I know a lot of Republican officeholders, and respect them a great deal. I am the last person who would try to tell you that Republicans in general don’t really want to govern, but prefer instead to sit back and take shots at Democrats while they govern.
It’s important to remember that, all throughout this health care debate, there have been many more Republican votes to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with something better than there have been to do nothing.
Even so, I think we have to recognize there are troubling patterns in the way far too many Republicans have responded to the opportunity voters gave them last November to govern.
We’ve talked many times about the Republicans who voted to repeal ObamaCare when it didn’t matter – because they knew Barack Obama would veto the repeal – but won’t do so now when Donald Trump would actually sign the repeal into law. That’s the sort of thing you do when you’d rather grandstand than govern. Anyone can “take stands” when their stands aren’t going to become policy and they don’t have to be responsible for what happens.
But it’s not just health care.
Republicans on the campaign trail will talk a lot about the need to reform entitlements because we can’t possibly fund our obligations under these programs. Republicans in power show interest in little more than tinkering around the edges.
Republicans on the campaign trail proclaim the virtues of self-reliance and denounce the trap of government dependence. Republicans in power are scared to death of what will happen if they’re perceived as having taken anyone’s benefits away from them.
Republicans on the campaign trail say the tax code is too complicated and needs to be simplified. Republicans in power might reduce rates a little within the existing code, but that’s about it.
Republicans on the campaign trail promise to protect the unborn. Republicans in power managed to ban partial-birth abortion, but that’s about it.
Republicans on the campaign trail rail against out-of-control federal spending. Republicans in power merely grow spending a tiny bit less than Democrats would.
Republicans on the campaign trail say the federal government is too big and tries to do too much. Republicans in power don’t end the government’s attempts to do much of anything.
Why is this so hard? I think a number of things are at work here.
First, too many Republicans get intimidated by the D.C. press corps when they get to Congress. They listen to the likes of Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough and they forget there’s a whole country out there that doesn’t think the way these guys think.
Second, the longer you’re in Washington – where government is the be-all and end-all of everything – the easier it is to think that nothing good ever happens unless government does it.
Third, Democrats will always use the power of government more aggressively than Republicans because they really believe government should be in charge of everything in life. Government is life for them. Republicans don’t see it that way, so when Republicans land a blow, they’re not prepared for the fact that Democrats will come back and land five blows – all of them 10 times as hard. It’s hard to win a fight against an opponent who will never concede, and whose life depends on winning.
Fourth, I do think there are some Republicans who only chose to be Republicans because it seemed like their most plausible path to public office. If they needed to be Democrats to be in office, they’d be Democrats. They’re not true believers in any particular philosophy of governance, so they’re not going to get on board with one that jeopardizes their position.
The bottom line is this: If you’re the party that believes government should do less because it doesn’t do things all that well, the easiest position for you is in the minority – offering criticisms of government that confirm your general belief in its ineptitude.
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But once your side actually takes control, you now have to make government work. Too many Republicans aren’t prepared to do that, either because they never thought they’d win or they don’t really think it’s possible. So their commitment to limited government may become theoretical. “Well, I would reduce the size of government, but I have concerns.”
Or they become such purists that they end up opposing the shrinkage of government because, they argue, the shrinkage isn’t enough.
Either way, we end up stuck with the status quo, and we end up arguing over who can manage the status quo better. That usually ends up bringing the Democrats back to power because voters correctly observe that Republicans don’t really want to manage it.
There is a way to do this. Ronald Reagan did it. He believed government was too big and spent too much, so he reoriented what government did and what it spent to make it more responsive to the real needs of the people. Donald Trump is trying to do much the same. Democrats are resisting him with every fiber of their being, and Republicans are too nervous about the perils of leadership to really get on board.
Republicans, you told the voters you were going to govern. Now you’re acting as if you think: “It’s their fault for believing we were serious!”
No. It’s your fault. You said it. We believed you. You were right when you said governance by Democrats was a disaster. Now stop being afraid, make decisions and do the right thing.
And if you never really wanted to govern in the first place, too bad. We’re not letting you out of it.
