THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume XII, Issue # 245, November 11, 2010
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
2010 ELECTIONS: WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
By Christopher G. Adamo
THE 2010 U.S. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS: RESURGENCE OF TRADITIONAL AMERICAN CONSTITUTIONAL
CONSERVATISM AS THE FORCE CURRENTLY DEFINING & DOMINATING THE POLITICAL LANDSCAPE IN THE U.S.A. -- THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE POLITICAL RIGHT PROPERLY INTERPRETRING & EXPLAINING THE REALITIES OF THE 2010 ELECTIONS &
THEN CHARTING THE RIGHT & WISE COURSE TO THE PRESIDENTIAL & CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS OF 2012 -- THE
IMPORTANCE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FOCUSING UPON CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUES, AS WELL AS ISSUES RELATING TO
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY -- THE NEED FOR REPUBLICANS TO INSIST THAT THE U.S. NATIONAL GOVERNMENT CONFINE ITS
POLICIES & ACTIONS TO ITS SCOPE OF LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY, AS DEFINED & LIMITED BY THE AMERICAN FEDERAL
CONSTITUTION
FULL STORY:
The sheer enormity of the 2010 mid-term elections has caused disfavored political players to scramble and posture.
Some who, only a few years ago, had believed their agenda to be the wave of the future now find themselves
relegated to the political fringe, while a resurgence of traditional Americanism is proving to be the force that defines
and dominates the political landscape.
Of course, those who suffered voter rejection last week are not going to simply accept their defeat and go home.
Politicians in general are hardly prone to such a course. But, for the Leftists whom the voters soundly rebuffed in
this year’s elections, doing so is simply not an option. Every effort, no matter how transparent, to spin, distort, or
otherwise rewrite this year’s events will be the necessary price of retaining power, or at least claiming to do so.
Fortunately for them, the election results exhibit sufficient ambiguity to be exploited, albeit with significant effort, as
“proof” of the virtues and worthiness of the Liberal/Socialist agenda. So, America must be ready to see Marxism
repackaged slightly, and then heaved upon them once again, unless the realities of the 2010 elections can be
properly interpreted and explained, and the right course charted to 2012.
Without question, the most striking event was the Republican landslide in the U.S. House of Representatives. With
a net gain of sixty-three seats, Republicans have received an undeniable mandate from the American people. But
exactly what is the nature of that mandate? While a “safe” and shortsighted version might focus strictly on fiscal
responsibility, this is only a single piece of the answer.
Indeed, the “Tea Party” movement of 2009 and 2010 was fueled, in large part, by citizen outrage over the abominable
spending excesses of the U.S. central government. Just as vehemently however, this grassroots uprising was in
reaction to the wholly unconstitutional realms into which the central government had inserted itself. From “healthcare” to
environmental alarmism to the takeover of private industries, to the imposition of morally bankrupt edicts through
judicial activism, the Obama administration and its like-minded statists in the Congress and the U.S. Courts have
grossly abused the limited and defined powers entrusted to them by the consent of the people.
Clearly, the stark power shift in the Congress reflected an initial effort by the American people to re-establish proper
limitations on governmental authority, and to repeal, defund, or otherwise countermand every extra-constitutional
attempt to grow it beyond those limits. As the nation’s primary representative body, it is understandable the
Congress would be the epicenter of this movement, and the stunning turnover of seats from Liberal Democrats to
“Tea Party” Republicans bears witness to the fervency of these sentiments.
Unfortunately, U.S. Senate races were perceived and conducted differently, and the significantly less striking results
in that body bear sad but sobering witness to the problems that must be confronted there. Unlike the House, the
Senate largely succeeded in retaining its air of superiority as an elitist “fraternity.” Concerted grassroots efforts to
shake-up the Senate were successfully thwarted, particularly by establishment Republicans whose main goal was not
the restoration of the country, but the preservation of their exclusive society. Senate candidates whose election
promised the infiltration of common sensical thinking into its hallowed halls were systematically undercut by
Republican treachery. Though they might be suitable as Representatives in the Congress, they were typecast as
substandard for the Senate. Unfortunately, the public proved susceptible to this tactic.
While Nevada Republican candidate Sharron Angle may well have fallen victim to rampant vote-fraud and fetid
Democratic Party machine politics, she was also betrayed by prominent Nevada “Republicans” who publicly endorsed
Harry Reid. “Party Unity” and other platitudes only apply when Republican “moderates” (read: Liberals) are attempting
to co-opt Conservatives into supporting them.
Not surprisingly, ever since the results of the U.S. election in Deleware were reported, the GOP “insiders” have been
crowing incessantly over the decisive loss of Delaware Republican candidate Christine O’Donnell to Leftist Democrat
Chris Coons. The polls had hardly closed before former Bush strategist Karl Rove was putting forth his self-adulatory
“I told you so” statements regarding his assessment of O’Donnell as “unelectable.” Ditto for fellow insider Charles
Krauthammer, who, like Rove, never missed an opportunity to deride and undermine O’Donnell’s candidacy. So their
“credibility” remains intact, even if the country suffers from the result.
In truth however, neither O’Donnell nor her supporters need bear any shame over her effort. Despite the fact that all of
the “experts” were convinced that, had her Liberal Republican opponent, Mike Castle, won in the primary, he would
have easily sailed through to a general election victory, the story hardly ends there. Outside of the Beltway, the
situation bears a more cogent analysis. Would Conservative prospects in the U.S. Senate have really fared better with
forty-seven Republicans, one of whom being the RINO Mike Castle? Or are they actually stronger with the current
forty-six who know that they are expected to remain loyal to Conservative principles or face a primary opponent like
O’Donnell in their next election?
Without being naively optimistic, a certain distinct benefit does redound from the less than ideal Tuesday election
results. In 1994, a conglomeration of conditions, including the Christian Coalition, the ascendancy of Rush Limbaugh,
and public backlash against Hillarycare combined to bring about the Republican landslide in both houses.
Unfortunately, those who ultimately achieved that year’s resounding success subsequently laid it at the feet of the
Republican Party, which then proceeded to dissemble and squander it.
In stark contrast, the tidal wave of the 2010-midterm elections resulted overwhelmingly from the heartfelt sentiments of
the “Tea Party” movement. These grassroots patriots are not about to repeat the mistakes of the past, and are acutely
aware that much work needs to be done to keep this Herculean effort moving forward. Any benefits enjoyed by the
GOP establishment are given on a conditional and possibly temporary basis. Platitudes and rhetoric, in lieu of actual
results, are not acceptable. 2012 can be another resounding victory for the constitutionalists of the Tea Party and the
GOP, but only if the latter mends its ways, finds its spine, and returns decidedly to its Conservative roots.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Politics, Political Competition, & the Control of
Public Policy: Elections, Political Parties, Political Factions,
Ideologies, Special Interest Groups, & Political Corruption
American Government & the U.S. Congress:
Congressional Legislative Politics & National Public Policy
The American Political System:
Politics & Government in the U.S.A.
The American Political & Cultural Left:
Liberals, Statists, Socialists, Marxists, & Other Leftists:
The Democratic Party, Academia, & the Mainstream Media
Liberalism Versus Conservatism in American Politics
-------------------------
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY & POLITICAL IDEOLOGIES:
COMPETING SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL THOUGHT
Conservatism
Traditional Conservatism: Questions & Answers
Conservatism: Attitudes, Types, & Present Status
Constitutional Conservatism: American & British
Liberalism
Classical Liberalism: Intellectual Foundations
Classical Liberalism: Conservative Liberalism
Manchester Liberalism & Social Darwinism
Modern Social "Liberalism": Statist "Liberalism"
Radical & Totalitarian Ideologies
Radicalism, Utopianism, & Totalitarianism
Christopher G. Adamo is a resident of southeastern Wyoming. He has been involved in politics at the local and state
levels for many years. His contact information and article archives can be found at www.chrisadamo.com
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THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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Conservative Government Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity