The Luzerne County Republican Party came out swinging two nights ago. Well, not really because as you will see Republicans are not brawlers, but please read on. There was a sense of resurgence and pride to be a Republican that filled the packed room of candidates and party members. For too long Luzerne County(and Lackawanna too) were dominated by the Philadephia/Chicago style of democratic tricks that kept the Democrats in control of county offices. The reputation of the Democrats in this region has been more than marred by the actions and misdeeds at the Luzerne County Courthouse.
I saw a post that likened the atmosphere at this event to old style politics of "blame and restore". That asssessment couldn't be further off the mark. Paul DeFabo even called on Democratic candidates who might be in the audience to stand up and be noticed.
Lou Barletta's speech centered on the word "conservatism" becoming the new "liberal" in the American political lexicon. Liberalism was once a icon representing disorder for the country-racial freedom came to mean riots and crime; sexual freedom came to mean divorce; and cultural freedom came to mean disrespect for family, church and flag. Lou stated Just as Democratic politicians once distanced themselves from the liberal label, many Republicans now are worried about being called conservatives.
In a sense conservatism became a victim of its own success. In its bid for economic freedom it is now associated with economic disorder. In the pursuit of economic freedom a new movement of pro-government conservatives were born who morphed into a failed policy of increased government regulation and government spending. The traditional conservative values were abandoned.
John McCain's promises to cut taxes, cut spending and get government out of the way left them cold. Among the almost half of voters who said they were "very worried" that the economic crisis would hurt their family, Obama beat McCain by 26 points. In a sense a new conservative disorder became the old liberalism, cultural disorder replaced with economic disorder.
It appears the mood of the country right now is wanting of pampered oversight by government like parents watching over their children. Obama said it in his speech "But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back to life." The president also said that tax cuts, by themselves, cannot revive the economy.
The disorder in the 60's has been replaced today with economic discombobulation begging for intervention from someone, anyone.
The public mood on economics today is a lot like the public mood on culture 40 years ago: Americans want government to impose law and order-to keep their 401(k)s from going down, to keep their health-care premiums from going up, to keep their jobs from going overseas-and they don't much care whose heads Washington has to bash to do it.
Lou blamed politicians of both parties for excessive partisanship that he said has caused many Americans to lose faith in government.
Forty years ago, liberalism looked like the problem in a nation spinning out of control. Today that word is conservatism. Liberalism, which average Americans once associated with upheaval, now promises stability instead. But that is on a national level.
Luzerne County represents a world, not spinnning, but actually out of control. No bid contracts, juvenile rights violations, excessive salaries, money missing, credit and debit card fraud, excessive pricing on contracts, no accountabiliity for assets like vehicles, distrust of the entire judiciary process starting with the District Attorney's office and ending in the halls of what was tought to be justice, no show employees, failed appeals process in the assessment mess..oh the list could go on. Luzerne County residents lost their faith in county government but more importantly the courts which were believed to be the last bastion of justice.
The Repbulicans should mark its rebirth with renewed optimism. Luzerne County is not the nation but its own local castle. If the local Republican party stays focused on the local issues and leaves Barack to his own demise it will be successful in November. Steve Urban was once viewed as a sort or sorts. Today his words resonate to exemplify what took the FBI and the Secret Service to root out.
The Luzerne County crisis has brought opportunity. If the Republicans restore faith through a carefully crafted fireside chat with voters in Luzerne County victory will be theirs. If the Republicans use the same old rhetoric from elections past the voters are a much smarter breed and will not honor them with victory. The message has to be simple. WE GOT IT AND WE ARE ON IT.
Don't tell the voters what you are going to do about the Luzerne County mess. Show them the plan. Then execute it. Earning their trust won't be as important as keeping it. Row Officers won't have to accomplish their goals overnight but they will have to show progress. Communication is key in any relationship.
As they progress in turning the County around they must tell the constituents about their efforts. Good efforts gone unnoticed will be exactly that.
Turning to conservatism values will bring a new era of trust. There is a duty of loyalty owed to the voters and a duty of care owed to Luzerne County government. Non profit doesn't mean no profit. And less government does not mean no goverment. Accountability and oversight can never have enough redundancy.
On the national level there are too many examples that the Democrats are as much if not more to blame for our economic disorder. But the likes of Matt Lauer, CNN, and the New York Times go out of their way to hide it. These times are the worst case of media malpractice I have ever witnessed. The public has to be wary when it keeps saying "there ought to be a law." I believe this country was founded becauase our forefathers wanted freedom. The Boston Tea Party happened because there was too much governement taxation. For now it appears people won't mind paying extra taxes. That will soon wear off. But for now let's stick to the local issues like wasted taxation.
Gort42, Bill O"Boyle at the Times Leader, and David Yonki have more on Lou's words and the other candidates that evening.
2 comments:
Just a note, Mr McGruff: I added you to the blogroll at CSPT.
Dana, Thank You. Keep Up The Good Work over at CSPT. You know what they say about common sense, there's just not enough of it these days.
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