Pride goeth before destruction" the Good Book says a haughty spirit before a fall." Republicans learned that proverb the hard way in 2006.
They came to power in 1994 riding a populist wave of anger the result of 40 years of Democratic control of Congress that culminated in an explosion of federal spending scandals sweetheart deals for lobbyists and smug politicians thumbing their noses at the American people by spewing out intrusive regulations from which they exempted themselves.
A decade later Republicans were indistinguishable from the Democrats they replaced. Spending was out of control. Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham were drowning Congress in corruption. Tom DeLay was hard at work on his K Street Project" turning Washington lobbyists into GOP functionaries.
The Contract with America that pledged to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives" was in tatters.
Yet after the 2004 election Karl Rove still mused about a Republican majority that might endure 20 30 or even 40 years. Like the dinosaurs haughty GOP leaders didnt comprehend that the end was coming.
They didnt see how the disconnection between what Republicans said and what they did was angering the American people. They didnt understand that a single narrowly-won election wasnt a mandate for arrogance. They forgot that message" victories are achieved not so much by reinforcing partisan voters but by earning the support of the vast number of Americans who have no real party loyalty.
Voters vented their wrath at Republicans in 2006 and again in 2008. Liberal writer John Judis crowed about the culmination of a Democratic realignment." Strategist James Carville published the swaggering 40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation."
Democrats swiftly unlearned all the lessons of the GOPs mighty fall. They criticized the prodigal spending of the Bush years then doubled down on bailouts clunkers and a pork-laden stimulus. They pledged to clean out the culture of corruption then protected the leadership positions of John Murtha and Charles Rangel.
They said they would keep lobbyists out then quietly crafted exceptions that put influence peddlers into the Obama administration.
They promised transparency then slammed the doors shut for back room deals on the most important legislative measure in a half-century. They vowed to post bills online 72 hours in advance then voted in the dead of night on legislation they had not even read. They talked about an America that was purple then tried to ram through a true blue agenda that is a radical shift from the constitutional principles of limited government.
The worst mistake however was this. In one short year of one-party supermajority rule pretentious Democrats have turned every nonconformist into a political enemy.
They ridiculed the tea party movement as a GOP contrivance and insulted its members with obscene sexual innuendo. They mocked concerned citizens at town hall meetings and bused in activists to drown out the opposition. And anyone who spoke ill of Van Jones Anita Dunn or ACORN they derided as hacks liars or the old reliable of liberals who have run out of legitimate arguments racists.
All that pomposity came crashing down Tuesday in Massachusetts.
Its far too early to write any political obituaries but now the Democrats are the dinosaurs. GOP leaders still havent proven that theyve gotten the message of the last two national elections.
But the Democrats reptilian tone deafness and arrogant stupidity have guaranteed that Republicans benefit from the fireball of public discontent.
Pride goeth before destruction" the Good Book says a haughty spirit before a fall." Republicans learned that proverb the hard way in 2006.
They came to power in 1994 riding a populist wave of anger the result of 40 years of Democratic control of Congress that culminated in an explosion of federal spending scandals sweetheart deals for lobbyists and smug politicians thumbing their noses at the American people by spewing out intrusive regulations from which they exempted themselves.
A decade later Republicans were indistinguishable from the Democrats they replaced. Spending was out of control. Jack Abramoff and Duke Cunningham were drowning Congress in corruption. Tom DeLay was hard at work on his K Street Project" turning Washington lobbyists into GOP functionaries.
The Contract with America that pledged to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives" was in tatters.
Yet after the 2004 election Karl Rove still mused about a Republican majority that might endure 20 30 or even 40 years. Like the dinosaurs haughty GOP leaders didnt comprehend that the end was coming.
They didnt see how the disconnection between what Republicans said and what they did was angering the American people. They didnt understand that a single narrowly-won election wasnt a mandate for arrogance. They forgot that message" victories are achieved not so much by reinforcing partisan voters but by earning the support of the vast number of Americans who have no real party loyalty.
Voters vented their wrath at Republicans in 2006 and again in 2008. Liberal writer John Judis crowed about the culmination of a Democratic realignment." Strategist James Carville published the swaggering 40 More Years: How the Democrats Will Rule the Next Generation."
Democrats swiftly unlearned all the lessons of the GOPs mighty fall. They criticized the prodigal spending of the Bush years then doubled down on bailouts clunkers and a pork-laden stimulus. They pledged to clean out the culture of corruption then protected the leadership positions of John Murtha and Charles Rangel.
They said they would keep lobbyists out then quietly crafted exceptions that put influence peddlers into the Obama administration.
They promised transparency then slammed the doors shut for back room deals on the most important legislative measure in a half-century. They vowed to post bills online 72 hours in advance then voted in the dead of night on legislation they had not even read. They talked about an America that was purple then tried to ram through a true blue agenda that is a radical shift from the constitutional principles of limited government.
The worst mistake however was this. In one short year of one-party supermajority rule pretentious Democrats have turned every nonconformist into a political enemy.
They ridiculed the tea party movement as a GOP contrivance and insulted its members with obscene sexual innuendo. They mocked concerned citizens at town hall meetings and bused in activists to drown out the opposition. And anyone who spoke ill of Van Jones Anita Dunn or ACORN they derided as hacks liars or the old reliable of liberals who have run out of legitimate arguments racists.
All that pomposity came crashing down Tuesday in Massachusetts.
Its far too early to write any political obituaries but now the Democrats are the dinosaurs. GOP leaders still havent proven that theyve gotten the message of the last two national elections.
But the Democrats reptilian tone deafness and arrogant stupidity have guaranteed that Republicans benefit from the fireball of public discontent.
