In the climate of deceit, overreach, and near tyranny of several departments of the US Government, Obama is not completely to blame. Obama stated his goals in the run-up to the 2008 election, the 2008 victory night speech, and again after winning re-election to the office of President. Are we as adults to dismiss his statements concerning his desire to change how the U.S. is governed? If we do so, we do this at our peril and at the peril of the country we have known. This country and the freedom that has been given to us comes with a duty to protect that freedom. If we choose as a leader a man who clearly seeks to change the entire direction of the country, do not blame him; lets blame ourselves as a people.
We do have people in the U.S. Government elected to serve as our representatives. They serve in both the House and the Senate. They come from different parties (and from differing perspectives to be sure.) As conservatives with a traditional view of how the U.S. should be governed, I believe it is incumbent upon those elected under the GOP banner to do all they can to resist the efforts of Obama. How could one deny the efforts of those elected under the Democrat banner using every manner at their disposal to support the leader of their party as President? Even if it goes against everything we hold sacred, he is the party standard bearer. How could they not support him?
I personally believe that we as a people do need someone to blame. As conservatives, everything that could be done was done to defeat Obama in his bid for re-election; and it was not enough. So I began looking through history. History would lead me to believe there is a failure of leadership from the third most powerful person in the U.S. Government, Mr. John Boehner. Prior to this administration, others have shown a readiness to be in front of the people, identifying the faults in the President during their tenure. Pelosi, for all her failings, was no shrinking violet when she opposed Bush in many areas. Gingrich led the re-taking of the House with the “Contract With America”. He nearly ousted Clinton by impeachment while Speaker of the House.
This, over what is currently known in the scandals involving the Obama administration, would be small potatoes. Yet when visiting Speaker Boehner’s website, none of the on-going scandals are highlighted. Rarely do we hear Speaker Boehner using the “Bully Pulpit” to espouse the belief that what Obama and his administration is doing is wrong. We do get the occasional acknowledgement of a dinner at the White House to discuss important matters. What we don’t see is Boehner going on the Sunday political shows to ask the hard questions. I seem to remember seeing a lot of Tip O’Neil during the Iran-Contra affair. I seem to remember him taking Reagan to task on many issues during his administration.
There have been many Senators on the political shows advocating against more involvement in armed conflicts. In reality, it is the House that controls the purse strings. There have been many Senators discussing the issues as they relate to the IRS, the NSA, and the DOJ. In reality, the departments cannot function without funding. If the funding is withdrawn from the IRS or the NSA or even the DOJ, then compliance with the will of the House is nearly assured.
I do understand that the above is very simplistic; sometimes simple may be just what we need. How can the IRS pay out $70 million in bonuses to employees if the funding is not there? It stands to reason the funding cannot be cut overnight. If a substantial threat is put forth, that funding will be withheld in the near future; it might just cause some consternation in those departments. Of course, that would imply the Speaker would need to do more than visit the White House for dinner and drinks. But of course, Boehner might not want to miss the next concert.
Photo Credit: Medill DC (Creative Commons)