November 06, 2006

Thoughts on voting for something you don't really like...

It's no secret that I've had my serious differences with the current round of Republican leadership. I am, after all, the author of "The GOP Can Bite Me," "Our President is an Idiot," and many other thoughtful and insightful rants. The Republican power brokers have gotten themselves drunk on power and influence, grown far too comfortable in their positions and forgotten principles that they once claimed to cherish. Chief among these principles are the apparently forgotten ideas of federalism and limited government. In one area of life after another, the Republican leadership is all too happy to engage in extended discussion of "how should the Federal government fix X?" without ever pausing to consider whether there's a proper Federal role for "fixing X" in the first place.

By most accounts, the current Republican leadership has never met a federal spending program they didn't like. They've been running up our nation's credit cards with abandon at a time when massive entitlement bills are set to come due very soon without any real plan to pay for them. Instead of working to improve our fiscal situation, the Republicans have exacerbated our problems with NEW entitlement programs calculated to buy votes. This is exactly the type of thing Republicans once criticized the Democrats for. These days, they'd have precious little room to talk.

Don't get me wrong, here: I'm not claiming there's no difference between the Democrat and Republican leadership. I am saying that the two are nearly identical in their shared arrogance and their irresponsible enthusiasm for running up debt on our children in order to buy favors for themselves.

In other words, if arrogance and fiscal responsibility were the only issues on the table, there would be very little reason to go to the polls. No matter which party wins, you'll no doubt get a lot of both.

These are not, however, the only issues on the table. There are a whole list of others, and these issues should weigh heavily on your mind as you weigh whether to go to the polls on Tuesday and what to do if you get there. Consider, for example, our nation's immigration policy. At present, the White House and Senate are ready to provide amnesty and voting rights to millions of illegal immigrants. At present, the Republican-led House is the only body standing in the way of the plan. Given that voting rights for new immigrants will be a huge boon for Democrat voting rolls, what do you think a Democrat-controlled House is most likely to do? Consider also the effect on our foreign policy in general and the administration's ability to conclude the Iraq conflict in a reasonable way.

Now, I understand the argument that voting for something you don't like (e.g., the current GOP leadership) will get you more of something you don't like. This is often true. The converse, however, is NOT true--that is, REFUSING to vote for something you don't like is NOT necessarily likely to get you something you DO like. It may get you something DIFFERENT. In this case, it's most likely to get you something you'll like EVEN LESS than what you have now.

I understand very well the other conservatives who are fed up with the arrogance, corruption and irresponsible spending practices of the current GOP leadership. As disappointed as I am with the Republican leadership, I'll be going to the polls on Tuesday and I'll mostly be voting "R." Then again, I have it easy--most of the Republicans I'll be voting for are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

If you choose not to vote on Tuesday, that's your right, but please make yourself fully aware of what that will very likely mean for us all if enough other voters do the same thing.