GOP minions face doom

Watching the implosion of the GOP is fascinating.

Do you remember that scene in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery where the Evil Minion covers his face, screams “No!” and cowers in abject fear as the steam roller inches at a snail’s pace toward him? He had 20 yards clearance and could have simply taken a step to escape his fate, but chose to duck, scream and cover as the squish-o-matic moved inexorably closer.

That’s what it’s like watching the GOP Congress and President as poll after poll has confirmed that “yup, that steam roller is definitely coming.” The steam roller, in this case, is powered by voter outrage over illegal immigration, out-of-control spending and corruption.

And how do our own congressional minions seek to escape their fate? A $100 gas bribe? Anti-flag desecration laws? More pork for their constituents?

And all the GOP congressmen have to do to escape their impending doom is follow the will of the people and do the job they were elected to do. Instead, they watch with fear as their fate inches slowly closer. All they have to do is follow the principles on which they were elected and ignore the Beltway lobbying cacophony and mindset that the world will end if they do their jobs.

It seems as though legislators are unwilling to do anything that will result in some special interest group being unhappy at the end of the day. Well guess what, guys? While you’re busy cozying up to special interests, you’re losing your mainstream supporters.

The bulk of the people who voted for you want:

• An end to illegal immigration. Do what is necessary to staunch the flow of illegal entry through our southern border, whether that includes a huge fence or Draconian crackdown on employers of illegals. We don’t want platitudes, we don’t want feel good guest worker provisions and we sure-as-heck don’t want amnesty.
• An end to extravagant spending and earmarks for funding special projects in your home districts. I realize the “pork barrel” has been the key to preserving incumbency in the past, but this era of immediate information availability exposes this practice for what it is: bribes for your voters at the nation’s expense.
• Your allegiance to them instead of Beltway lobbyists and big business which promises to feather your nest in exchange for legislative consideration. Repeat after me: “It’s public service, not use-your-legislative-power-to-pad-your-bank-account service.

I’m a member of the disheartened majority. We didn’t have a million people taking to the streets this week in support of everything from border-crashing lawbreakers to socialism to Che Guevara…what we do have are millions of little soapboxes spread throughout the blogosphere. In the old reality, politicians could count on the media to control the talking points and spread of information – and media members could be wined, dined and the story refined to the liking of the politician. Voices from pundits in the blogosphere have diminished the mainstream media’s influence – and there are too many soapboxes to buy them all off.

It’s a new era, but today’s politicians are trapped by the Beltway belief in the old one and so cower before the creeping engine of their demise…when all they have to do is take a step in the right direction.