Political Update by Timothy Jones
If you were looking for the greatest repudiation of the political establishment possible last night, you got exactly what you wanted. Political barnacles all over the map were trounced by newcomers in the final night of primaries before November. The Senate is set to be one of the least experienced ever with so many incumbents getting knocked out of contention, and that’s a good thing. With new senators will come new ideas and new methods. The founders never intended for senators to remain perched on capitol hill for life, directing mini-fiefdoms called committees. Being a congressman or senator was supposed to be a part-time service that intelligent citizens provided to their fellow Americans for a brief time, and then allowed someone else to pick up the standard.
Last night Delawareans overwhelmingly supported Christine O’Donnell over political barnacle and RINO, Mike Castle. Congressman Castle has been elected statewide since 1980 for one post or another and has been in politics since the 1960s. No one thinks that he would be part of any effort to change Washington, and he was rightly run out in favor of a change of the guard.
In my home state of New York, perennial GOP candidate Rick Lazio was defeated by political newcomer Carl Paladino in the gubernatorial primary. Paladino’s bid for governor came out of nowhere and was backed by the Tea Party, and his win was surprising given that Rick Lazio is well respected in New York’s GOP. This was just one more case where Americans voted against the political establishment.
As I am writing this morning, New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and tea party candidate Ovide Lamontagne are in a battle for votes that may come down into the single digits before a winner is clear.
If the trend continues, look for more incumbents to fall in the general elections in November. The Senate and House will likely be transformed by a massive inflow of new blood unlike any seen before.
Commentary by E.J. Smith on Glenn Beck, Progressives and Me by Ronald J. Pestritto, The Wall Street Journal
Progressives have a long history of thinking they know what’s best for you and your family. They’re happy to put themselves front and center as they sit in the comforts of their tight knit fraternity in D.C., the Ivory towers of academia and the “me, me, me, more, more, more” world of Hollywood. Not for long. The Tea Party is standing up to big government, businesses clearly prefer hard working graduates from state schools, and Hollywood is gasping for air. Giving the “elite” control over our lives is simply un-American. This is only the beginning.
Commentary by Dick Young on Senate Tax Showdown by the editors of The Wall Street Journal
Five Democratic senators have caved to the pressure of the tea party and vowed not to raise taxes on any American during the recession. These five intrepid souls are doing what is right for America. Now they and Republicans need to focus on reducing the amount of spending being done by this radical administration. Without spending cuts, tax cuts are a passport to higher debt, that’s how the Bush administration paid for its government expansions. Lower taxes are absolutely the right course for American competitiveness, but those lower taxes must be backed up by fiscal backbone from Congress when it comes to spending.
