GOP: After a rough spring, No More Mr. Nice-Party...

Tony Blankley's column today chronicles the girlie punches that the Republican party has been taking from Democrats since the election and observes that the GOP is - slowly, but surely - finally deciding to go on the offensive. With their stiffening support of House Majority Leader DeLay, the refusal to abandon Social Security reform and their decision to move forward in the face of opposition to John Bolton and Bush's judicial nominees, Republicans appear to have at last understood that the empty threats from Democrats are just that - empty.

After the donkeys with alligator masks on have jumped out from behind the capitol columns three or four times in succession in broad daylight shouting "boo," it has begun to dawn on the Republican elephants that the only danger to them is if they stumble down the steps in response to the "boo." The Democrats are powerless to do much of anything in national politics of a functional nature. All they can do is malfunction and hope to induce the Republicans to join them in their malfunctioning. By using angled light, the Democrats have been able to spend the winter and spring casting a larger shadow than their actual stature would justify.

Republicans - despite the stereotypes proliferated by the Left - have never been a historically aggressive bunch. But when push comes to shove, Blankley writes, the realization that they are the democratically-elected majority has begun to strengthen their resolve. Well, they have a chance to prove their mettle soon.

Next week should see the official trigger pulling in the Senate to kill the judicial filibuster. Then for the next three and three-quarter years, Mr. Bush, needing only 50 votes (plus the vice president's) will be able to nominate and have confirmed solid, smart conservative judges - most of them under 45 years old. He may replace up to four Supreme Court justices and a broad range of circuit justices. It will be an historic policy accomplishment that will last at least 30 years.

These are pivotal days for Bill Frist and the GOP, as an article in the Christian Science Monitor observes. The Senate Majority Leader, who has an eye on 2008, had hoped to spend his political capital and boost his "street cred" on less divisive issues.

But instead, he's investing more and more time and political capital on the fight over judges. Conservative activists say the most likely venue for a showdown over Senate rules will be the debate over confirmation of Priscilla Owen of Texas. "She's got a great story," says Manuel Miranda, chairman of the National Coalition to End Judicial Filibusters. A former nominations counsel for Senator Frist, Mr. Miranda resigned from the majority leader's office after leaking strategy memos from activist groups to Senate Democrats on which nominations to filibuster. Winning the fight over judges is "vitally important for his political future," says Miranda. "But even if he were not to run for president it's important for his legacy. He knows he will not be remembered for the class-action bill or the healthy forest initiative."

In any event, it's time for all Republicans to stop thinking about their personal long-term view and focus on the country's long-term benefit.

Posted by: Gary at 12:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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