How to channel & ride the incoming tide
By Mike Asmus
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas A conservative wave swept across the nation earlier this month significantly bolstering Republican numbers in state legislatures & in both houses of Congress. And here in Texas the state House will have a record high 99 Republicans come January strengthening what had been a very thin majority; in the state Senate Republicans maintain their 19-12 majority.
Whether the elections were a run to the right or a running away from the left or something in between the sea has in fact changed.
As many as 30 of the nations 50 governors mansions will have Republican tenants.
In Washington John Boehner will take the gavel from Nancy Pelosi in the U.S. House and the Senate split closes to being just four conservatives away from a Republican majority.
How best for veteran and rookie members of the newly-strengthened conservative blocs in Texas & D.C. to ride the tide?
Mapping Success
First off is extending the natural duration of this tidal swell by enhancing the likelihood of a returning (and possibly stronger) majority delegation in 2012 and beyond through redistricting. This decennial shuffle of state and federal house and senate district lines is done by the legislatures of the states.
Thanks to soaring population growth Texas gets the added perk of inserting three to four
additional U.S. House districts within the borders of the Lone Star State.
By its very nature redistricting offers the majority party an upper hand in keeping and making districts politically friendly for its own members. But the process need not be openly
retributive or punitive and shouldnt be too heavy of a hand and the maps will be thrown out and redrawn by a review board (state districts) or a court (federal districts).
Measure Once Cut Twice ... or More
In January while the knife of political capital is at its hottest cut spending. Then while the knife is still warm cut again.
It will take a stern disciplined hand to wield this knife beyond token trimmings.
Texans are looking at a budget deficit in the $20 billion range; the national debt is something along the order of $1.5 trillion. You dont right these ships by rearranging deck chairs a lot of ballast needs to be shed.
This always sounds so easy to Lawmaker XYZ ... until the expenditure funding a program or project in Lawmaker XYZs district comes up for review. Suddenly this one becomes indispensable its everyone elses projects that are gumming up the works.
If state and federal spending isnt significantly cut come 2012 voters will be sending in a new roster as quickly as they did this election cycle.
Any legislator even hinting at a tax increase could easily find him or herself the focus of a vigorous recall effort.
Looking specifically at Congress the also-to-do list includes:
- Ensuring the Bush tax cuts remain in place.
- De-nationalizing healthcare and enact meaningful accessibility & affordability reforms.
- Kill-and-bury Cap-and-Trade legislation.
Legislating Not Adjudicating
As mentioned U.S. House leadership changes next year. A strong longstanding urge for newly-minted majority party members is to investigate the actions of the newly-minted minority members.
Special hearings select committees blue ribbon panels tasked with searching for misstated intents covered-up missteps and outright misbehavior might all make for amusing political
theater in economic times of abundance and growth.
But today with about 1-in-10 of us searching for work in a nation with nearly $14 trillion in debt throws stage presence and showmanship right off the list of things to pursue.
Making Decisions Taking Actions
A state and a nation of people governed by the rule of law requires a hierarchy of government. Like the air we breathe government is at its best when it cant be seen or smelled.
The format of our federal and state governments is democracy in which the ultimate authority to govern lies with the people served by the government. The form of our democracy is republic in which representatives of the people write carry out and rule on law within the checks and balances set forth by a constitution.
The forum for the writing of the law is the legislative body in which legislators strive to acknowledge the will of the majority protect the rights of the minority and improve the lives of all people.
Decision making might best describe the role of a legislator. The actions events and occurrences in the world around us stem from hundreds thousands millions of big and small decisions made every day.
Here in our part of the world no road is built no public school student taught no public service offered nor program started without a decision first having been made in a legislative body.
Heres hoping for a good decision making season a rising tide floats all boats right?
A former mayor & State Senate Communications Director Mike Asmus managed the 2010 congressional campaign of Donna Campbell who remains in the hunt for 2012.
