Litmus Test

The Republicans are at it again. They have developed a conservative litmus test by which all candidates are measured. The misfits who do not ring the bell at 80% will find that funding will be withheld from their campaigns. Once again, while I rarely agree with the Repubs, I admire their purpose-driven agenda in many respects. I had initially planned to write an essay regarding a progressive version, but that’s already been done, so let’s just criticize theirs – it’s more fun, anyway.

I am listing the stipulations below in essence rather than in whole, so we don’t go blind reading our way through a forest of “whereases”.

1. Support for smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits, and lower taxes by opposition to Obama’s stimulus bills and their ilk.
2. Support for market-based health care reform and opposition to ObamaCare.
3. Support for market-based energy reforms and opposition to cap and trade.
4. Support for a worker’s right to secret ballots and opposition to card check.
5. Support for legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing general amnesty.
6. Support for victory in Iraq and Afghanistan through military recommended troop surges.
7. Containment of Iran and North Korea, and elimination of their nuclear threat.
8. Support for the Defense of Marriage Act.
9. Opposition to health care rationing, denial of health care, and government funding for abortions.
10. Support the second amendment.

Let’s parse their list:

1. Good thing that the Republican Party has suddenly disavowed Bush the Lesser, since he presided over the most remarkable expansion of government since LBJ. Seems to me that the Republican-dominated Congress fought tooth and claw to give Bush everything that he demanded lest they join the ranks of the “unpatriotic”. Guess they have seen the light.
2. “Market-based health care reform” is a real winner, guys. Insurance regulation is a States’ Right. You cannot have this both ways. The individual states decide who may and may not sell insurance in their states, which has led to virtual monopolies in any number of areas. States do not have to permit the selling of insurance across state lines. As the Republicans stand firmly upon the Tenth Amendment, this will be a tough sell.
3. “Market-based energy reform” is another doozie. If I become unhappy with FP&L (Fl@rida Power and Light aka Fl@rida Plunder and Loot), I should just find a competitor, say maybe the Tennessee Valley Authority and hook up? That would be quite an extension cord.
4. The worker’s right to a secret ballot is something I can agree with. I don’t understand how anyone can think that there is more pressure at the ballot box. I’ve been involved in a number of organizing campaigns, and the hard part is collecting the cards with people’s signatures on them to be turned in to the employer. After that, balloting is pretty much of a breeze.
5. Support for legal immigration is not all bad either. After the massive amnesty of the Reagan administration, the new Americans demanded a living wage that agro-business was unwilling to pay, so they imported a whole new group of illegals to work the field for slave wages, inadequate housing, and social services provided by the local property owners. I don’t pretend to have all of the answers to this, but enforcement must start with the employers, or the cycle will repeat ad infinitum.
6. Victory in Iraq and Afghanistan has a real ring to it. 30,000 troops (at $30B/year – yes, $1B/soldier/year) is not the answer. Probably the only real answer would be to reinstitute the draft, send 500,000 troops over, and damn the damage to the oil fields. ‘Nuff said, not gonna happen. The Repubs could care less about our kids (theirs aren’t going), but the oil fields are quite another matter.
7. Containment of North Korea and Iran, and elimination of their nuclear threat. Sounds good, fellows, what do you have in mind?
8. Defense of Marriage Act. Please, please explain to me how a gay couple marrying in Vermont will mess up your happy home in Alabama. I’m having some real trouble figuring this one out.
9. Opposition to health care rationing, denial of health care, and federal funding of abortions. Excellent choice – do you plan to tell the insurance companies to stop rationing and denying, because that would be one helluva start. Of course, that would significantly decrease your funding………
10. Support for the Second Amendment. Okay, the Second Amendment clearly states that citizens are permitted to bear arms in order to maintain a militia. I cannot find a thing in this amendment that guarantees your God-given right to own a fully automatic weapon, a cannon (unless you are a historic re-enactor, what the hell do you plan to do with it?), a Sherman tank or a rocket launcher (not covered by the “red glare”).

This is an open thread.