HEALTHCARE IS ALSO THE GOP'S WATERLOO

As Congress reconvenes after a tumultuous August break, most Americans are unsettled, knowing their future hangs in the balance. Republicans are especially concerned, as they feel a lack of representation from their elected officials. This is going to be a make or break year for these officials, as constituents watch with a hawk eye. The Republican party also hangs in the balance.

The following is an excellent op-ed from the Senate Conservatives Fund:


Healthcare Is Also the GOP's Waterloo
SCF, September 6, 2009

One of President Obama's early attempts to deflect attention away from his unpopular health care policy was to attack Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) for saying the debate would be Obama's "Waterloo."

Of course, now everyone agrees DeMint was right. Saying this debate is make-or-break for the president now is stating the obvious.

But one thing that may be overlooked is that the health care debate is also the GOP's Waterloo. Just as the president has everything to lose, so do Republicans.

Conservative activists across the country are energized like never before in their opposition to government health care. They expect Republicans to hold firm, and will turn on them if they don't. The GOP is already suffering from straying from its core conservative principles. If Republicans fail this critical test, the damage done to their brand could be irreparable.

Some Republicans -- especially in the Senate -- believe it is their duty to work with Democrats to "do something" on nearly every issue. Never mind the fact that this "something" is almost always harmful to Americans. And never mind that these same Republicans swore an oath to protect and defend a Constitution, which repeatedly tells the Federal government what it cannot do rather than what it can do.

Infected by the "do something" disease, there is a very real chance that a few Republicans will be drawn into negotiations they cannot possibly win. Anything Republicans agree to will be twisted by a Democrat-controlled Congress and the most liberal President in modern times into something they don't even recognize a year or even months from now (see TARP).

President Obama is going to make the case Wednesday night that health care reform is the equivalent of putting a man on the moon and that both parties have a responsibility to come together to get it done. If Republicans fail to recognize that that is a debate where they cannot compromise, they could become a permanent minority party.

Conservatives are winning this debate and Republicans can make huge strides toward regaining the trust of the American people by fighting to stop the President's plan. Or they can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and help the Democrats put America on a one-way trip into socialism.

The Party of Reagan can either stand on principle and make millions of Americans proud to be Republicans again. Or it can remind everyone why it is still unfit to lead. For Republicans as much as for the president, the stakes could not be higher.