By Alan Burkhart
Okay boys and girls, it's time to slow down and take a deep breath. And while you're at it, a healthy dose of reality would be good, too. The pundits and bloggers are going bonkers over Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. I'll admit to being glad he won for the simple reason that we'll have one less Democrat in Washington once he's sworn in.
But contrary to the gushing headlines proclaiming the end of the Left's agenda and the political demise of the Democrat party, Scott Brown is just one guy. He isn't the second coming of Ronald Reagan and he cannot guarantee that the Left won't still find a way to shove their agenda down our throats between now and November. There is still plenty of fighting left to be done.
Massachusetts is not a conservative state. The majority of voters there are independents. In all likelihood those independents range from centrist to liberal with a smattering of conservatives. Only 12 percent of the voters there are registered Republicans. Scott Brown won because he claimed to respect the will of the people and because those who met him could actually relate to him. Unlike cold fish Martha Coakley, Scott Brown is a regular Joe. That, at least, is refreshing.
In a previous posting, I stated that the Right would likely slaughter the Left in the midterm elections. I still believe that's true. But November isn't here just yet and the Democrats still hold strong majorities in both houses of Congress. They and their puppet in the White House are still determined to push through the biggest political boondoggle in our history before they potentially lose their majorities after the next election. Over the next few days you can expect them to become even more extreme than what we've seen thus far. Their rhetoric will almost certainly change to a more populist tone, but the underlying agenda will be the same.
Now, more than ever, it's time for the Tea Partiers to hit the streets. It's time to flood the email, fax machines and phone lines of wavering centrist Democrats. It's time to make sure they understand that a vote for this patently unconstitutional healthcare legislation or continued tampering with banks and the economy is a nonstop ticket to the unemployment line.
We have a real opportunity to block the Left's agenda. Scott Brown's election, along with recent Republican gubernatorial victories are signs that America is waking up and realizing what a dreadful mistake was made in giving so much power to the Left. The Democrat party mistook voter anger at the Republicans' ineptitude for carte blanche to send America lurching off into socialism. In a way, the last year has been a good thing because Americans are at last seeing the Democrats' true colors. And a lot of Americans don't like what they see.
But if the Republicans do gain a majority, then the people will have to ride herd on them to make sure they don't lapse back into their bad habits of the last ten or so years when they became little more than Democrat Party Lite. The big tent mentality must go if we are to have a truly conservative Republican party.
Assuming that the Soros-funded political machine does not find a way to bastardize the election process in the midterms, we'll see a Republican (and hopefully conservative) majority in at least one house of Congress next year. But as the saying goes, it ain't over 'til it's over. Now, grab your signs and get yourselves back into the street. We still have work to do.
