Earlier this week Bill Wilson of Americans for Limited Government published an excellent column in which he challenged “Republicans” in Washington, D.C. to take a firm stand in support of defunding U.S. President Barack Obama’s socialized medicine law.
“Republicans must strip Obamacare from the upcoming appropriations measure – and reject any effort by the Senate to re-insert it,” Wilson wrote. “Doing so would force Obama and his allies to either accept a spending plan that does not contain ObamaCare funding – or shut down the government in protest.”
In a nutshell, that’s it. “Republicans” have stood for absolutely nothing since taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2011 – well, nothing but their hatred of Obamacare. In fact the GOP has voted (unanimously in almost every case) to repeal all or some of Obamacare nearly forty times over the last three years.
Now that victory is within their grasp, though, the GOP leadership in the House – notably Speaker John Boehner and “majority” leader Eric Cantor – is refusing to fight, citing fear of a government shutdown.
Wilson addressed that point in his column, too … citing a flood of recent polling data showing Obama’s weakened position on the economy, taxes and deficit spending.
“Any fear or timidity on the part of Republicans regarding a shutdown debate over ObamaCare has no basis in reality – unless certain elements of the GOP secretly want this law to go into effect and are looking for an excuse to let that happen,” he wrote.
Indeed … and maybe that’s exactly what certain “Republicans” want to happen. Which wouldn’t be at all surprising in light of recent history.
“Republicans” caved on the bailout in 2008. They caved on the debt ceiling debate in 2011. They caved on the fiscal cliff debate last year. And now they are about to cave on defunding Obamacare.
Boehner and Cantor (and “Republican” leaders like Mike Simpson of Idaho, Fred Upton of Michigan, Hal Rogers of Kentucky and Peter King of New York) better recognize: This is the last line in the sand.
There’s literally nothing after this …
As students of World War II (and the Eastern Front in particular), we recall that in the fall of 1942, Soviet troops under the leadership of Vasily Chuikov mounted a ferocious, block-by-block defense of the city of Stalingrad against Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Sixth Army. Situated on the banks of the Volga River, Stalingrad was a key Soviet industrial center and strategic conquest. Its capture would have also been essential to securing the German flank for future advances on the oil-rich Russian caucuses – not to mention shutting down a vital pipeline of foreign aid for the battered Russian people.
From a propaganda standpoint, the city also bore the name of Hitler’s archenemy – Joseph Stalin.
In defending Stalingrad from the fury of Hitler’s Wehrmacht during the bleak days of November 1942, Russian soldiers adopted a saying to lift their sagging spirits.
“For us, there is no land behind the Volga,” the expression went.
In other words, there was nowhere left for them to retreat: Either they stood their ground or they perished.
Don’t look now, GOP … but you’re there.
18 comments
“Caucasus” as in mountain region between Russia and Turkey.
The GOP is dead. There will be nothing to combat the slow rolling train wreck of cultural Marxism that has infected the republic until a nationalist party on the right emerges to protect the language, borders, and culture of the natives whose ancestors have built the country. Compromising with the left is sowing the seeds of your own destruction.
Reps. need to hunker down and tell Obama to kiss their collective asses. That is exactly what the Dems. did to Bush.
Good, let them perish. Their obstructionism has buried them up to their necks in the sand and Bill Wilson is basically telling them to welcome the high tide.
What a farce. Republicans bitched about the way Obamacare was passed and here they are talking about taking hostages and making demands. It really gives credit to those who call them the “American Taliban.”
Will, I have to say this article is bullshit. The GOP didnt cave into the bailouts, they helped write them. The Gop didnt cave when it came to the debt ceiling, they got what they wanted out of those negotiations. The biggest lie in America right now is that the GOP wants smaller government. If Republicans actually wanted to shrink the size of government they could start right here in SC which has a Red Governor, Red Senate, and Red house and yet they just cant seem to accept the free market. The GOP is a rotten house full of asbestos that just needs to be burned to the ground. It is a sad dying animal that people just need to put out of its misery instead of trying to reform it for the millionth time. The democrats are just as bad but don’t pretend the Republicans are anything but a bunch of shit zippers who think it is their job to legislate morality while lying through their teeth about the free market.
Amen Brother.
Most of them can’t even begin to explain how the free market system even works!
Who are the Republicans? They are the party who proclaim “freedom,” but serve moneyed interests. They are devoted to fiscal responsibility, but have never encountered a defense contractor, farm subsidy, special interest tax break or corporate welfare scheme they didn’t like.
Well, here’s my line in the sand.
I haven’t seen a bikini in months. What say you Sic? What say you ALL?
Must have promised an unnamed hero to just sit and spin for a while.
Don’t say it 9″.
You should see Jim in his thong,and engineer boots…
“Now that victory is within their grasp, though, the GOP leadership in the House”
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
If the GOP is dead how is it that they still put up candidates for office, get them elected and then those elected cockroaches end up working with the Democrats to our destruction? There is a sizeable group within the party trying to change it and they could really use some help. Get involved, it’s the only way to change this mess. No third party will have an appreciable impact whether at the national level, state level or local level. There may be a Libertarian (or some other third party candidate) that wins an isolated election but there will never be a quantity of such elected officials. Are you so languid you would rather watch Rome burn than to get involved and miss your favorite TV show once or twice a month? Bitching here won’t change a thing.
http://www.lexingtongop.com/
Would one be “languid” if they decided that stepping out of the way of an oncoming semi-truck might be prudent even if it’s going over a cliff instead of trying to “save” it?
For crying out loud, have the common sense to know that you are simply a pawn in an unwinnable game.
What, do you need another 100 years of voting before you accept that reality?
The Republican Party arose from the ashes of the Whig Party. But even by then, Yankee legislators had become career politicians.
The Country is ready to support anyone who can free them from this long nightmare of relativistic ethics, fascist economics, and racial bullying. They will support people like Ben Carson or Ted Cruz. Somewhere along the trail, there must be some trust, but at this point, we are trying to put new wine in a very old wineskin. The last time somebody tried to do that, they nailed his butt to a tree in Jerusalem.
“Somewhere along the trail, there must be some trust”
Faith in man is what got us in trouble in the first place.
“In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.”-Jefferson
The Founders simply failed at trying to restrain power with the Constitution.
There has to be a massive paradigm shift to accomplish greater freedom…I’m doubtful that will happen anytime soon. The Constitution was a step in the right direction but it must be acknowledged that it has failed…and even a “return” to it would end up with the same result we have now.
OK, so we shoot all the Democrats. But, then what?
Dear Rear Admiral James H. Rodman (Chief Engineer of the Navy’s Space and Fitsnews Warfare Systems Command)…….
Hot Dang Admiral….its me…..”Earnest T. Bass”..! We wonder if you will take time to read this article today..? Why should you.? Is this a “defensive” article or an “Offensive” article.? Just look at how dis-organized the troops are here in the comment section. Who’s fault is that? Why did I wait so long to comment on this article..?
James……how would the Sheriff of Mayberry use this article to send Assad a message that would make Putin smile?
James….what would “Patton” tell troops on either side of the Volga to do that would have won a battle without firing a shot? How many “consumers” lives would have been saved..? How much tax revenue generation would have been “saved”..? Heck, how would “Patton” have used his troops Thrift Savings Plan to lay bets on a war that did not involve firing a shot..?
James……..what would happen if the *”Taliban”* had “reservations” like our Indian tribes do now..?
James…….when Wil Folks reads this comment….do you think he will get a kick out of reading it to his WIFE in bed…!? James…….who are the SPAWAR “queens”..?
We wonder…….if “Patton” and “Sherman” had read your Fedtech magazine article……would they both smile..?