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The Daily Signal
If Not Now …
When? Will the GOP Majority Ever Stand for Anything?
Jim DeMint
March 03, 2015
It is never the right time to do the right thing in Washington, D.C.
The phrase I heard most often from Republican leadership while serving
in the House and Senate was, “This is not the right time to have this
fight.”
Whether the issue was balancing the budget, school choice,
patient-driven healthcare, eliminating earmarks, raising the debt
limit, ending big, crony handouts like the Export-Import Bank or any
stand against the continued growth, favoritism and intrusion of big
government, conservatives were always told to wait. Wait until
conservatives have the majority. Wait until we have the White House.
Wait until we are reelected.
We’re seeing that “wait” attitude in practice today as the House votes
on a “clean” Department of Homeland Security funding bill. Despite the
fact that Republicans have majorities in both the House and the Senate
that were elected on a pledge to fight against President Obama’s
executive amnesty, and despite forcing through a big spending bill at
the end of 2014 with the promise they would fight later on Homeland
Security appropriations, they are now punting the issue entirely.
On the other side of the aisle, I noticed a much different attitude,
especially on big, liberal goals like government-run healthcare.
Despite being faced with strong public opposition and the potential end
to their political careers, the Democrats used false promises and every
imaginable procedural trick to pass the government takeover of a sixth
of America’s economy, along with one of the largest tax increases in
our history.
Every Democrat in the House and Senate voted for Obamacare. And none of
them even knew what was in it. Many have since lost their bids for
reelection, but for liberals, the ends justify the means, and they are
willing to accept huge political losses to advance their ideology.
Yet on the other side of the aisle—with the party that supposedly
stands for individual freedom, limited government, free markets,
American values and a strong defense—tomorrow never comes. Consider two
major, pivotal issues in the future course of American history:
Obamacare and executive amnesty.
The Republican leadership in Congress, K Street, Wall Street and all of
their buddies in the media continue to rail that the conservative stand
to defund Obamacare in 2013 hurt the party. But Republicans had one of
their best elections in history in 2014, and one of the deciding issues
in the election was repealing Obamacare.
The only evidence Republicans in Congress even had a pulse between the
public lashing they received in 2012 and their overwhelming victory in
2014 was the fight they waged for a few days to defund Obamacare. And
the leadership only pretended because of the pressure from
conservatives who were demanding they follow through on their campaign
promises.
However, there were times when I saw the Washington establishment will
fight tooth and nail. They fight in bipartisan harmony against
conservatives who push to eliminate earmarks.
I have seen the Washington establishment of Republicans and Democrats
fight together for expensive bailouts, trillions in new debt, unfair
and unaffordable amnesty, risky United Nations treaties, a misguided
arms reduction treaty with Russia, a costly Internet sales tax, a new
government travel promotion agency and more Washington control of
education with No Child Left Behind.
I now hear some Republicans accepting and trying to “improve”
Obamacare. And I see Republicans demanding that Congress fund the
president’s unconstitutional executive amnesty and “move on to other
things.”
What “other things” could possibly be more important than blocking the
president of the United States from shredding our Constitution?
Some are saying we should leave it to the courts to decide, but
Congress is a co-equal branch of government, and members all take oaths
to defend the Constitution. If members believe these actions are
unconstitutional, how can they in good conscience fund them?
Once the president succeeds in giving work permits, legal status,
American jobs and public benefits to 5 million illegal residents, the
next obvious steps will be to legalize and give voting rights to the
more than 10 million illegal residents.
The only evidence Republicans in Congress even had a
pulse between the public lashing they received in 2012 and their
overwhelming victory in 2014 was the fight they waged for a few days to
defund Obamacare.
Twenty-six states have taken a stand against the president’s action,
and one federal judge has temporarily stopped the processing of work
permits. But Obama’s Justice Department has demanded an expedited
appeals hearing.
Do Republicans not know that funding the president’s unlawful actions
now will allow the president to argue that Congress has confirmed his
actions? Federal courts don’t often rule against the concerted action
of the two other branches of government.
The absurdity of this situation is that fighting the president’s
executive amnesty through Department of Homeland Security
appropriations was the strategy created by Republican leaders.
Now that the time to fight has arrived, the generals are running from
the battlefield and blaming the infantry they told to lead the charge.
If the Republican majority in both houses of Congress is not willing to
take a stand and fight against the government takeover of America’s
healthcare system or the president’s arrogant usurpation of the
constitutional powers of Congress, then what will they fight for? Who
will stand with freedom-minded Americans who sent this majority to
Washington to fight for them? I hope my former colleagues will ask
themselves: “If not us, who? If not now, when?”
Read this and other articles at The Daily Signal
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