PrintJanuary 25, 2010
Massachusetts! Now What?
The best thing that conservatives and independents can do to pay tribute to Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts is to raise their glasses in an expeditious toast, drink it heartily, and then immediately return to the front lines. There is only a limited amount of time allotted them to delight in the thrill of this victory and learn from their opponent's agony of defeat. It is now time to return, emboldened and better-equipped, to where the battle for America is the fiercest, and reengage the tooth-and-nail struggle to prevent the Obama administration from fulfilling its all encompassing-visions of statism.
There are some important reasons why we can not afford to bask in the glow of victory for too long. The enemy has been only temporarily routed. It will now seek to regroup and return with a vengeance. Our job is to force it to make a full, unconditional retreat, back to the slimy rock from under which it crawled in the first place.
As a matter of the first order, we must not underestimate the infectious decadence of career liberal congressmen, which is only surpassed by the boundless depravity of their patrons. The enemy will lick his wounds and quickly resume operations. And any residual despondency of this so-called "progressive" contingency will soon give way to protracted waves of insane fury. It is a difficult job when you are fully engaged in the process of dismantling a republic -- or as Obama calls it, remaking America. And we are sending Scott Brown to shine a light into the dingy conclave of rabid wolves that is Congress, most of whom are dressed in sheep's apparel. Let us pray that Brown does not forget that many of those who will try to feign camaraderie have perfected the art of derailing the ambitions of insolent novices who jaunt into their midst and try to entertain any serious discussions of policy.
The first clue -- call it the calm before the storm -- should be the sudden conciliatory tone that Democrats have suddenly adopted on the heels of this thrashing. Senator Harry Reid, a man who only until recently cherished the peace and intimacy of closed-door meetings, is now adamantly convinced that a fairer exchange protocol be strictly adhered to if the nation's representatives are to continue debating the massive overhauling of one-sixth of the nation's economy. In this novel diplomatic approach, he ostensibly declared that the health care vote should be put on hold until the new senator from Massachusetts is duly seated. But this apparent change of heart is due only to Reid's sudden realization that his troops have been scattered.
Now that that magical 60th vote is not as attainable, Reid must assume a more docile posture. The time when Democrats did not feel the least obliged to extend the hand of bipartisanship to their Republican peers has run its course. Displays of arrogance which were commonplace before their agenda became imperiled must be reserved for another time, if and when Democrats experience another media-contrived resurgence of popularity (which is highly unlikely in the near future).
But we must also not forget that even in this time of cautious revelry, this same media still remains the Republican Party's implacable nemesis. They will continue to try their best to destroy the flicker of hope that Scott Brown represents for those they deride as the "party of no." Realistically, we cannot expect this self-immolating media to turn against their idol -- that is, not until they begin to see an irreversible diagnosis that he is about to fully implode. This could very well happen before the remaining years of his term elapse, but we must not let this expectation steer our focus away from the job of protecting this country from Obama's destructive policies while he still presides.
We must also remember that Scott Brown is a relatively young senator entering the predatory world of ravenous mercenaries and seasoned demagogues who know the lay of the land better than he does. Many of them will try in earnest to tempt him into compromise. Their primary goal will be to lead him astray from the promises and aspirations that brought him into the fold in the first place. The liberal media will gladly live up to their responsibility of informing us of every rock he stumbles upon, and it will do its part to ensure that it keeps an eagle's eye on his every move with a zeal comparable in degree only to the indifference with which they ignore the impudence of politicians in their favored wing of Congress.
Above all, we must not underestimate the media's ability to spin a triumphant tale from this crushing defeat. The Democrats still have the deranged left base at their disposal, and they will work together to marshal their revisionist skills and refashion a more auspicious narrative from the ashes, making Obama look as good as possible even in the wake of what is arguably nothing short of a seismic shift in the country's political landscape.
Cartoon by Miguel Guanipa.
