The Republican To-Do List

The Republicans did quite well during the mid-term elections last month.  Large scale gains in the House, a Senate majority and a growing state governorship majority were just some of the gains struck by the GOP.  The Democrats’ fabricated “war on women” proved to be just that as two states elected their first female governor – both Republicans.  The party that does not care about black people elected three in various congressional elections (still others in state elections).  In short, for all the demagoguery and predictions of demise for the Republicans pontificated by Democrats and their like-minded talking heads in the media, conservative Americans proved as resilient and diverse as their party.  So, what should be the Republican strategy in 2015?

First, the Republican Party should busy itself on focusing on those issues where there is bi-partisan support.  Contrary to most people’s perceptions, there are issues upon which Democrats and Republicans can create a consensus.  First, despite the lame-duck Congress’ failed attempt the other week, the new Congress should focus on the passage of the pipeline that would connect Canada and the Gulf Coast.  The creation of jobs and growing energy sources would be a consistent source of employment and low energy costs.  

Additionally, both Republican and Democrat officials face the same pressure on the immigration issue.  Despite the president’s recent unilateral attempt at solving the problem, the Congress is in a strong position to one, enforce current immigration laws or force the president to do the same and two, take steps to greatly bolster the defense of the border.  The president thinks he can fix a home flood without first cutting off the water.  Congress can do much to fix that.  This is not a punitive measure against immigration and great pains must be made to ensure the move is not characterized as such.  We are a nation of immigrants and any attempts to discourage it would be, at the least, un-American.  However, the Congress could make significant steps to make our policies better, more streamlined and more humane.

Second, the Republicans need to make the argument that a dismissal of the U.S. Congress by the president is a dismissal of the American people.  Congressmen and women were designed to be the most responsive and accountable to the American people.  The president can say that he has no qualms about going over the heads of the Congress but in doing so, he is also going over the head of the American people.  The president’s attempt to act unilateral with executive orders is a tricky business.  In the past, some executive orders were a matter of procedure and protocol.  President Obama is making it a point of avoiding the legislative process, to avoid the judgment of the American people.  The Congress has power and authority and must fight to maintain it.

Third, the Republicans need to switch the conversation away from the president and towards a plan after 2016.  Beyond the aforementioned steps, the Republicans need to address a political reality that does not include Barack Obama.  In political terms, the president is a lame duck leader – one with no more elections to contest.  If he thought he was ignored by Democrats during the mid-terms last month, it will be worse in 2016.  Therefore, the Republicans have to address what lies ahead and in the interim, show that they can lead, they have ideas – and not ones that divide people as Hispanic or women or blacks but ones that unites us as Americans.  Such fragmentation is how the Democrats operate but conservatives and Republicans do not have to follow suit.  

In the past, national conservative ideas have seen us through economic turmoil (Ronald Reagan) and terrorism (George W. Bush).  On the state level, conservative governors have ushered in prosperous state economies that stands in stark contrast to the one directed by the president on a national level.  Conservative economic, foreign and social policies have appeals across the gender and racial divide.  Indeed, the core of conservatism is the champion of the individual – no matter who you are.  That would not be a bad message for a potential candidate in 2016. 

As Ferguson Burns...

This past week, the city of Ferguson erupted in violence, soon splashed upon television screens, the main pages of websites and the front pages of newspapers.  The police officer accused of wrongly shooting and killing a young man coming from a robbery escaped indictment.  The grand jury failed to find evidence enough to warrant such an action.  The district attorney, in a rather long-winded and ultimately ineffective statement, suggested that the piles of contradictory statements from “eyewitnesses” left the grand jury to consider only the physical evidence and in that light, there was insufficient evidence to move forward.  It was ineffective in that it did little to quell the chaos that ensued. 

First, it is important to understand and as a history teacher I feel qualified to explain that there are historical issues at play from within the black community about the behavior of the police.  While most Americans might have the highest regard for the police, there is an institutional memory among the black community – one in which the police was generally the armed wing of racist town governments and organizations that provided no protection.  While there have been great advancements thus far regarding race relations, it cannot totally wipe out the events of the past.  While some suggest it is time to move on, that is easier to say from the outside than to do from within.   

With that said, there are other issues exacerbating the problems.  First, you have people joining the fray and in the process, undermining the peaceful protestors by destroying local businesses and police vehicles.  While some protestors tried to discourage the damage, others were not to be deterred, calling into question their presence and their motives.  Secondly, activists who profess to speak on behalf of the community in Ferguson are doing more to stoke the flames than calm the passions.  Their power and status depends on a continued rage.  Instead of leaders who would try to disseminate the verdict of the grand jury and consider whether they had a point, we have instigators who seek only to keep the anger and hatred burning as bright as the fires in Ferguson. 

There are other side issues in need of discussion.  The “leaders” have a large role to play in what happens next.  Additionally, there is a greater outrage than what happened in Ferguson.  The vast majority of young black people killed are struck down by other black people.  However, no activist leader will pick up that banner.  That requires introspection on the part of leadership and the community and there does not appear to be the stomach for that type of discussion.  The activists are making their name by fingering the outsider “boogeyman” and keeping the spotlight away from the community.  That is an easier pill to swallow and one that most are willing to do.  However, ignoring the problem does not change the community’s reality.   

How do we proceed from here?  First of all, leadership across the board needs to explain the reasons why no indictment happened.  Sadly, it will not change many minds but it has to be on record to show the lack of racist intent.  Black leaders need to examine soberly the facts and ask if this is a true case of racism or the fact that the young man was out of line.  Second, some protestors have asked for body cameras on the police.  That might not be an altogether bad idea – what better way to quell such a debate again if there is video evidence pointing in one direction or another.  Again, some will still not be satisfied with video evidence suggesting their paradigm is wrong, but it is one more effort towards trying to get things right. 

As mentioned before, the vast majority of blacks killed in this country are killed by other blacks.  Very seldom are blacks killed wrongly by white police officers.  It does not jive with historical truths but today represents new realities.  Some of the racial ambulance chasers are not ready to give up the past, though they know better.  It makes the protests seem cynical and ultimately, a disgrace to the movement that first led them towards equality.  This takes no responsibility away from the police, who should always strive to be equal in its protection and its law enforcement.  Yet, the black community also has a responsibility.  Until they do that, things will not improve. 

Sugar and Spice and...

I’ve not been as prolific in my writing as I’ve been in the past.  A couple of months ago, my wife had a baby – a girl.  I once did not understand people’s compulsion to stay home, quit work and devote one’s time completely to the child.  I’m still not sure I completely understand but I’ve gained over the last couple of months a new appreciation.  Now, my life will center on following Shakespeare’s words – “It is a wise father that knows his own child.”  However, there have been many decisions to make and no doubt, many more to come.

Even before she was born, my wife and I wrestled with a name to give her.  We had so many criteria that the process was a bit mindboggling.  We did not want a name that was too cute – she was sure to grow into an adult embarrassed by a cute-sounding name.  We did not want a name too popular – my wife’s experiences growing up with one of the most common names of her day served as a cautionary tale.  We wanted a name that flowed – a name that rolled off the tongue.  We liked various French names but did not want something with diacritical marks – lest she be condemned to a life of mispronunciations.  At the very least, we did not want a child who would end up in therapy years later because of the name we bestowed upon her.  

Now that she is among us, a new world has opened, filled with responsibilities and decisions to make regarding her upbringing.  I do not say anything in this blog as a criticism to what other people are doing but simply an explanation of what we would like to do.  One of the first bits of advice that we received from doctors and nurses was, “You cannot spoil a baby.”  I reject that out of hand because of the assumption being made.  To say that a baby cannot be spoiled suggests that a baby cannot learn, that cognitively nothing is going on within our daughter.  I believe our daughter, all babies in fact, are born as rational creatures that do nothing for whimsical reasons – all that they do is the product of and is influenced by their environment.  I choose to believe that our daughter is constantly thinking and learning – for better or worse.

Likely the biggest thing I wonder is the degree to which I can foster the maturation of a young woman who is confident, intelligent and tough.  I imagine parents would like their children to be like them so that life is not disrupted too much with extemporaneous events that must be attended, interesting no one but the child.  Still, I have aspirations.  I hope she is a baseball fan, who becomes a prodigious reader and enjoys the great outdoors.  I hope she enjoys history, following the words of Tacitus and thinking of her “forefathers and posterity.”  Of course, I’m not so naïve as to think she will be like me.  However, I can try and then understand if she tells me fill-in-the-blank is not her cup of tea.  

There are so many other ideas that have run through my mind regarding my daughter.  However, this would be at least a ten page blog entry so I’ll stick with the big concepts.  When she was first born, I was not sure what to think of this beautiful child and the fact that I was her father.  Now, I find myself fascinated with and enthralled by her each day.  When I look at her, I wonder about everything, including what she will become.  So, if she does not take to her Tacitus or does not find joy in the Orioles, I will work hard to ensure that she is a thinker, she is a doer, that she will go into this world mentally tough, intellectually formidable and realistically confident.  More importantly, I hope she is a good person.