Whoa up, winger!

Emily over at Battleground pointed out how bad a week, or I would say presidency, Obama is having. With his socialized health care support dwindling, the deficit and debt at record highs, making race-baiting comments turning out to be way off base, increased unemployment, wasting trillions in bailouts, and moderates on his side blasting away at the liberals, Obama is losing the public’s trust faster than maybe any other president in history.

In Iowa, Culver is having similar problems. From the floods and huge budget problems to his iJobs program going nowhere, and ticking off his base with the labor bills failing, Culver’s poll numbers are even worse than Obama’s. So will all of this stack up to major victories for Republicans in 2010?

My advice? Whoa up, winger.

With Obama and liberals in leadership, we can’t count on them pushing too far to the left. That does help, but without offering alternatives and proof we are no longer the Bush Party, we won’t win many seats. Some in our party would say it isn’t easy to do with the major issues of the day. I think that couldn’t be further off base. Whether we are debating health care or economic issues, the free market and American ingenuity is always the real answer. Nowhere in the history of the free world has government been able to solve our problems. And even if we look at the short history of the bailout bills we can’t see success. Imagine what a drastic corporate tax cut would have done to bolster the economy. Or with health care, imagine an emphasis put on health savings accounts and ending frivolous lawsuits. If Republicans offer a true alternative to socialism in the form of purer capitalism, we will win. It really is that simple. Let the people keep their money and get out of the way – it won’t take six months for this economy to stand up strong again.

With Culver it will be much easier because I don’t think there is anyone out there willing to go to bat for the man. He’s a failed politician with nothing to show for his governorship so far. Gronstal sees Culver more as an enemy than a friend and the liberals in Iowa think he’s gone off the capitulation deep end. I don’t know what friends he could have possibly made in the last couple years. Liberals dislike him, moderates think he’s a screw up, and Republicans never have liked him. Who does Culver’s base support now?

But once again we have to offer good alternatives and making a flat five percent cut of state government isn’t going to inspire anybody. We need to overhaul our tax and regulatory code on businesses. That means slashing taxes on business while freeing them up to make money – providing jobs for all those college kids who move out after being educated partly with our tax dollars. Our schools need accountability – not more money. We must remain strong on marriage and life. This means booting Democrat legislators every chance we get. This will take support from every Republican leaning organization and elected official in the state – and some outside resources as well. We won’t get a marriage amendment without the majorities.

With all of that said, we do have an excellent opportunity to regain some momentum lost by failed Republicans in the past six to eight years. But as Krusty wrote a few days ago, we can’t be lazy anymore. We have to want it more than the Democrats and that entails making phone calls, knocking doors, raising money, and never letting a liberal philosophy go unchallenged.