Politics

What’s the Point of the Republican Party?

Jan. 7, 2013 11:27am

Kayleigh McEnany is a writer and political activist who founded RealReaganConservative.com. She is also a contributor to the International Business Times. She graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and studied at Oxford University.

McEnany: What’s the Point of the Republican Party?

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (AP)

Capitulating to Democratic pressure appears to be the new modus operandi of the Republican Party.  For evidence, look no further than Tuesday’s last-minute fiscal cliff deal, which was nothing short of a Republican Waterloo as the GOP waved the white flag at President Obama.

This outright display of surrender begs an important question – if submission is the new GOP norm, then what’s the point of the Republican Party?

In theory, conservative values are central to the GOP – lower taxes and less spending.  In practice, higher taxes and more spending appear to be the order of the day.

Where are we as a party when the Republican-controlled House votes to raise taxes on 77.1 percent of U.S. households?  When several of our party’s so-called “fiscal hawks” agree to a deal that would cause our debt to climb $4 trillion in ten years?  When Speaker John Boehner pushes a plan with a 41-to-1 ratio of tax increases to spending cuts?

What a sad state of affairs when the Republican Party relents on the very principles they were founded upon.

To make matters worse, GOP lawmakers foolishly prearranged the circumstances for their own surrender. In August of last year, the final debt ceiling compromise included automatic 2013 spending cuts conceived as a means of forcing Obama’s hand on deficit reduction.  In reality, Republicans only served to punt the football and, in doing so, they allowed Obama to resist spending cuts when he was most vulnerable.

Believing that our spender-in-chief and his Democratic cohorts would ever accept meaningful spending cuts down the road, when they would have no political interest in doing so, was nothing more than a childish dream. Instead, Republicans were left with a combustible scenario – the prospect of devastating defense cuts coupled with expiring Bush tax cuts on all Americans.

It is pivotal, both for the long-term success of the party and the betterment of the nation, that Republicans change course immediately. Eighty-five House Republicans, including the Speaker of the House, should never have capitulated to the Democrats.

I have a difficult time believing that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats would have done likewise had the roles been reversed.

As we approach our nation’s debt ceiling, Republicans face a crucial battle in the coming weeks. They, undoubtedly, will incur immense pressure from Obama to surrender once again.

Rather than acting like another arm of the Democratic Party, as the Republican House did Tuesday evening, they must stand for conservative principles and force the president’s hand on our out-of-control entitlement spending.

We have four years left of President Obama, and there are very few moments when Republicans will have enough leverage to do anything at all. It’s time Republicans stand their ground or they might as well just caucus with the Democrats.

Comments (28)

  • rick20033
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 10:04pm

    Anyone else have a problem with their comments never appearing? It happens to me about half the time. Their content isn’t objectionable, so I can’t believe they are being edited out. I think it’s a software glitch. The Blaze’s website is pretty clunky considering Beck is such a major player trying to do such big things. I can’t think of another site where I have similar troubles.

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    rick20033  
    • rick20033
      Jan. 8, 2013 at 10:08pm

      I see my post below appeared after a few minutes, just as the site says it will. But there have been MANY times I have checked and even after a whole day a post didn’t appear.

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      rick20033  
  • rick20033
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 10:00pm

    The Republicans aren’t going to do a 180, unfortunately. Putting Boehner back in as Speaker shows that. For YEARS they have talked about conservatism and voted as progressives. In four years, Rand Paul will run for the nomination, but the elite will line up behind Marco Rubio and nothing will change. Rubio will probably win the election, but he will govern as a progressive and keep spending and spending. He’ll cut tax rates and his GOP cheerleaders will say, “See? He’s a conservative!”, as if being in favor of low taxes is the only (or even the MAIN) identifier of a conservative. The country will continue its downward spiral.

    I’m not usually one for making statements like the following, but I believe it’s true: The only politician who will do what needs to be done to save the country is Rand Paul. He’s the only one who sees how far we’ve fallen and why we are where we are.

    Report this comment

    rick20033  
  • Arshloch
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 4:28pm

    They are being bullied by a Chicago trained thug and do not seen to be able to say NO.

    Report this comment

    Arshloch  
  • ninja
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 2:20pm

    The republicans have stood their ground. Their ground is more spending & more taxing & no cuts

    BTW: there is no debt ceiling. it’another scare tactic, used by both dems & repubs, just like the fiscal cliff to divert attention & get the people arguing about which side is to blame ( hint, they are both the same side)

    Unless & until the republican party is overthrown nothing will change.

    Report this comment

    ninja  
  • jessieH
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 10:43am

    What’s the point of either party? One is full of idiots, the other thieves & crooks.

    Report this comment

    jessieH  
  • jay1975
    Jan. 8, 2013 at 10:18am

    The GOP today is about 180 degrees from its founding principles. Whereas it was a party of Constitutional law and liberty, it has become little more than the right wing of the liberal party dominating DC today. They will restrict the freedoms of anyone they deem unworthy of liberty and will spend this nation into ruin (only slightly slower than the Dems). They preach freedom while supporting prohibition and deciding who can and cannot enter into government subsidized contracts based on religious beliefs. They are quickly being outed as the anti-liberty theocrats that are driving many people (like me) away from the party. They talked a good talk for years, but their actions are so much louder.

    Report this comment

    jay1975  
  • The Third Archon
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 11:09pm

    “What a sad state of affairs when the Republican Party relents on the very principles they were founded upon.”
    Well ACTUALLY, the Republican Party was FOUNDED upon a Radical (in its day) abolitionist platform which made it NO friends with business interests of the day who profited either directly (in the case of the, primarily southern, cash crop agricultural industry–i.e. cotton, tobacco, indigo, etc.) or indirectly (in the case of the, primarily northern, shipping industry which TRANSPORTED said cash crops to European markets and textile mills or used them in their own for production) from the continuation of the institution of slavery. Their original principles had nothing to do with taxes and were almost exclusively built around a controversial social issue–abolition of the institution of slavery. In fact, the closest thing to a “low taxes” plank in that political era was actually the Democrats who wanted lower tariffs and were super pissed about the Hartley-Smoot Tariff (which is primarily how the Republicans won support among northern businesses because the tariff protected their industries from greater foreign competition). So between its opposition to slavery and its support for higher tariffs, the Republican Party was about as OPPOSITE as you could get from this simplistic “low governmen, low taxes” mantra that, ostensibly, defines them now. Ironic, right?

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    The Third Archon  
  • toto
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 6:46pm

    I have notified all the Republican organizations that we have supported to take our names off their call and mail lists. I’m done. Though a good and decent man, Romney was just McCain redux. The RNC is controlled by RINOs and until every single last one of them is gone, will not contribute another dime. Ready for a New Constitution Party. The Republicans have feckless cowards over and over again. They will have moments of strength and throw it all away. Like Cruz, and Rand Paul. Don’t want a “moderate” any where near the next conservative nominee.

    Report this comment

    toto  
  • Astalavistababy
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 6:37pm

    McEnany writes: “I have a difficult time believing that Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats would have done likewise had the roles been reversed.” She’s stating her belief that Pelosi and the democrats would not have capitulated and caved in like Boehner. I agree. Pelosi and the dems would have shut the government down. Why is that? Because they believe in what they are doing. That is the key. Say what you want about the democrats, at least they are true believers in their ideology and make no apologies for it, because they think their cause is righteous. I don’t agree with them on anything. I just wish Republicans felt equally as strong in their beliefs of limited government and self reliance. That’s why the public polls are rarely with Republicans on these fights. People know if you believe in what you’re doing, or if you’re just going through the motions. Who wouldn’t shut the government to save our constitutional liberties? Well the Republican’s that’s who. Let’s stop kidding ourselves about republicans. They benefit from all this government spending and in the next few elections cycles will get to manage the decline. They won’t fix it, they’ll just take care of it for the democrats, until they get their turn again. And on it goes.

    Report this comment

    Astalavistababy  
  • TheBigDog
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:20pm

    What an insightful expose of the liberals in the Republican Party. We need a second Tea Party and more voices like Kayleigh McEnany in the Republican Party.

    Report this comment

    TheBigDog  
  • affinity
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:19pm

    I think it would be far easier for the conservatives to obtain a strong power position in the Democrat party than to keep begging the Republican Party to represent us.

    Report this comment

    affinity  
  • paprtowl
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:16pm

    good question

    Report this comment

    paprtowl  
  • THX-1138
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:03pm

    The GOP is no longer relevant. Phuckem.

    Report this comment

    THX-1138  
  • TAXEVERYONE
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:02pm

    The people of Ohio and Kentucky should be ashamed for electing Boehner and McConnel, and they should be ashamed for letting down America and destroying the GOP, even though it was overdue.

    Report this comment

    TAXEVERYONE  
  • bankerpapaw
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 4:48pm

    The Republican party has caved to the little emperor. They might as well disband.

    Report this comment

    bankerpapaw  
    • jcldwl
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 4:57pm

      They will do the same with gun control.

      Report this comment

      jcldwl  
    • THX-1138
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:07pm

      @jcldwl

      Even Obama knows what happens when they come for our guns; They’ll have to kill a million of us. I don’t think the Military, which would be the only force capable of even *trying* to take them, would comply.

      It would literally start a civil war.

      I hope you are correct but I fear you are not.

      I pray you are right.

      Report this comment

      THX-1138  
  • horsefeathers99
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 4:20pm

    We need them to keep the administration in check, not join in with them.
    De ja vue….

    http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/sns-pod-1934-cartoon-pic,0,7114709.photo

    Report this comment

    horsefeathers99  
  • j_aa_k
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 1:14pm

    The point of the Republican party is to offer the people the false comfort that they still have a real choice. If the people knew we were, as we basically are, under a one party system, there would be revolution.

    Report this comment

    j_aa_k  
    • freedoc
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 1:40pm

      Indeed. There is only one party, all powerful—-the elite politicians who own and control the entire system…….and they are greedy for power and money.

      Report this comment

      freedoc  
    • Lotus503
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 4:40pm

      It’s time for a third party to form. Since the election, conservatives have nothing to lose and everything to gain by forming one.

      Report this comment

      Lotus503  
    • jcldwl
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:00pm

      That’s why they all railed against the Tea Party as well as against Sarah Palin. They are all evil. Yes a powerful third party would be great. But it has to be big because once it happens the GOP and Dems will meld into one taking us back to two. Count on it. They are all in the ball game for the same ends and that is communism.

      Report this comment

      jcldwl  
    • THX-1138
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:12pm

      Call. Show me your cards.

      We don’t need another party, we need one less. Gut the GOP, vote Democrat, watch the Republic fall apart overnight. Then they’ll start a war. Then the economy has it’s final collapse.

      When the welfare checks stop coming, *then* you’ll see change.

      Be ready for it. We’ll only get one chance.

      Report this comment

      THX-1138  
    • TMOverbeck
      Jan. 8, 2013 at 4:49pm

      I’ll believe all this third-party talk when I start seeing elected politicians announcing their defection to said third party.

      Report this comment

      TMOverbeck  
  • KidCharlemagne
    Jan. 7, 2013 at 1:11pm

    Without Pepsi, then Coke couldn’t exist either…

    Report this comment

    KidCharlemagne  
    • EdtheK
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:04pm

      but both are carmel colored calorie water and full of gas, like both the Democrats and Republicans.
      Time to try Libertarian I think…

      Report this comment

      EdtheK  
    • THX-1138
      Jan. 7, 2013 at 5:15pm

      Government is the only thing I’d like to see restricted to 16 ounces…

      Report this comment

      THX-1138  

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