“Throw out all the bums!”
That’s the message one sitting Republican congressman recently received via email from a warm constituent. “I hope this doesn’t happen to you,” the voter confided, sending his representative an anti-Congress message. And then he added, “…but whatever.”
In other words, there is anti-Washington sentiment, fairly or unfairly. It was once joked that voters generally adopted the attitude: “Throw these bums out – just not mine!” However, Congress is currently consistently unfavorable in public opinion polls. So even if you appreciate your congressman’s virtues and accomplishments, you may have been too disillusioned with politics and politicians in general to care that much about who gets swept up in the Tea Party wave.
The recipient of the “whatever” email will receive it. Republican Party leaders seem to feel the same way, which is why they would like you to log on to Americaspeakingout.com.
The website’s reason for existence is explained as follows: “America deserves a Congress that respects its citizens’ priorities. Unfortunately, Washington didn’t listen. Let’s change it.”
As Republican Kevin McCarthy of California, who spearheaded the project, explained it: “It’s an open community and debate about ideas; you present an idea, you debate it, you put it in your network and you will continue to have this dialogue.”
America Speaking Out comes at the perfect time. We all remember the town halls last summer where people across the country let their congressmen know exactly what they thought about Washington’s push for health care. Republicans hope that voters will start talking again about their dissatisfaction with the ruling party in Washington and support helping set the opposition’s agenda and vote for it in November.
This approach also comes from a certain amount of humility. In a Facebook post, Sarah Palin, the Queen of the Tea Party if there is one, endorsed the initiative, writing: “From the relief measures, to the wasteful stimulus spending bill, to the $2.5 trillion (sic) health care takeover, Washington has stopped listen to us, average, hard-working Americans… so we do something about it.”
Another way to put it is: “We know you’re mad, and you’ve been mad along the way, both as Republicans and Democrats. We understand that and we want you to make sure we make a difference.”
Is America Speaking Out a marketing stunt? Of course it is. But having been elected to a House majority before – during the so-called revolution in 1994 – House Republicans know that gimmicks without substance and consequence are meaningless and even disastrous. That’s why Republicans are not in the majority right now. And if they screw it up again – Republican John Boehner of Ohio, the presumptive Speaker of the House if Republicans win the majority in November, has been quite open and consistent in saying that – they deserve any loss that comes from this.
As a veteran of the 1994 revolution told me: “Times are different than 1994, when Newt and Dick could come down from the mountaintop with 10 Contract tablets, see ads in TV Guide and Reader’s Digest, organize a mass event on the steps of the Capitol and expect everyone to sign.”
He continues: “Trust in government is at a 50-year low, “official” is a four-letter word, and the Republican Party remains in the dumps, so this fresh environment must be taken into account when developing an agenda. Of course, it may develop in a completely unknown direction!”
That’s a risk Republicans probably have to take. Perhaps this isn’t such a dramatic risk precisely because it suggests that Republicans – at least in leadership – are already doing a lot of listening. They notice a fresh, civically energetic environment. They also see that the Tea Party’s anger is not simply disgust at Washington or the government. Poll after poll suggests that the Tea Party movement reflects center-right, conservative values. These should be Republican voters.
America Speaking Out suggests certainty about this. The website announces commitments to “limited, more accountable government, economic freedom, lower taxes, fiscal responsibility, pro-life, American values and the Constitution, and ensuring strong national security.” Moreover, Republicans will tell you they have confidence that under Obama and Pelosi, Republicans in the House not only said no to bad ideas but offered alternatives on health care, spending, jobs, regulatory reform, energy and other issues. It’s a shame that most of it isn’t taken seriously, but it’s not a topic for vagrants.
Long after the news is introduced on its website, Americans will continue to express their views on this topic. And increasingly, the people who are willing to make sacrifices to appear as elected representatives on Capitol Hill have little interest in fooling themselves that Washington is separate from them. Power can corrupt, but knowing that too many of their club members have followed this path in the past, they know that this is what losers do. There’s still a long way to go until November, but it’s not a bad way to jump into summer.
