Is The Republican Party Lost?

Every article you read these days from the liberal media has a very clear message: the Republican Party is dead and should be buried. Conservatism is in shambles. The Democrats have the upper hand and the correct solution for the country. Tax and Spend is working. The Stimulus is working. Foreign powers love us. All is happy in liberal land.

I beg to differ. In fact, I believe the evidence is stronger each day that the Republican Party is making inroads into the Democratic “majority.” The election happened and Obama and the Democrats are in power. We have to live with that for another 18 months. But when one looks at the trends a new picture begins to develop.

All evidence indicates that the country is going the other way and still leans center-right. Look at what happened in Virginia yesterday. In a hotly contested Democratic primary for governor, R. Creigh Deeds, a conservative Democrat, whooped an ex-head of the DNC and staunch supporter of the Clintons. Deeds is about as far to the right as the Democratic Party gets. He is so pro-gun that he supports concealed weapons in bars and nightclubs. I’m not even sure if I go that far.

Why did Deeds get the nomination? Well, according to every article and news report, it is because the Virginia Democrats are afraid of losing the governorship in November to the Republican candidate. Robert McDonnell is a staunch Republican Conservative and the Virginia populace is definitely to the right regardless of whether the state went with Obama. A liberal Democrat is never going to win Virginia right now and probably never.

Another example can be seen by the current events in the New York Legislature. The Democrats which have had control of the New York Senate for as long as anyone can remember have physically locked the chamber to keep the new majority Republicans from enacting any legislation. How has this happened? Well, two members of the Senate switched sides tipping the scales in favor of the Republicans. The Democrats, according to Governor Patterson, a Democrat, are now acting like children and have physically taken the keys to the chamber to stop the Republicans from doing anything. In fact, they are refusing to recognize that two of their brethren have abandoned them.

Speaking of Governor Patterson maybe we should talk about his approval rating for a minute. This is the man that became governor after Eliot Spitzer resigned in disgrace about a year ago for being the typical Democratic hypocrite. He “played” with the people he took on. Governor Patterson’s approval ratings are so low that some people believe that a Republican may actually have a chance to win New York. That would be only the second Republican to hold office in New York since 1975. The last, George Pataki, took power during the Republican revolution in the mid-nineties and barely lasted two terms.

What would happen if New York gets a Republican governor in the next election cycle? With California currently having a Republican governor and a strong potential candidate in Meg Whitman, the top two states would be Republican. If you factor in Texas and Florida which are third and fourth in population, and both of which have Republican incumbents, you would have approximately 32% of the US Population controlled by Republican governors in just four states. To me that doesn’t sound like a dead party! Rather, it sounds like one that has the potential for a strong majority.

On the national front, Nancy Pelosi’s current popularity is at the lowest it’s ever been. According to a Gallup poll released on Friday, Pelosi’s ratings are currently at 34%. If I’m not mistaken, these are lower than President Bush’s at the end of his administration. In fact, the same poll showed that Ex Vice President Dick Cheney’s popularity is actually higher at 37%. Eight months ago, this was one of the most disliked men in the country. I guess that speech he gave a few weeks ago on National Security and the effects of 9/11 made a lot of the population think.

One of the most important facts about these poll numbers is where the change is actually coming from. Both Ms. Pelosi’s fall and Mr. Cheney’s rise are directly related to a change in independent electorate which went strongly Democratic last November. And, we all know that is where elections are won.

Just yesterday, the Obama spin started on the stimulus package. The President stopped talking about creating jobs and started talking about saving jobs. How will anyone prove the accuracy of his statement yesterday that 150,000 jobs were saved as a result of the stimulus package so far? Last month the economy lost more than 500,000 jobs net. That’s a loss, plain and simple. When that number turns around and there is job growth in a month, then he can start to claim credit. But, by saying that 150,000 jobs were saved last month, he is making it look like the stimulus worked when there is no proof one way or the other. It’s spin, pure and simple.

Newt Gingrich, it seems, is already running for President and his popularity is growing. At a conference in the past few days, he stated that Obama has already failed. And, he is strongly criticizing Ms. Sotomayor. Maybe, the American public is beginning to agree. For the first time, the President’s approval rating has sunk below 60%. I predict it will be teetering around 50% by the end of the year.

Jon Voight publicly stated at the same conference that he is embarrassed by the President and that the President will cause the downfall of this country. Jon Voight, who in my opinion is a great American, should probably think about running for Congress. I am still moved by his Memorial Day comments about Hollywood being in a sorry state when it cared more about Earth Day than Memorial Day.

Why is this change happening so shortly after the “Democratic Revolution?” I can answer that one, but it would take a book. To put it simply, the American people are beginning to see this Administration for what it is: A return to the failed policies of Jimmy Carter and Democrats of the seventies. Weakness in Foreign Affairs and out-of-control spending will not sit with the American electorate at either the national or state level. And, unfortunately, that is what the first five months of President Obama’s Administration has brought. And, unfortunately, that appears to be what the future will bring as well.

2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. All rights reserved. Permission to copy will be freely granted upon request.