Have you been frustrated with attempts by progressives of every stripe to portray Republicans as the Party of No? They contend the Republicans in Congress have refused to offer any constructive suggestions concerning how health care costs that are spiraling out of control can be reduced. According to progressives, Congressional Republicans have had only one response to their overtures to secure bipartisan support for health reform, and that response has been a resounding, “No!”
Of course, this characterization of the Republican minority in Congress ignores several salient facts. Republicans were not included in negotiations in the House as the House bill was being written. In fact, news reports during that process indicated that its terms were decided and the bill was written by Democrats behind a locked door. No Republicans allowed. Every amendment offered by Republicans in the House and Senate were defeated by the Democratic majority. Even the few suggestions offered by Republicans at the eleventh hour sit-down with the President that the President promised would be included in the measure were never incorporated in the final product.
It was obvious that, as a result of the Democrats’ single-minded focus on a big government solution, the only way health reform could be bipartisan was if the Republicans abandoned any conservative principles and their constituents, who overwhelmingly opposed the bill, and signed on to the Democrats’ agenda. At certain points during the process, a few Republicans actually fell for the Democrats’ phony calls for bipartisanship, and ended up looking, at best, weak and ineffectual, and at worst, like the hypocrites that they were.
Clearly, sometimes the right answer is NO.
I’ve got news for you, folks. We have the same public disinformation campaign going on here in Lincoln, Nebraska, and it should be no more convincing here than it has been on the national stage. The strategy is the same, some of the players are the same, but the roles have changed. The same people who decry Democrats’ depiction of Congressional Republicans as the denizens of denial have taken a page from the Democrats’ playbook and are targeting Grassroots in Nebraska (GIN) using the Democrats’ game plan.
GIN, in general, and Shelli Dawdy, in particular, have tried, to the extent permitted by GIN’s stated goals and policies and by Shelli’s own ethical standards, to cooperate with any and all like-minded persons and groups. GIN was formed “to promote a return to Constitutional government as originally intended by the Founders, as the most effective avenue to encourage public policy that promotes personal responsibility, individual liberty, limited government, and free markets.” To fulfill that mission, GIN expressly favors efforts initiated from the bottom up, not imposed from the top down. Consequently, the decision was made by the membership to withhold GIN’s endorsement and support from any group whose agenda and/or use of funds is not clearly stated or is in conflict with our mission.
Moreover, GIN is truly non-partisan in composition and in philosophy. Our membership includes Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, and, yes, even some Democrats. We are united by our conservative principles, not by political party affiliation. GIN’s mission statement includes the stated belief that “[b]oth major political parties are responsible for the [country’s] move away from Constitutional governance.” Consequently, from GIN’s first rally on March 15, 2009, GIN has consistently maintained a policy of no elected officials or politician speakers at Tea Parties.
Like the Republicans in Congress could not endorse the Democrats’ health care reform without abandoning their stated party platform and their constituents, GIN cannot cave in to pressure from the Lancaster County GOP and, simultaneously, remain true to its own mission statement and guiding principles and to its members. We criticize elected officials who fail to adhere to the Constitution. If GIN ignores its own founding documents, we join those elected officials in their hypocrisy.
Collaboration with the Nebraska Chapter of Americans for Prosperity (AFP-NE) is also problematic in view of GIN’s founding documents. After some interaction, it has become apparent that, in the words of GIN’s mission statement, AFP-NE is a group whose mission and agenda is unclear. Each time GIN has initiated contact with AFP-NE or responded to contact from representatives of that group with an eye toward accomplishing what we thought were common goals, AFP-NE has failed to carry any weight in the fight. They’ve demonstrated time and again that they cannot be relied upon to commit resources or, even, to follow through on the few occasions when such commitments have been made. In fact, at times AFP-NE’s actions have actually been counter-productive. At this point, any reasonable person must question whether AFP-NE is really committed to any goals other than politics-as-usual and getting Republicans, whether RINO or conservative, elected to public office.
Hindsight is 20/20. Only a fool continues to do the same thing and expect a different result. At some point, “No!” becomes the right answer. GIN has reached that point. What part of “No!” does AFP-NE and the Lancaster County, Nebraska, Republican Party not understand?
There have been a couple of recent, related articles…
Beatrice Daily Sun, April 5 formerly http://www.beatricedailysun.com/news/state-and-regional/article_0d2b2e3f-8a29-5898-9b1d-e8bbf547fea2.html
