Republican’s Shutdown Rally to Kill the Economy Falls Flat

If you have been following any of the news today, regardless of which channel you prefer, you should have no doubt have heard about the proposal House Republicans took to the White House.  While I am ever so weary of these games played by both sides in Washington, only a blind person may not be able to see that the Republican fire spoken so frequently about has gone out and not one ember remain.

 

Before I tell you how I think it could have been done and all of this unnecessary drama avoided, let me tell you why I think it all went wrong.  The number one reason is this “blind hatred” of Barack Obama.  Republicans allowed themselves to be played like a five dollar fiddle because they were so focused on maintaining an adversarial relationship with this president and his administration.  Proof is all around you if you allow yourself to take a few minutes and look.  Before he was even sworn in, there were forces meeting to insure that anything he wanted never got passed.  As long as he opposed something, they could be for it and raise billions of dollars taunting their opposition to it, still so focused that they did not realize that it was their own idea in the first place and opposing it now would only make them look silly.

 

The next was not allowing for those who openly stated that their primary and only goal was to shut down the government and not follow anyone not of their liking even in their own party.  They were sent to Washington with one goal and one goal only and the more they bragged about what it was the more they were applauded.  The fame went immediately to their heads and at no time did they nor their aides, who are supposed to be looking out for them, pay any attention to the number of people at the rallies or in the auditorium.  They did not do a head-count and realize that even if all of those present voted, the number would never be enough to get them any higher in government than they already were.  They miscalculated their true importance to the nation as a whole.

 

The final reason is under-estimation.  They under-estimated the intelligence of this president, his staff and the American people.  They believed that all they had to do was make their point more compelling as some do in the court room and all would be fine.  They failed to realize that the majority of Americans pay closer attention when they are in court than they do in a classroom.  They under-estimated this president because they did not view him as an equal but as inferior to them which proved to be the main reason all that they tried and will try shall fail.  They should have never assumed that the color of one’s skin defines the intelligence, determination, drive and compassion of any person.

 

Speaker of the House John Boehner had plenty of opportunities to keep the GOP poll numbers up and make his term as Speaker on for the ages on the good side.  He failed and so did those who surround him.  He is a master of the game called politics but he ran into an opponent who knew the game far better than he did.  He could have saved his party and made his speakership something to behold, simply by using the blind hatred, the desire to shut down the government and the underestimation to his advantage.  Here’s how.

 

Those opposed to this president are willing to do anything and everything they can to see him fail or look bad and they are going to oppose anything he suggests or agrees to.  Mr. Boehner could have used that by speaking with this president over the phone, working out a plan to govern like he was hired by voters to do, put the plan together and secretly have the president reject it.  Because the president rejected the proposal, those opposed to him would have more than likely jumped on it and voted for its passage.  Those Democrats in mostly red districts would race to the microphone and show support for the plan making it look like they are opposing Obama and side with Senate Republicans when it came up for a vote.  Harry Reid could make it look like he has no choice but to put it on the floor for a vote and of course it would pass.  Everyone wins including the media who can only see confrontations as the only way to sell their wares.

 

We all know that having a two party system is good for this nation.  We know that one party, unchecked, can do more damage than good.  This nation needs the Republican Party but the way that they are going may just force the voting public to stay with one party for quite some time from this day on.  This country deserves better and we need the “real” Republicans to start standing up and reclaim the party.