Back on March 8th of 2009, Richardcyoung.com made its first endorsement of a candidate. Frustrated with outrageous behavior of the left-wing government, it seemed necessary to add a voice to the growing call for saner, smaller government. On that day Richardcyoung.com endorsed a young former state senator from Florida, Marco Rubio, and a former congressman from Pennsylvania, Pat Toomey. We went on to endorse Rand Paul, Michelle Bachmann, Joe Wilson, Mike Lee and other candidates willing to stand up to the Obama machine.
Last night the conservative movement won most of the battles. In the House, the Republicans orchestrated the largest shift in control since 1948. Bigger than the Gingrich wave, which garnered 52 seats, this wave won 60 seats in the House. Nearly all of our endorsed candidates will sit in Congress next year. In his victory speech, Marco Rubio summed up the race like this “What this race was about was the great future that lies ahead for this country.” He was right. The race was about what lies ahead for Americans. Maybe that’s why voters turned a deaf ear to President Obama campaigning on the slogan that “It’s Bush’s fault.” Americans knew it was Bush’s fault, but Barack Obama didn’t give them a clear path to recovery. Spending hasn’t worked. Borrowing hasn’t worked. It’s time to give someone else a try.
Marco Rubio’s victory speech.
The wave of Republican pickups is a total repudiation of the Obama agenda. Americans went unheard when they protested on April 15th, 2009 at the first Tea Parties around the country. They went unheard when they showed up to speak to their congressmen at town hall meetings around the country. They went unheard when they marched on Washington to stop Obamacare. Well, now they have been heard. The radical progressive movement is paying the price for turning a deaf ear to their constituents.
All the success of the Tea Party candidates is exciting, and more than anyone hoped for in 2009 when out of sheer disgust with government run amok we decided to endorse the Tea Party movement. But, though this battle was a resounding success, the war is not over. As long as Barack Obama and his radical progressive movement control the White House, the future of America is under constant threat.
In 2012 conservatives will have another chance to remold their government. 33 senators will be up for reelection. That’s 31 chances to replace a senator with a more conservative member. Like Bob Bennett in Utah, Republicans should not sleep soundly thinking they are immune to the threat of defeat at the polls. If the GOP doesn’t toe the Tea Party line for the next two years, expect another wave of dissatisfaction, and a new crop of congressmen in both chambers.
The winning of the House of Representatives is a major coup for the GOP. All revenue bills must originate in the House, meaning that Barack Obama has no way to fund his terrible plans without GOP approval. For Obamacare to continue to exist, the GOP must fund it. They have a clear mandate to do exactly the opposite.
One final mandate that the GOP has been given, though not explicitly, is to protect the Supreme Court from radical leftists like Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. With a more potent filibuster capability, no more justices should be allowed to join the court that carry with them the philosophy of a “living constitution.” The Obama machine has been slapped down, and its anti-constitutional stance regarding the Supreme Court should go with it.
What about the presidency in 2012? Conservatives can now coalesce on a candidate. There are sure to be a number of entrants into the field. Mike Huckabee looks emboldened by his straw poll wins. Mitt Romney is still running his 2008 campaign. But there is a lot of new blood in the party. There are many new conservative governors and senators that might be much better choices than the 2008 class of losers. Even some that have been sitting on the sidelines without a run for the presidency look better than the worn out few listed above. Mitch Daniels, Rick Perry and Chris Christie come to mind. Bobby Jindal and Tim Pawlenty also look like presidential, or vice presidential material.
Let’s savor the victory of the Tea Party today, but remember that the fight for 2012 begins tomorrow.
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