Editor,
On Friday the Daily Lobo reprinted an article by Michael Reagan originally called “Riding the Wave.” This article overlooks the actual landscape from which Republicans were able to benefit simply because they were not the party of the president.
There is a term among political scientists called the “six-year itch,” which in essence predicts that in the second term of a presidency, the president’s party will likely suffer defeats during midterm elections. Mr. Reagan should be quite aware of this, given that his father suffered the very same problem in his second term, losing eight seats in the Senate and five seats in the House, as well as the fact that previous Democratic majorities with which Obama entered office were based upon gains made during midterms in George W. Bush’s second term.
Furthermore, moving past the reasons for the success, Mr. Reagan said, “The GOP must now provide real leadership, stick to conservative principles, and show some guts.” While perhaps beneficial to their ability to show conservative voters they are strong conservatives, this is unlikely to provide a fix to the problems plaguing Washington right now: mainly the gridlock and petty partisanship that has left Congress with an astonishing approval rating of just 14 percent, according to a Gallup poll in September. This approval rating is of all Congress, of which there was actually a slight Republican majority if one considers the two houses together.
To assume this result has given a mandate to Republicans to try and push through a conservative agenda for America is a misreading of the situation. The fact is, Republicans won primarily because the president is a Democrat and they aren’t. It would be dangerous, and would risk voter retribution, to try and play the same partisan game that’s been a staple of Washington for the past six years.
Coupled with the fact that the Republicans do not have a supermajority in either house that can overrule a presidential veto or even cloture, Republicans simply cannot shut out Democrats from the policy making process. Republicans may hold the upper hand in crafting legislation and getting it through Congress, but they cannot appear to shut out the Democrats from this process if they are to hold these gains, as it will be seen as more partisanship that will reflect poorly on the Republicans come 2016.
Mr. Reagan concludes his piece by saying, “On Tuesday voters gave Republicans a second chance to lead. They can’t blow it again. The country — and the world — can’t afford it.” While the voters have given the GOP a second chance, I argue the country and the world cannot afford more of the same gridlock and partisanship that seems inevitable if Republicans prove unwilling to listen to the Democrats.
We don’t need Republicans to lead. We need the entire government to work together to solve the problems America faces.
Sincerely,
Wesley Hill Jr.
Daily Lobo reader
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
