All that aside, there are some moments of clarity, for me, that have come from this election cycle and it would be a good thing for both parties to think about the aftermath.
Republicans were able to do something rare - they pulled off historic numbers for the second election in a row. Granted, the first election was a historic "behind-the-shed-butt-whoopin'" when they lost the rest of whatever they had left in 2008, but it was historic nonetheless. This one was historic too, but for a different reason. They had the biggest swing since the 1940's. Having a Republican take the governorship of Michigan was a monster-size surprise. I'm actually a little surprised the republicans did so well because I thought they were over-confident most of the race.
That being said, I don't believe that this is a referendum for Republicans. This is a chance. Obama is still a popular guy, and there are still people who disagree with everything republicans stand for. The republicans need to get their act together if they want to prove to the American public that their rhetoric is actually fact-based. Here is how to do that:
1) Communicate/Educate
Something that is rarely done is a good old-fashioned reach-out. If republicans want to get people to understand why they believe and do what they do, they need to stop celebrating and start educating. They need to play devil's advocate with themselves and answer the questions that "Joe Sixpack" will want to understand, because right now, he ain't happy.
Governor-elect Kasich has a plan to privatize much of Ohio's governmental structure including the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Development. He needs to have televised town halls and published white papers that explain why he thinks that this is a good idea and positive for the state of Ohio. He's going to have to lay out the plan and sell it to us. He's going to have to keep his opponents in mind and figure out how to solve their problems too. Just because the other party is in play doesn't mean that everything is solved, or that everything is better. Now, I don't in any way assume that everyone can be made to agree with the decisions the republicans make. But I believe that the partisan divide can be lessened with outreach and civil debate. Maybe each side will learn a thing or two.
2) Trade deficit
Truth of the matter is, nobody can deny that NAFTA needs to be renegotiated and that the trade deficit needs to be rectified. While some conservatives may like the lower prices they receive from labor being done elsewhere, and the while the world may be mad at us for raising tariffs on imports, the benefits of balancing US trade policy cannot be underestimated.
3) Health care
One of the things that people said after the 2008 elections is that "republicans had their chance to do something about health care and they refused to act". Republicans talk about repealing Obamacare, and that's fine, but they need to come up with a plan. Americans' appetites are whet for a solution. The republicans need to tackle it now. They can't run away from it any more. The American people have said they want health care reform, or even more so - insurance reform. Republicans cannot sweep this under the rug for the next 4-6 years or Democrats will come back into power, and that's not a good idea - balance is a good idea.
2) Trade deficit
Truth of the matter is, nobody can deny that NAFTA needs to be renegotiated and that the trade deficit needs to be rectified. While some conservatives may like the lower prices they receive from labor being done elsewhere, and the while the world may be mad at us for raising tariffs on imports, the benefits of balancing US trade policy cannot be underestimated.
3) Health care
One of the things that people said after the 2008 elections is that "republicans had their chance to do something about health care and they refused to act". Republicans talk about repealing Obamacare, and that's fine, but they need to come up with a plan. Americans' appetites are whet for a solution. The republicans need to tackle it now. They can't run away from it any more. The American people have said they want health care reform, or even more so - insurance reform. Republicans cannot sweep this under the rug for the next 4-6 years or Democrats will come back into power, and that's not a good idea - balance is a good idea.
Here's what I think they should do to take care of this: Leave health care up to the states.
Let the states set malpractice award limits. Let the states decide whether a single payer system is a good idea. The federal government should have two roles in health care, and two roles only: 1.) to allow health insurance sales across state lines and to 2.) legislate anti-trust oversight to keep the larger companies from swallowing the smaller companies, thus eliminating healthy competition. But here's the rub - they have to do it on their own, with no federal assistance.
Let the states set malpractice award limits. Let the states decide whether a single payer system is a good idea. The federal government should have two roles in health care, and two roles only: 1.) to allow health insurance sales across state lines and to 2.) legislate anti-trust oversight to keep the larger companies from swallowing the smaller companies, thus eliminating healthy competition. But here's the rub - they have to do it on their own, with no federal assistance.
Republicans are going to have to tackle issues that are important to democrats and all the people if they're going to show the US that they can be trusted into the future.
...and that's the way I see it.
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