My greatest fear now that the elections are history and the GOP has posted big victories in their quest for recapture of our government, is that more in-fighting and jockeying for control will take some of the bloom off the roses.
The old establishment Republicans who led the party to defeat in 2008 because of runaway government exercised by the George Bush bunch and their propensity to act more like liberal big government lovers won't take long to lay out the same type of agenda for the new class of 2010. But that isn't what got us to this point; like it or not, the Old Guard has to admit that if it weren't for the enthusiasm and energy of the Tea Partiers, victory would probably been a lot slimmer, if at all.
I would normally consider myself as part of the Old Guard GOP as the basic core principles of country, faith, small and non-intrusive government, low taxes, low and controlled spending, had been the hallmarks of those kinds of citizens.
But the last few years of the Bush Administration where growth of government got out of control, spending skyrocketed, and a passion that fostered favorable treatment and amnesty-like proposals for illegal aliens turned millions of people like me against their party of years. And though I still voted for them I let them know that I wasn't happy with the change in direction they were taking the party.
Then the really big spenders and taxers moved onto the scene making the Bush Administration look like pikers when it came to spending and growing the government. Obama made his Cabinet and czars and even touring congregation big enough to rival the biggest of our other departments and the spending exceeded any other time in our history.
It didn't take long before all the spending, growing of government, and promises of more taxes brought forth the spreading chant of an unsettled and unhappy electorate who picked up on the mantra "Taxed Enough Already" or TEA for short and TEA Party for emphasis. Some have likened it to the pre-Revolutionary incident the Boston Tea Party, but the "Taxed Enough Already" statement ignited the other comparisons.
Though it is not a national political party presently, some have tried to make it so, while others are satisfied to be an element of the Republican Party whose mission is to bring that Party back to its senses and common goals for what our Founding Fathers foresaw as the basis for our Constitution and principles for our country.
In Tea Party-speak, RINOs are not welcome and those of that persuasion have been made primary targets by the new thinkers.
To complicate matters, the GOP-Tea Party failure to get control of the Senate retains the 'thorn-in-the-side' BIG time spender Harry Reid. I think that was the single worst voters' decision of yesterday. With the Congress under conservative control real progress could have been made to get the country back to its Founding Fathers' desires for a more family oriented basis.
Total control would have effectively stopped Obama's mad dash to socialize the United States and bring it under United Nations control along with his favorable views of the militant Muslims and their abominable Sharia Law. We will have to be ever vigilant that it doesn't happen by presidential fiat.
So instead of just planning on getting the country back to more normalcy, we now will also have to devote a lot of time and energy on watching our backs from dangerous domestic attacks from within along with an ever increased level of watchfulness on the president's ultra liberal cabinet and out-of-control czars. That area bears heightened attention from sneak attacks of un-American legislation or presidential directives that can cause more division of the country and weakening of our Constitution.
So keep your chins up, your eyes and ears open, and be watchful that the shenanigans of the past two to four years are not repeated or expanded upon.
An old expression, "Half a loaf is better than none" comes to mind, and really with the success of gaining several more governorships, the bounty was worth well more than just 'half a loaf.'
Gerald A. “Jerry” McConnell, 92, of Hampton, died Sunday, February 19, 2017, at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill, Mass., surrounded by his loved ones. He was born May 27, 1924 in Altoona, Pa., the fifth son of the late John E. and Grace (Fletcher) McConnell.
Jerry served ten years with the US Marine Corps and participated in the landing against Japanese Army on Guadalcanal and another ten years with the US Air Force. After moving to Hampton in 1957 he started his community activities serving in many capacities.
He shared 72 years of marriage with his wife Betty P. (Hamilton) McConnell. In addition to his wife, family members include nieces and nephews.
