Democrats Need To Produce Now

We all know the expression “Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” Well the democrats got “it” with the 2008 election. They now control all three branches of government and enter the New Year riding a wave of good will and enthusiasm. Democrats chair every committee and control the legislative agenda and calendar. Republicans are now decidedly in the minority and reporters will be queuing up outside the doors of the democratic leadership.
Sounds great if you’ve been a liberal in the wilderness waiting for the Bush era to end, right? Yes and no. On one hand the prospect of having a blank check from the American people is very empowering. The thought of actually implementing all those social and fiscal wish lists has to be intoxicating. Here’s the thinking.
Obama & Co. have run those nasty, Neanderthal republicans out of town and we’re going to do it our way from now on! We’re going to tax the hell out of those rotten fat cats who’ve had the nerve to make all that money while the rest of us have been waiting tables at The Groovy Blueberry. We’re going to have a national amnesty for SUV’s. Turn them in or we’ll take them.
Everyone will drive a hybrid fueled by goose droppings and ethanol. SAT’s will be outlawed, school vouchers declared illegal and teacher pensions doubled. Families will be deemed progressive and receive a generous tax credit if they can prove at least one child is transgendered or thinking about it. The military will be disbanded and the Ronald Reagan Library designated a subversive destination.
OK, I exaggerate a little bit but hear me out. Any time you get near unanimity of thought or opinion, you run the risk of exceeding your authority. Look at what Newt Gingrich and the republicans did with their 1994 election mandate. Remember the Taxpayer Bill of Rights? They overreached and the voter backlash gave us four more years of Bill Clinton and bye-bye Newt.
Oddly the democrats are in something of a tight spot. It’s one thing to criticize the opposition; it’s quite another thing to do it yourself. Take tax cuts for instance. Democrats are always howling about the ineffectiveness and unfair nature of corporate and personal tax cuts. They have demonized republicans for tax breaks for the wealthy blah, blah, blah. Then it would stand to reason President Obama and Congress deep six tax cuts and raise the capital gains tax. Let’s see how that works out. The same is true for foreign policy and national security. It’s easy to talk about reaching out to terrorist countries but what happens when they resume killing innocent Americans.
Democrats are now leaving the laboratory and taking their formula to the real world. We will soon find out what works and what doesn’t. Democrats won’t be able to blame republicans this time if things go south. Sure democrats can rightfully claim they need time to clean up the previous administration’s mess but that tune will get old pretty fast. The American people voted for change and they better get it or the Obama honeymoon could be a brief one.
I wouldn’t be surprised if democrats aren’t waxing sentimental for Dick Cheney and the gang somewhere down the road. Sometimes you need real villains to tell a good story. While liberals love preaching to the converted, a little conflict goes a long way in politics.