouldn’t stand up for a plan that didn’t get around to a balanced budget for at least a decade, why would they get behind a more aggressive idea?

We all know the answer to that one. They won’t. They’re playing defense while the other team is barely on the field. And so, once again, we voters are going to have to break out the Whomping Clubs of Motivation and apply them to the foreheads of another bunch of reluctant elephants. Eventually, we’ll get some members of Congress who truly do understand the enormity of our problems and push bold solutions to them. I only hope they show up in sufficient numbers before it’s too late.

Other Posts of Interest:

• Halperin: Why Won’t Those Awful Republicans Help the President Win?
• RNC Loser Pooh-Poohs Michael Steele
• Another Grass Roots GOP Group Says, “Shape Up or Ship Out!”

Tags: Republicans

Category: The Republican Minority