The Future of the Republican Party

I had an interesting conversation today with an author/scholar who thinks the Republican party is no longer, nor has it been for quite some time, on the side of federalism. He said that he has not voted for a major party candidate for president since (and it took him a minute to remember) George H. W. Bush. He then related how he stood in line at his polling place for two hours this time around only to achieve some sort of individual catharsis, knowing his vote would not make a difference.

This got me thinking about the state of the Republican party in the aftermath of the Democratic tide that washed in on November 4. Jim DeMint was also thinking about this. Funny, I didn't know he had the capacity and it turns out, I'm right. DeMint wants the Republican party to turn back to its "Reagan-ite" roots of limited government and low taxes. Source. Was Jim DeMint conscious during the Reagan years? Does he not realize that we underwent an unprecedented expansion of our military that cost taxpayers money that we've only just begun to pay back? Last I checked, the military is part of our government and spending money means you can only delay increasing taxes for a short while.

The truth is that Reagan was merely a pawn in the neoconservative hijacking of the Republican party. The Republican party of limited government and low taxes has not existed for a very, very long time. Sure, they may cut taxes here and there, but every president tinkers with the tax system. In fact, capital gains taxes were higher during the Reagan administration than they were under the Bush (2nd) administration. Does that mean that DeMint will be belly-aching for a return to the Bush-ite roots of low taxes and limited government as well?

My advice to Jim DeMint is to pull your head out of that place where all your thoughts seem to come from and look at the world around you. Limited government is a thing of the past. Federalism is dead. States are only as sovereign as the federal government tells them they can be. And lowering taxes at this point in our history is one of the most short-sighted panders I've seen in a long, long time. If people like Jim DeMint would quit pandering and misquoting history, take the reigns of Congress, and wield the power that was meant by our Constitution to be the most important power, then maybe, just maybe, our country could start climbing out of this mess we're in.

But hey, the Jim DeMint's of the world have to get reelected, right? Makes me sick. Where's the term limits lobby when you need them?