Posted by
Randy Starner on Thursday, October 02, 2008 6:36:44 PM
Both of my US Senators voted against the bailout package. I have to admit that I'm glad the plan passed the Senate, and I hope that it passes the House tomorrow. My Congressman, Spencer Bacchus, voted for the earlier bill, so I believe he will vote for it again tomorrow. My thesis for this post is fairly simple. Elections have consequences. I believe that there is a very real crisis in credit markets due in large part to the well documented issues resulting from the excesses of Fannie and Freddie. Senators and Congressmen on all sides understand the reality of this crisis. The solution that is passing is a "Center-Left" solution reluctantly supported by our 2 presidential candidates.
Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and Henry Paulson are the sponsors of the solution. Republicans were able to negotiate some substantial improvements to the bill. They were able to reject some poisonous aspects (like an earmark for ACORN). But, they are not in charge. Democrats could write a bill that only Democrats would support, and it would be rejected by Paulson (then Bush). The lack of a bill would result in the failure of more local and regional banks, and spiral into the micro-economy. Town Hall has a survey with 3 options. Last I looked, 58% said "No Deal, No Way". That's 58% of the right-leaning following of Town Hall. Its fair to say that a super-majority in America believes that a poor deal is superior to no deal. It is not my intent to convince anyone that a deal must be done, or the non-negotiable elements of an acceptable deal. You can only demand non-negotiable elements if you are in power.
If you don't like the bill (whether you are for its passage or against it) then its important that you understand why you dislike it. The left opposes this bill (95 House Democrats and 10 or 12 Democrat Senators) because the bill restricts government too much. The right is unhappy because it restricts capitalism too much. Nuance aside, this bill is passed in the middle and opposed on the right and the left. Does anyone believe that Barack Obama would support this bill (opposed by Russ Feingold, for example) were he not running for President. Does anyone believe that John McCain would not be a member of the "Gang of 14, 10, 12, or whatever" negotiating a "Bi-Partisan" compromise? This is the first time in Obama's Senate career that he has broken with the Left Wing of his party. Its disingenuous to suggest that this is not due to his campaign.
Ask yourself why you dislike the bill. Elections have consequences. Vote for Obama if you wish the bill went further in its encroachment on capitalism. Vote for McCain if you wish it did not. We are stuck with a bad bill because we lack the power to pass anything better. You may be angry at your Republican Congressman or Senator for voting for this bill. But be careful that you are not voting for an opponent that only opposes this legislation because it is not socialist enough.
Conservatives can abdicate the government to liberals, and it seems that many are willing to do so, in a bizarre scheme to educate America on the damage of unadulterated liberalism. John McCain is the elected leader of the Center-Right coalition known as the Republican Party that is vying for the responsibility to occupy the office of President. This bill is barely representative of the direction that a left of center tri-fecta (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) would impose if elected.
I'm not suggesting that McCain is an ideal choice to lead our coalition. I'm suggesting that we've had that debate, and we lost. We can pack up our toys and go home. I am aggressively challenging this mindset whenever I hear it. This is our country too. We will not be marginalized. This is only a choice between whether Obama or McCain is better to lead this country for the next 4 years. Its not a hard question. Obama is the wrong answer. Silence, indifference, indecision, and hand wringing are wrong answers. None of the above is not on the test. Elections have consequences, and McCain is the only right answer.