Posted by
Rainbow10 on Monday, February 09, 2009 5:51:17 PM
During the first Gulf War, Margaret Thatcher told George Bush (41):" George, this is no time to go wobbly." House Republicans and a large majority of Senate Republicans have stood firm in opposition to a massive spending bill. They did not go wobbly. Senators Collins, Snowe, and Specter should follow the Iron Lady's counsel. These liberal East Coast Republicans have fallen for Obama's gloom and doom predictions: If we fail to burden the American taxpayer with another Keynesian calamity, our economy and our way of life will collapse.
The president, his minions, and his fellow travelers in Congress are painting a false picture. We are not facing an imminent catastrophe if the partisan spending bill fails to see the light of day. This bill was cooked up in the House, rejected by Republicans, and is now pushed as a "moderate" compromise by a lame coalition of Senate Democrats and a trio of Republican liberals. It does not represent "change" we can believe in. This is a tired, liberal solution we know well. In fact, there is ample historical precedent to prove that our current economic woes will be aggravated by massive domestic social spending that fails to create jobs, stimulate private investment, and build confidence in our public institutions and private markets.
The politics of angst are not helpful in times like these. This is when we need competent leadership able to understand economic realities and implement sound policies. The gloom and doom message by a president that relies on fear to get our economy moving again is counterproductive. Such a message does not instill confidence. It gives an uneasy feeling that a new administration filled with old faces is muddling through with little knowledge or care as to the unintended consequences of a reckless spending plan, which they did not even write. Of course, delegating the writing of the "stimulus" package to House Democrats is a blessing in disguise. It can serve to blame them for the blowback down the line. In a twist of fate, this would give the White House a chance to exercise true bipartisanship after the 2010 congressional elections, when a revived Republican Party comes roaring back.
The opportunity to show America true leadership and true solutions is the silver lining we conservatives must now focus on. While the Pessimist in Chief paints the gloomy future that awaits us as we near the proverbial cliff, Republicans in Congress and conservatives across the nation need to remind America that our best days are still ahead. We should trust our own ability to achieve our dreams through our own efforts rather than through government handouts. We should have confidence in our ability to spend, invest, and save rather than having a command and control state dictate our economic choices.
America was founded on conservative principles and a tradition of forward-looking optimism. Pessimism is an integral part of the false promise of liberalism. It fuels the fires of the Nanny State intent on creating a culture of dependence and entitlement. Passage of the so called "stimulus plan" will mark the first installment of Obama's socialist utopia. Indeed, the time to act is now. We must continue to oppose this bill. It is no time for conservatives to go wobbly.