Deserve Victory

This article was featured in The Bulletin (Philadelphia-area newspaper) on 12/19/09. You can read the online version here or check out the print column each week.

In admonishing Britain during the Second World War, Winston Churchill famously said, “No one can guarantee success…but only deserve it.” His words spoke to the faulty propensity of humans to focus on the likelihood of an outcome, rather than on the steps needed to secure that outcome. He sought to focus his nation on what might bring them victory, rather than the victory itself. It worked.

The domestic political landscape of the past year has seen its own war of sorts. The Left swept into power following the 2008 elections, carrying exceptional majorities in Congress and capturing the White House. The months that followed were an opening salvo in what proved to be a defining year for U.S. policy.

In his first 100 days in office, President Obama passed the largest spending bill in history (the stimulus), initiated unprecedented government intervention in private industry (bailouts, pay Czar, AIG controversy, GM/Chrysler takeover), rewrote foreign policy (release of the torture memos, closing of Guantanamo Bay, the “apology” tour of Europe), and forwarded a spend heavy budget funded by aggressive redistribution taxation. His administration, sensing blood in the water, then went on to propose controversial landmark healthcare and cap-and-trade legislation.

It quickly became clear that President Obama was going to deliver on his promise of “change.” His brand of government was big, spend-heavy, and far-reaching. Our nation would begin to embrace European ideas of socialism above traditional American ideas of capitalism, exceptionalism, and restrained government.

But then something happened.

Americans took notice of the substance of this “change.” The radical nature the president’s agenda sparked a backlash from previously dormant conservatives. Concerned citizens organized nationwide tea parties, drawing millions to publicly question the nation’s course. People normally uninvolved or dispassionate about politics suddenly became activists. Conservative groups sprang to life across the country, uniting around beliefs in individual liberty over government control, low taxation over redistribution, fiscal responsibility over expansive spending, and personal accountability over government welfare.

As the summer came to a close, town halls overflowed with citizens opposed to the new liberal agenda. The groundswell was so strong that Democrats, for fear of the coming elections, failed to pass their most important pieces of legislation—health care reform and cap-and-trade—despite overwhelming majorities in Congress.

In November, the 2009 general elections evidenced how quickly national sentiment had changed. Republicans won the vast majority of nationwide races, including landmark victories in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races (states which Obama carried 53% – 46% and 57% – 42%, respectively). Republicans, newly motivated, turned out in near record numbers. Independents moved increasingly to the Right.

Polling data released last week showed the Democrat controlled Congress with an approval rating of just 26%, including only 28% for Speak Nancy Pelosi and 14% for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Democrats trailed Republicans by four points in Gallup’s generic ballot, and President Obama’s approval rating dropped from over 70% in February to a fading 47%.

In many ways, 2009 was a bifurcated revolution of the Left, then the Right. Democrats won in 2008 riding the tide of pro-Obama fervor. The Obama they rallied for, however, was revealed to be sharply liberal—a far cry from the JFK-Clinton centrist many had hoped for. When his aggressive agenda came to light, many Americans felt they would lose their country. So began the revolution of the Right.

Given the changing tides, political analysts predict significant GOP victory in next year’s elections. 2010 may look like 1994, when Republicans took 54 seats in the House and eight in the Senate. Optimism is running high in the GOP.

But before the Republican Party begins its celebration, it must heed Churchill’s famous words and deserve the victory it seeks. Americans made it clear in 2009 that they deeply value foundational values of fiscal responsibility, personal accountability, and small government. They want to preserve the distinct American principles that led to our nation’s founding and guided our unparalleled prosperity. It is a platform to build on, a big tent to unify a broad base of voters and citizens alike.

The Republican Party lost its way during the last decade, becoming a party of “wedge conservatism”—divisive social, international, and cultural issues dominated the platform. It took on an unattractive arrogance by forcing members to sign on to a prescribed set of beliefs that had little basis in conservative thought. It’s time the party walk the conservative talk.

To deserve victory in 2010, the party must focus on what spurred 2009: A simple platform of less government, more fiscal discipline, and a nation that embraces its unique and powerful identity.

-Matt Benchener is Supervisor of Newtown Township and Founder of TruPolitics.net.