On the impact of policies vs elections

Before Cockstradamus previews the 2010 portion of the bowl season now that the Gamecocks recorded their fifth loss after a Chick-fil-A sandwich in the ATL, let us review 2009’s obvious Man of the Year. Based upon the Time-magazine criteria of “the person who had the greatest impact for good or for ill”, President Barack Obama crushed all tea partier and non-tea partier competition.

His persistence in the takeover and/or destruction of the private health care insurance and oil industries destroyed thousands of existing jobs and prevented the creation of millions. His actual impact via policies and laws actually implemented, for ill, dwarfs the impact of anyone else. The suffering from the jobs recession increased exponentially over the past 12 months.

The great tea partier wave election that put Republicans in charge of the U.S. House and a majority of state legislatures and State Houses was a reaction for good, but elections per se have no impact beyond the subjective pleasure of viewing lists of Representatives with the letter “R” next to their names. Whoopee!, Not. We remember 1994 and what didn’t follow.

Hence, the need for yet another bowl game in between Tuesday night’s Sugar in Nawlins’ and Thursday’s GoDaddy.com in Mobile, so that 2011’s person of the year will have had an impact for good by promoting job creation.

From The Azores to Stone Mountain of Georgia to Washington, D.C.

Cockstradamus will leave our island paradise, change planes in Atlanta on the way to the January 5 inaugural, American Drive-In Bowl in Washington, D.C. The fate of the nation may depend upon whether the Republican Party can remain unified and vigilant  to the satisfaction of tea partiers in their advocacy of conservative policies and diligent opposition to the liberal ObamaDems.

Flooding Capitol Hill arteries, on the opening day of the new GOP-majority House of Representatives, with civil and obedient-to-traffic-laws voters will be a good reminder they are being watched daily. We remember the betrayal of the 1994 revolution and we remember the Republican support for illegitimate lame duck Food Bills, food and gasoline price-raising ethanol subsidies, DADT and START.

The bowl opponents are We the tea-partying People vs. The Federal Government

An astute DeKalb County, Georgia Democrat’s  prediction of doom for tea partiers as they move towards forming a third party due to overreach for power over the GOP for power’s sake, partially inspired this piece.

I think it is possible that there could be a bolt from the GOP if they don’t act like they got the message on the issues.

They got the message when they rejected the Omnibus middle finger at America in less than 48 hours. Better keep it up. But it won’t be easy given those Republicans that betrayed We the People on other issues in the Lame Duck Congress and who seem not to have gotten the message from the election, or simply don;t care, given golden parachutes and revolving doors.

No less than the utility of representative self-government is at stake

We can’t fix what ails this country by trusting elected officials to keep campaign promises. Those not moved by seeing RINOs defeated may not be moved by traffic jams in their honor either, but we must try to concentrate their minds on their employers lest their gaze stray to their sychophants on Capitol Hill and at Georgetown parties thrown by the Washington Post.

The GOP House must be consistent and bold in their actions, but also savvy.

We must force votes to repeal ObamaCare and EPA (and other) job-killing regulations.

We must push to expand areas for domestic oil and gas exploration.

If Obama proposes a modified flat tax that eliminates most or all deductions or any other potential job-creating legislation (such as massive, needed infrastructure stimulus), we should seriously consider taking yes for an answer.

We must move to pre-empt court order-defying oil drilling moratoriums and carbon regulations.

Tea partiers are watching and while I totally reject that this grass roots movement seeks power for power’s sake, I do fear that the GOP will so disappoint us that the movement could go third party, which would probably doom any hope of fixing America in the short to medium term.

The challenge is daunting.

Step one for 2011 is to drive to The District and Honk (as per traffic laws) if you Love Liberty!

Mike DeVine

“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson

Charlotte Observer, The Minority Report and Examiner.com archives

www.devinelawvista.com