No Agenda

The Republicans has reason to gloat over the recent MA victory. The feeble organization and leadership of the Democrats with health care reform and the poor job they've done of communicating to the public the facts of healthcare reform are also noteworthy. We're going to lose seats in the next election, to be sure.

That said, the GOP has no agenda, no plan, and no leadership. Their health care plan is nonexistent, because they don't want health care reform, ever. If it doesn't benefit corporations or the super-rich, they don't want it, and saving the lives of people not currently covered doesn't register on their radar. So much for preserving the sanctity of life. (I guess once born, you're on your own.) Their crass excuses are becoming tiresome; "let's take more time on this" they say, and "this is the wrong time for this with the high deficit" they claim ... what nonsense. They want to slow down health care because slowing it is half-way to killing it. The economy and high deficits meant little to them when Bush was driving the deficit through the roof for their agenda, but now that its the Democrats turn, suddenly money is an issue. Please.

Moreover, the Republican Party suffers from a huge leadership gap. They have no real figureheads, save for the most extreme, polarizing individuals—Rush, Beck, Palin, and perhaps Cheney. The average moderate Republican voter must be desperate for someone, anyone, that has some real brains to step up. Until this happens, the Republican party remains simply the Party of No. Eventually they will have to step up with leadership and ideas—real ideas that benefit normal Americans and not simply the fat cats—or they will soon find themselves in deep trouble. It's easy to oppose the Democrats and spread misinformation during a period of bad economy (that GOP and Bush policies largely helped create), but after you start taking over the majority again GOP, then what? The tired GOP trifecta of opposing gay marriage, opposing abortion, and threatening other countries with military action won't cut it when it comes to restoring jobs or fixing the real problems that face us today.