The American people want the “fundamental transformation” of Washington, not America!
Nov. 4 turned out to be the most terrible, awful, no good, very stinky day President Obama’s probably ever had. It was a very bleak day in the history of the Democrat Party as well. They not only lost control of the Senate, but they lost control of governorships and state legislatures in places that had been Democratic strongholds for decades. In spite of Mr. Obama’s constant fund-raising efforts and the Clintons’ aggressive campaign stops, they were handed a crushing almost devastating defeat by the American people. The 2014 midterm elections were the final chance for Americans to vote either “Yea” or “Nay” on Mr. Obama’s efforts thus far to “transform” America, and they overwhelmingly voted “Nay!”
In 2008, when candidate Obama skyrocketed to power, he said all of the right things. We were so enamored with our chance to make history that Mr. Obama’s rhetoric of not wanting to “pit Red America against Blue America” or that there’s “not a liberal America and a conservative America” but that there is “the United States of America” was exactly what we wanted to hear. The thing we missed was what Mr. Obama actually meant. He wanted a united America, but only on his terms. When he famously declared, “We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America,” we thought he would start at the root of the problem. We thought he intended to “fundamentally transform” Washington, D.C.
As evidenced this November, the American people still believe it’s time to change Washington, not America.
Since taking office, the president has reversed his rhetoric and tried to convince Americans that government is not the problem. In fact, he’s tried to convince us that government is the solution to everything. His reckless use of power was exactly what caused the Democrats’ election disaster. As Shakespeare wrote: “O, it is excellent to have a giant’s strength; but it is tyrannous to use it like a giant.”
To our great frustration, Mr. Obama, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and hr Senate counterpart, Harry Reid, became tyrannous giants, wielding their power of bureaucracy, red tape and regulation over the American people in pursuit of their own agenda. Just mention the long list of scandals like Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Lois Lerner or Ebola, and people cringe or roll their eyes. In discussing the disaster of Obamcare (aka the Affordable Care Act), people joke that the only applicable word in the title is “Act.” With premiums skyrocketing, plans being canceled and prescriptions being denied, the American people have had enough.
The GOP now has the largest majority it’s held since 1929, following the popular presidency of Calvin Coolidge. However, the contrast of the “Roaring Twenties” and the “Stagnating Two-Thousands” couldn’t be more stark. Republicans would do well to heed the difference in the two paths to a majority. Instead of earning the reins of power by ensuring prosperity and security through sound legislation, the Republicans’ second path to historic power was completely the opposite. It was not satisfaction and optimism that led to the tsunami of wins for the GOP, but anger and fear. This time around, a majority of the American people collectively screamed, “Enough!” Thus, the reins of power are being cautiously handed over with concern that even this huge shout of frustration from the American people might not be heard or understood in Washington.
This election is a reminder that the American people still believe that the government belongs to the people; not the president, not the Congress and not the courts. When faced with disasters at every turn and uncertainty about national and economic security, Americans did the only thing they could to stop the bleeding. From state legislatures to governors to federal lawmakers, they voted an overwhelming majority of the opposing party into power and shouted, “ENOUGH! Stop the madness!” All of a sudden the one-sided conversation of the federal government was silenced by the simple act of everyday voters exercising their right to have a say in their government. It was the people’s turn to speak, and speak they did.
If the GOP doesn’t listen carefully, Republicans could face their own terrible, awful, no good, very stinky day in the next election. That’s the beauty of the American system: It belongs to the people.
So, buckle up. Here we go. The next act of the great self-governing experiment will soon begin. As we watch it unfold, let’s remember that the bloated bureaucracy we call the federal government didn’t happen over night. Let’s realize that although the American people voted to change course, the gears of government still turn slow. Yes, the brakes have now been applied and the screeching from Washington can already be heard across the country, but it might get worse before it gets better. As the Bard warned, “How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal, but by degrees?”
I’m “Just Sayin’,” if things don’t change tomorrow, don’t lose heart. Healing takes time. Finding solutions to longstanding problems is always difficult. Be determined to stay engaged. Voting is a good first step but eternal vigilance is the work of a lifetime. It’s the price we’ve always paid for freedom. And let’s remember to always have faith in the American people; we’re quick healers.
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