En effektiv Republikansk opposition

Wall Street Journal har här en intressant artikel om Republikanernas mycket effektiva opposition mot president Obamas politik.

Artikeln förklarar att Obama börjar få det riktigt svårt att driva igenom sina politiska frågor, och givetvis främst sin sjukreform. Till stor del har han sig själv att skylla genom att trycka sina frågor mer till vänster än väljarkåren överlag hängde med på. Men Republikanernas nya taktik att opponera sig genom att aggressivt gå emot presidenten med vinnande argument som främsta vapen spelar en lika stor roll.

Artikeln ger några exempel, och förklarar det Republikanska motståndet mot stimulanspaketet som början på den effektiva oppositionen:

"Their first big step was to oppose the economic "stimulus" package. Many in the media insisted Republicans had a death wish when they unanimously rejected it in the House and by a near-unanimous vote in the Senate. The press was wrong. This was the smartest move Republicans have made all year, one with several positive repercussions.

Republicans deconstructed the bill, pointing to its excessive spending, its pork, its favors for Democratic special interests, its lack of actual economic stimulants. Their critique was full-throated and specific. Not only did Republicans begin to revive their reputation as fiscal hawks, they convinced a large chunk of the public that out-of-control spending was a threat to the nation's well-being.

The effect has been to crimp Mr. Obama's plans for further spending. New funds for bailouts are unlikely to be approved by Congress. ObamaCare's cost—a minimum $1 trillion—has become a big reason protesters are turning out against it at town-hall meetings."

Ett annat exempel är kriget mot terrorismen och Obamas förhastade nedstäningsplaner av Guantanamo:

"Consider Dick Cheney's decision to challenge Mr. Obama's inclination to go soft in the war on terror in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in May. By winning the argument that the nation needs a vigorous defense against al Qaeda, Mr. Cheney left Mr. Obama little choice but to stick with such Bush era policies as rendition of captured terrorists, immunity for telecommunication companies that cooperated with wiretapping possible terrorists, and targeting terrorist leaders for assassination.

Mr. Cheney also took issue with Mr. Obama's announcement that he was going to close the prison in Guantanamo. The former vice president said that the decision came with "little deliberation and no plan." And he was right. Mr. Obama put himself in a trap."

Ett annat exempel är Sarah Palins uttalande om "dödspaneler" i sjukvårdsreformförslaget:

"Or consider Sarah Palin's controversial statement that Mr. Obama's health-care plan would establish "death panels" capable of denying care to seniors. Like Mr. Cheney, she was denounced as a know-nothing. But Mrs. Palin accomplished what no one else had. She put a national spotlight on the dubious end-of-life policies in the ObamaCare legislation. Columnists disputed her claim, then realized she had a point. The death panels are dead, for now."

Artikeln förklarar vidare Republikanerna saknar 40 röster i Representanthuset för att kunna ha något verkligt inflytande. Likväl har de lyckats göra sina röster hörda: det är en effektiv opposition. Demokraterna har dock i viss mån sig själv att skylla för detta - artikeln fortsätter:

"In one sense, Democrats have only themselves to blame. They set the standard for opposition during Mr. Bush's second term. They furiously opposed everything with a Republican label on it. It worked so well that voters grew to prefer Democrats on practically every issue, including normally reliable Republican issues like taxes. A similar phenomenon is now benefiting Republicans."

Artikeln förklarar slutligen att missnöjet mot Demokraterna kommer från den viktigaste väljargruppen - nämligen de oberoende och att detta i längden kommer att gynna Republikanerna:

"On a public radio show last week, I was asked about a Pew poll that found that the favorable rating for Democrats was in sharp decline (now down to 49%) but that the rating for Republicans was unchanged all year (40%). The host suggested this means opposition to Mr. Obama is getting Republicans nowhere.

That's not the way politics works. Political recovery comes in two stages. The party out of power must first discredit the majority's ideas and agenda. Public approval comes later. It shows up on Election Day. "

Källa: Wall Street Journal

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