Hope and Change: 2010
A
big question on many minds the day after last week’s election was
whether its results will bring cooperation among Democrats and
Republicans to move America forward or gridlock and a lack of progress;
but there is a more important question that must be answered
first: Will House and Senate Tea Party activists and Republican
moderates be able to find common ground and thereby provide an effective
antidote to the Obama Administration’s program of big government and
higher taxes?
The
glimmer of an answer emerged at victory celebrations for two moderate
Republicans outside Chicago on November 2: one for Mark Kirk, who
won the US Senate seat once occupied by Barack Obama; the other for
Robert Dold, who won Kirk’s former Congressional seat. Kirk’s
record of compromising with Democrats on specifics has unleashed
relentless efforts to label him a RINO (Republican in name
only). But Kirk describes himself as “a fiscal conservative, a
social moderate, and a national defense hawk,” a description that Dold
also embraces. They—and the overwhelming majority of Illinois
conservatives—reject the RINO moniker as little more than a demand for
ideological purity.
Like
most 2010 campaigns, theirs became heated and vitriolic; and for Kirk,
that included a nasty primary challenge from the Right that did not
relent even during the very heated general election campaign. As
Kirk announced his Senate victory and thanked those who helped make it
possible, he made a point of singling out Patrick Hughes in the
ebullient crowd and thanked him for his work in helping Kirk to
victory. This was significant because Hughes was Kirk’s most
credible primary challenge. Moreover, those challengers and their
followers refused to support Kirk throughout the campaign. That
Hughes ultimately did was a factor in many conservatives “coming home”
in the campaign's final days, and helping to propel the Republican to
victory. Is this an example of the Right reaching out to a
moderate?
At
Bob Dold’s celebration that night, his supporters gathered for hours
before his Congressional race was called. They watched the election
returns from across the United States: some to celebrate; some
that disappointed. And while these largely moderate Republicans
were cheered by so many successes that night, there was a special sense
of excitement about Marco Rubio’s Florida triumph. Not only was
Rubio one of the first lions backed by the Tea Party, but he also
trounced a prominent “moderate” in Governor Charlie Crist. When
Rubio’s election was called, there was a real buzz among Dold’s
supporters for what they saw as “the future of the Republican
party.” Is this an example of moderates reaching out to the Right?
Illinois—which
now has a Republican majority in its Congressional delegation and a new
Republican Senator—is a real test case for Republicans. Illinois
is arguably the “bluest” state in the union, making it is impossible for
an ideological conservative to win election, outside of a few small
districts. This will challenge Republicans to master realities
without abandoning the conservative principles that make them
relevant. Success in Illinois will bode well for national success,
and that process might already be underway.
Posted on 11/07/2010 8:57 AM by Richard L. Benkin
