It’s now pretty clear why no one party can maintain a long-term hold on the political machinery of the country. Each party’s success has embedded in it the risks of its doom.
The Republicans swept to power in part by appealing to their base. In turn, this disenfranchised liberals, who over eight years built up a countering position. Swapping “family values” for “change we can believe in”, we’ve switched administrations in a wave of hope for an end to some of our embarrassing stumbles. WMDs in Iraq, Guantanamo, an warrentless wire-taps, an economy in shambles.
And now the Democrats have sowed the seeds of their eventual demise. While trying hard to save the economy, the stimulus package has enough pork for every political challenger to find a reason to attack once the economy is on firmer footing. Even my mom can find the pork in the massive stimulus bill. The expansion in government programs will be hard to decrease in the future. Stimulus spending will become the baseline of future budgets.
Thus, the Republicans have one of their best issues handed to them on a golden platter. Two years from now, with an improving economy, we will here strain after strain complaining of “tax and spend” Democrats and calls for reduced government.
More later, as events develop.
Sean Foote's Blog 