Shortly after I ran for the U.S. Senate in 2004, I wrote a book with a title I've reference often in the years since: They Think You're Stupid. It cut to the heart of why there is such a disconnect between the people of this nation and the political class in Washington D.C. And as I look back at the themes in that book, I realize that while nine years have passed and the specific issues of that time are different than the ones we're discussing now, the basic message of the book is not out of date in any way. If anything, the proposition of the book has been proven by what Democrats have done after taking power in the years since.
For that reason, we're making a special offer to let you buy a copy for just $15.99, which is 20 percent off the regular price. Supplies are limited . . . a sales cliche that is actually true in this case.
Back then, President Bush had just been re-elected with Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate. He was looking to tackle one of the major issues facing the nation by restructuring Social Security to allow private accounts. At first, I was excited about what we could do with Republican control of the White House and Congress. But after traveling to Washington and talking to some leaders on Capitol Hill, I came away frustrated. Democrats were demagoguing the issue as you would expect - telling everyone that Bush's proposal would leave senior citizens "playing the stock market" instead of relying on the oh-so-safe stylings of the federal government. This was a total lie, of course, but you expect that from Democrats. They think you're stupid! And Bush's proposal threatened the power of the federal government, which they will fight with everything they've got even when they're in the minority because that is the power that makes Democrat Party politics work.
Republicans were even more frustrating. They dismissively predicted that Bush's proposal would go nowhere, and they clearly showed no interest in taking on the political risk that would come with tackling this crucial but sticky issue. President Bush was willing to lead. Congressional Republicans were scared, and congressional Democrats were lying up a storm to scare everyone into opposing the proposal.
Here we are nine years later, and Social Security hasn't been changed a bit. No entitlement program has. Not only are these programs driving us to a fiscal train wreck, but now we have ObamaCare to make it even worse.
In some ways, the fact that the book is nine years old makes it that much more interesting, because when you read about the political dynamics of that time, it helps you to understand how we got where we are today. The leaders we elected in 2004 had an opportunity to do very good things. But because the political class thinks you are stupid - did then, still does now - they went in a totally different direction and it led to the Democrat majorities that gave us ObamaCare and $1 trillion deficits.
Read it for yourself and you'll see. It's a message that's worth keeping in mind the next time we have an opportunity to elect leaders, and it might show the way to how we can elect better ones.
Remember, supplies are limited! Order now!
