No such thing as a moderate Progressive

Barack Obama arrives in Colorado today attempting to stem the blood loss of voter support. Harry Reid is quoted as saying last year that “the road to the West Wing goes through the American West.” Well, yes it does. The President arrives in a state where a rising Democrat star governor has declined to run for re-election. In the state next door, the Dems are looking at losing their Senate Majority Leader by double digits and Colorado Senator Michael Bennett is losing to every Republican who’s announced for office. The American West is actually turning into something quite healthy. Its becoming a bellwether region that the two parties must fight tooth and nail for the respect and temporary allegiance of its independents.

Our Presidential Rock Star issued in an era of “Hey, GOP, you should be more moderate like us”. The only problem is, the Democrat leadership has been pursuing a strictly Progressive agenda in this modern era. And there is not and never has been anything like a moderate Progressive in office. A moderate Democrat, perhaps. But does that mean they vote moderate?  If they do, they end up like Joe Liebermann. The Democrats let 38 members in the House vote against the Health Care Scheme only to let the 38 members who represented the most conservative voters off the hook. That 38 just happened to represent the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Coincidence? The leftists don’t represent their districts anymore than Barbara Boxer represents California.

As well, there is only one reason why Democrats dropping below 60 votes in the Senate means the left wing agenda has come to a screeching halt. Because it took every trick in the legislative playbook and every earpull in the cloakroom to get Democrats who have to answer to conservative voters to go along. Not that the legislation contained anything that Senators like Evan Bayh could sell to them back home.

Bayh “tried to run for president, was passed over by Obama as a vice-presidential candidate, and he’s not in the Democratic Senate leadership . . . . “ In other words, the party of Barack Obama and Harry Reid doesn’t have room for Evan Bayh. Oddly enough, the party of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner does have room for Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe.

In moving beyond red and blue, Obama moved right into party line ideology. The carefully constructed Democrat majority, consisting of Democrats representing heavily conservative voters, is falling apart. Sure, Democrats will say, the Republicans have just as many politicians retiring. But those are not in toss-up districts. Republicans are in little danger of losing a single seat due to retirement. In fact, the GOP is looking at re-election for every incumbent this year.

Conservatism in America deploys the principles of tradition, reason, and orderly change in defense of liberal institutions—the Constitution, representative government, liberty and equal rights, the rule of law. It is generally the conservative, not the modern liberal, who emphasizes the inspired example of the founding fathers, the words of the Constitution, and the sacrifices made to build free institutions. – James Piereson

Yes, the anti-incumbent mood is high. But the moderate and independent voters who make up nearly a majority of voters today have swung heavily out of the Democrats column. They may not like their Republican incumbent, but they won’t vote a Democrat in his place. The natural conservatism of the American voter (Conservatives outnumber leftists 2-1 now) means they are willing to give their natural voting bloc another try. The political careers of Democrats who let the Pelosi/Reid agenda gain steam are about to come to an end.

In response to the coming political tsunami, conservatives have gathered to put together a statement of defining principles. Called “The Mt. Vernon Statement” it’s an attempt to convince the independents that, this time, they intend to adhere to the principles that just a decade ago promised a generation of GOP dominance. A recommitment of conservative individuals to America’s founding principles.

Notions of limited government, individual liberty and free enterprise are some of its central tenets. The Democrats, stuck in perpetual campaign mode, have not been able to see clearly enough to identify benefactors of its stimulus largesse beyond government employees, banks and Wall Street.

Now the House GOP is pushing for a televised Jobs Summit. Speaker Pelosi is under pressure to show her “Open government” slogan, and the American people will get to decide whether “jobs” means more money for Americans to spend, or more money for left wing special interests.