The 114th Congress now has the opportunity to show the world what it can do now that its Republican majority does not have to worry about Democrat opposition. They also know the Democrats are sitting in wait, watching for a break in the solidarity that won conservatives control of Congress.
The Republicans no longer can blame the Democrats for getting in their way to resolve the major problems facing America: immigration, employment, balancing the federal budget, healthcare and gun control among the important topics.
The major dilemma facing the Republicans in Congress and their desire to take over the White House in two years isn’t the problems that we have faced for the past six years. It is who controls the Republican Party.
Immigration is a dilemma for Republicans. Crack down really hard on the millions of illegal immigrants in this country and they face a revolt in the Latin community. Block a path to citizenship, deport as many illegals as you can find and there will not be a Latin vote for the Republicans in the next presidential election.
Republicans must learn that the majority of “new” illegal immigrants are not those sneaking over the border from Mexico. They are foreign nationals that were issued student or tourist visas and never bothered to go home when their visa expired. And, these individuals are almost impossible to find.
Republicans better come up with an alternate plan to finance health coverage for everyone. The suggestion that we should just go back to the “old way’ is no longer acceptable to the majority of the public. If you don’t like Obamacare suggest an alternative.
Employment was a big issue as little as five or six months ago but today is not a good rallying point for Republicans. We are down to 5 percent unemployment. Economists say that 5 percent represents the normal turnover in workers looking for a better job. So we are close to full employment. The only issue the Republicans can hone in on is the number of underemployed — still a big number in my opinion.
The big issue is reducing the deficit. Drafting a “real” budget. Reducing the outstanding debt our nation is now owing China and other treasury holders. The real question is can reduced taxes create better paying jobs. Republicans have two years to prove the issue and then they must defend their position in a presidential election. Perhaps they should look back in history and see how Bill Clinton accomplished this feat when he lived in the White House.
A growing concern is gun ownership and the National Rifle Association’s control on members of Congress. The general public is recognizing that the old saying: clearing backgrounds and register gun ownership and only the crooks will have guns from an enforcement prospective is to a degree true. But voters are getting restless with all the shooting in our residential neighborhoods. We are demanding something new in the law that is enforceable as we are losing our children and their parents in greater numbers every day.
The real problem facing Republicans is who controls the party. A swing to the left is imperative if Republicans want the White House in two years. The right wing of the party still seems to feel that if the party must make a choice it would be better to stand on conservative principals and lose an election than to admit their errors and win the White House. Nominate a Paul Ryan and the White House goes to the Democrats.
Nominate a Christie from New Jersey and the Republicans stand a very good chance of taking control of the White House. This is no reflection on Ryan, it is just a fact that 50 percent of voting Americans will not buy his concepts.
This is going to be a very interesting two years. How the 114th Congress progresses will lay the foundation for the next presidential election. But isn’t that true every four years?
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