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Wrong side of history

Wrong side of history

Some more on where we stand in the wake of the debt deal.

Jeffrey Lord has a piece in The American Spectator which is getting a lot of play, Tipping Point:

Thanks to the Tea Party movement, Conservatism is on the verge of a major victory that dwarfs the technical and actual realities of whatever the details of the resulting deficit deal passed last night. Yes, there is a long, long way to go. But the idea that America doesn’t, in fact, have to be governed for eternity as a debtor nation with a mammoth, out-of-control, ever-expanding government is winning the day.

This is similar to my point this morning that it must be awful to wake up as a Democrat today with the realization that you are on the wrong side of history.

Update:  Maybe the tipping point is worldwide.  Thanks to reader Joy for the link to this column in The Telegraph in Britain:

Most pundits are crediting this U-turn to the political muscle of the Tea Party and it’s true that President Obama would never have agreed to this deal if the Tea Party Republicans in the House of Representatives hadn’t engaged in the brinkmanship of the past few weeks. But to focus on the Tea Party is to ignore the tectonic political shift that’s taken place, not just in America but across Europe. The majority of citizens in nearly all the world’s most developed countries simply aren’t prepared to tolerate the degree of borrowing required to sustain generous welfare programmes any longer.

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Comments

JimMtnViewCaUSA | August 2, 2011 at 4:03 pm

Maybe not significant, but the Dow did not tank when there was no budget deal. Now that we have our (ahem) cr*p sandwich, the Dow is off 250 and gold is up $30.

I find it hard to shake the feeling that this is an “emperor’s new clothes” sort of moment…

Its a shame about the Senate races last year in CO, WV, NV, WA, DE that possibly could’ve been won. The recovery can’t begin until Obama’s gone, but it sure would’ve been nice to have a realistic shot at 60+ Senators in 2013.

The good news is we’re likely to pick up 8-10 Senators both next year and again for 2015.

Maybe we need a third legislative body, or restore the Senate to the states with Recall powers.

“Assembly of States” to be convened at the request of any Governor of any State. Each State to send two representatives, Territories one, and no representation for special Districts such as the District of Columbia.
Such representatives to be appointed by the State legislature for a term of 6 years.

Each State retains the power to recall its representatives in a manner described by State Law or if not specified in State Law by fiat of the Governor or simple majority rules in it houses of Legislature.

Its sole power would be repeal laws made by Congress and or Executive Orders of the President. It cannot amend, propose changes, or otherwise modify law. An affirmative bill of repeal would proceed from this assemblage to the President for signage. The President shall have Veto Power. The Assemblage can override the veto with a 3/4 majority vote.

Congress and the President really needs something that actually checks their power. I think the logical place to go is the original source of the power i.e. the States.
This of course would be an amendment and probably not more than a thought experiment at the moment. However what do you think?

Charles Curran | August 2, 2011 at 4:47 pm

They should read Witness. Chambers said that he was leaving the ‘Winning Side’. Thank God that he in fact left.