Let's hope Republicans can unlock the gridlock

Published November 6, 2014

Editorial by News and Observer, November 5, 2014.

Republicans around the nation enjoyed a night of election results in which they finally defeated Barack Obama, a man who has twice won national election.

But now what happens if Republicans run the Senate along with the House? If the past is a guide, a Republican Senate will support the usual GOP agenda: Cut taxes, cut spending, cut regulations and rattle sabers. For the past two years, that approach has managed to stymie the economy’s recovery, delay infrastructure investment, ignore climate change, block immigration reform and present a divided United States government to a world looking for U.S. leadership.

Opposing the president isn’t a program. It’s an attitude, and not a constructive one. Obama is done running, and Republicans need to stop running against him and start governing.

Congressional Republicans will face Obama’s veto and likely Sen. Harry Reid’s procedural machinations as minority leader. Taking the Democrats head-on will lead only to collisions without progress. It’s time to get government working again so more Americans can get working again.

U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers, the Dunn Republican who won handily over Democrat Clay Aiken in District 2, sounded the right note in her victory speech when she commented on the Republican takeover of the Senate. Notably it was the same tone of reconciliation that Aiken stressed in his campaign.

“I’m so encouraged now because I know we’re going to be able to go back to Washington and and actually make progress happen,” she said. “I want to work with our Democratic colleagues in Washington. We’ve done so much already in that effort but unfortunately unrealized because of politics. It’s time to put all of that aside. It’s time to look to the future for this country.”

This time, instead of a Contract with America, congressional Republicans should propose a Contract with Obama. Agree to get something done on jobs, tax reform and immigration. If this election spurs cooperative work rather than deeper gridlock, it will be a victory for all Americans.

November 6, 2014 at 11:14 am
Norm Kelly says:

Typical editorial from the N&D. I've read about 2 paragraphs and already know the direction this garbage is headed. Praise for demons. Hatred toward Republicans & conservatives. Let me use their words to prove a point, point out the ignorance of the writer, and show where the truth lies. I mean 'lies' as in where it lives, not 'lies' as in what the N&D normally/usually prints. But just from reading the beginning, it's obvious the rest of the editorial will NOT be worth reading. Someday, it's possible though not probable, the editorial board of the N&D will start living in the real world. Until then, it's up to educated people to point out the error of their ways; it's up to us to use fact and education to point out where they are just plain wrong. Which is not just easy to do, but happens regularly. It's a lot of work to point out so many different places, times, ways the N&D are wrong, but I do it when time permits.

Usual GOP agenda. As opposed to the same old, tired, used, failed policies of the Socialist Party? Where are the successes of the socialists that you worry about the Republicans? How is deficit spending going? How is it helping to stabilize the US economy? How is deficit spending helping to keep the value of the US dollar up? Is the deficit causing the US dollar to devalue? If so, which is a FACT so the N&D editorial board doesn't recognize it, then is this good for middle Americans or does it harm the economy as a whole? I know, simple, logical, straight-forward answer, but not if you are a lib or N&D editorial board member.

Cut Taxes: does raising taxes actually help ANYONE? How does raising taxes improve the economy? For the first time in the history of our country, the socialist party implemented a tax on INCOME rather than PROFIT. The only industry in the nation to be penalized in this fashion is the medical device manufacturers. Will this help the economy or hurt it? Will it encourage device manufacturers to move out of the country? Will it encourage innovation? Why is this single market targeted? And IF the socialists get away with penalizing device manufacturers, what industry will they target next for such penalizing? You know libs NEVER implement a tax as a one time event; this is their life blood, they have no other plan or idea, so they WILL target another industry. Then another. Then another. Until every private business is paying taxes on INCOME instead of PROFIT! How does this help ANYONE? Why would the N&D editorial board support such stup1d1ty? Cuz they are socialists also, obviously.

Cut Spending. Really? What a novel idea! Increases in central planner spending does NOT stimulate the economy. There are only 2 ways for the socialists to spend money. Either they spend money we don't have, called deficit spending, OR they steal money from the private sector, keep some of it for government operations, then return a VERY SMALL PORTION of the stolen money back into the private sector. Of course, the return is ALWAYS done to those favored by the socialist party, not just to those who can actually stimulate the economy. So how exactly does central planner spending, which NEVER goes down, actually HELP anyone? Wanna bet the N&D can't answer this?

Cut Regulations. So, how does increasing regulations help anyone? When was the last time a new central planner regulation actually helped CREATE a private sector job? Are new central planner regulations on coal fired power plants helping to increase the electric power supply in the nation, increasing coal mining jobs, transportation jobs, or are the new regulations killing jobs everywhere? Also, how will closing coal-fired power plants reduce the cost of electricity for the average American? When the cost of power 'skyrockets' to use the occupiers word, how does this improve the lives of American citizens? Or how does it even improve the lives of illegal aliens living here illegally?

Stymie the economy's recovery. So, the House has passed hundreds of bills that have gone to the Senate to sit on Senile Harry's desk. No action by the Senate. No budgets passed by the Senate controlled by the socialist party. Yet somehow it was the Republican House causing stymie? What about the Republican House's plan to approve the XL pipeline that would CREATE JOBS as well as INCREASE OIL SUPPLY to the nation? Is it the Republicans in the House that prevented XL or was it the socialists in the White House and Senate who refused to allow this economic stimulant to happen?

Delay infrastructure investment. Once again, typical of socialists, every dollar spent by the central planners is 'investment'. Kinda like when socialists on the campaign trail recently told us that private sector businesses DO NOT CREATE JOBS! Same kind of lack of thinking ability on display. Is it better for the central planners to take money OUT of the economy, filter it through the hands of Washington-ites, then return a small portion of it to spend on infrastructure? How did those 'shovel ready' jobs work out when the occupier insisted on a stimulus? How much did that cost versus how much we got for it? Was solyndra considered infrastructure investment by you socialists or was that just another boondoggle? Better to let me keep money in my pocket and INVEST it as I see fit to stimulate the economy OR have the central planners steal it from us and spend it AS THEY SEE FIT. Which only benefits their supporters, family members (K!), and favored companies.

Ignore climate change. We can only hope! It is proven fact that this debate is OVER! The socialists have been proven wrong. If the Republicans really want to make a difference and improve their chances of re-election and taking the White House in 2016, they better start ignoring 'climate change' completely. Send this garbage back to the communist party where it came from! Stop spending tax payer dollars, stolen from the private sector, on such wasteful nonsense. How many times do the climate change fanatics have to be wrong before socialists and N&D editorial writers catch on to the FACTS and TRUTH?! I know, I'm expecting tigers to change their stripes. The entire goal of the socialists is to take over and they can't do that if we rely on TRUTH and FACTS, so they choose to ignore these.

Immigration reform. This is NOT off the table for Republicans. Amnesty should be. Closing the southern border should be. Preventing illegal aliens from stealing jobs and GOVERNMENT BENEFITS from American citizens MUST be stopped. This is NOT hatred of any group. This is enforcement of laws already on the books. But since the socialists don't believe in law, don't recognize existing law, including the occupier, then this is a foolish statement for me. Why would I expect these law-breakers to give one hoot about enforcing the existing immigration laws when they are perfectly content to ignore all the other laws that they don't like. Like we all thought the racist, law-ignoring Holder was going away, but that is just another lib scam being perpetrated upon us! We managed to get rid of the senile Harray, finally, but we still have the law-breaking occupier and the racist AG to deal with. The next two years are going to be he11 for non-socialist Americans! And we can count on the N&D to continue to carry water for their allies in the Socialist Party of the US. And the N&D will continue to promote the garbage spewed by the buffet slayer. He also is proven wrong on a regular basis, but since he is a black man and a lib ally, he can't be ignored, he must be promoted. Just to show that the N&D is not a racist rag!

November 6, 2014 at 2:28 pm
Richard Bunce says:

They should read the should read the N&O editorials for the last 6 years and do just the opposite. I would say a significant cut to spending and then cut the taxes no longer needed to pay for that no longer existent spending.

November 6, 2014 at 6:51 pm
Norm Kelly says:

I know; I've already commented on the drivel from the N&D. Sometimes I just can't help myself. They are so dedicated to the failed policies of the libs that it's mind boggling! There is NO THOUGHT process involved in most of what they write. Perfect example: 'Republicans should propose a Contract with Obama'. Remember when the occupier told Republicans, in a face-to-face meeting, that elections have consequences, he won, therefore he didn't have to negotiate with Republicans at all. It was his way or the highway. Well, guess what? Elections have consequences! Republicans WON THIS TIME! Why should the Republicans make a contract with the occupier, when it's HIS policies that are failing so miserably? Shouldn't it be that the occupier MUST come to the Republicans and start dealing with them? Isn't it about time the occupier stop ignoring the Republican majority? Did the elections mean that the Republicans must stop working against the socialist plans of the occupier AND the demons in the Senate? Or did the election results mean that the majority of those who voted believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, it's time for something positive to be done, and the Republicans are the ones NOW trusted with making that directional change? So instead of Republicans making a contract with the occupier, claiming they will negotiate with HIM, it must be that the occupier makes a contract with Republicans and that he decides to start negotiating with THEM!

Republicans have a majority. They MUST start governing as if this is true. Libs have been slapped down by voters. Republicans are in charge now and MUST perform like it. Instead of the occupier having the bully pulpit, Republicans now have it!

Do I expect better than drivel from the N&D? Nope. But I always have hope. Unfounded as it may be, I will still carry hope in my heart. Hope that Republicans can get the country moving in the RIGHT and correct direction again. Hope that Republicans can do SOMETHING to slow down or reverse the socialist agenda. Hope that common sense, balanced budgets, less regulation, lower taxes, freer people are the outcome of a Republican take-over. Compare socialist results with free enterprise results. Socialism is the loser every time.

It's time the occupier realizes the majority of voters left him behind and it's HIM that needs to change! It's his policies that were rejected during this election. It was HIS allies that lost. Big time. Except in Wake County where people voted to increase taxes, increase school budgets beyond reason, and implement regional rail. All of which the demons in Wake County believe will be good for the future of the area. Good for the bankruptcy of the region but certainly NOT for the benefit of the region. I wonder how long it will be before the new libs on the county commission pass regional rail, lobby to increase the sales tax (again!), and petition the legislature to allow the school board to become it's own taxing entity. All in their plan book; all useless schemes that will do little to move the county forward. But all of which the N&D will support and promote.

November 7, 2014 at 11:05 am
Richard Bunce says:

So do you remember when the left was calling it "The Contract ON America"... can you imagine the howl if the N&O "Contract With Obama" became the "Contract ON Obama"? To the left compromise means doing what we want but cannot achieve at the ballot box or in the Courts any longer.

I hope someone in the Republican Party is looking at the longer game though... majorities in the State legislatures in 2020 should be the top priority for them.