In his 2008 election, Congressman Frank Kratovil (D-Md.) won a nail-biter by admonishing President George W. Bush for his irresponsible spending. Kratovil promised that once elected, he would “fight to put an end to this fiscal insanity, ... to balance our national checkbook and cut wasteful spending.” Then, just weeks after his swearing-in, he voted for the biggest spending plan in the history of the world.Kratovil wasn’t the only candidate who attacked fiscal irresponsibility in Washington to get votes but then embraced even more radical spending policies once he got to Congress.
Candidate Barack Obama promised to reform the earmark process and cut wasteful spending “line by line.” But in less than two months, President Obama has signed spending plans that include 8,500 earmarks and triple the deficit while doubling the national debt to an amazing $20 trillion — dwarfing anything contemplated by Bush’s wildest spending proposals.
Does it really matter anymore whether politicians actually follow through on their campaign rhetoric? Or have we become so cynical about politics we blithely accept that what politicians say in their campaigns need not resemble at all their performance in office?
Frankly, these are tougher questions to answer than they should be.
Republicans lost six Senate seats and 21 House seats in the 2008 elections — including Maryland’s 1st District, where Kratovil won. And without exception, the Democrats who won had made fiscal responsibility, earmark reform and middle-class tax relief major themes in their campaigns.
But rather than keep their promises, the winners joined an emboldened Democratic majority in Congress to increase the 2009 budget deficit to a staggering $1.7 trillion, redistribute wealth on a scale that would make Karl Marx blush and nationalize some 30 percent of the American economy. In just a few weeks, Democrats have completely reversed gains made by decades of conservative leadership.
Apparently, the economy will be the test. If the economy improves and greater financial security results, then voters may well forgive the means used to achieve it. If, on the other hand, economic hopes are frustrated and the economy continues to decline, the Democrats will be held accountable for their hypocrisy.
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.) may have been right when, during her campaign, she objected to our borrowing billions from communist China to fund our debt. But she’ll have to face the fact that her hand-wringing over borrowing billions seems more than a little contrived now that she’s voted to borrow trillions instead. Does she really think such hypocrisy won’t get noticed?
Then there’s Rep. Glenn Nye (D-Va.), who won a tough race in a conservative district on a message of fiscal discipline. But once elected, Nye tried to play both sides, saying he was against the stimulus before he was for it. On insignificant procedural votes, he opposed the stimulus, but on the only vote that counted, final passage, Nye voted yes.
As a candidate, Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) promised she would “focus on the deficit and focus on jobs.” But after voting for a “stimulus” package that focused almost entirely on growing government, rather than the economy, Markey admitted “she can’t make guarantees that the massive stimulus package will work in turning around the country.”
Democratic candidates in 2008 were quick to take political advantage of Bush’s spending. But they were even quicker to check their newfound fiscal responsibility at the cloakroom door once they won. They made Bush look like a miserly Mr. Scrooge with their votes to triple his deficits and double our national debt.
Democratic duplicity gives Republicans a better-than-even chance to recapture credibility as the party of fiscal responsibility and economic growth.
To grasp that opportunity, Republicans must advocate a principled alternative to the redistribution schemes of the Democrats. They have to show families how Republican policies will restore hope, opportunity and economic prosperity. And they have to once again become champions of America’s middle class — the people who pay the bills.
But as long as there are Democrats like Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), it would seem Republicans have the Democrats right where they want them. As a candidate last year, Kosmas promised that her 30-year small-business record will help her “rein in wasteful spending and ensure accountability so we can get back to a balanced budget.” Then, a couple of months later, she stood on stage with Obama in Fort Myers, Fla., touting the largest government spending bill in our history.
Come the next election, if those who voted for Kosmas and her colleagues are still suffering an economy in shambles, the Democrats’ dishonesty isn’t likely to recommend them to those whose trust they betrayed.
As a candidate, Betsy Markey (D-Colo.) promised she would “focus on the deficit and focus on jobs.” But after voting for a “stimulus” package that focused almost entirely on growing government, rather than the economy, Markey admitted “she can’t make guarantees that the massive stimulus package will work in turning around the country.”
Democratic candidates in 2008 were quick to take political advantage of Bush’s spending. But they were even quicker to check their newfound fiscal responsibility at the cloakroom door once they won. They made Bush look like a miserly Mr. Scrooge with their votes to triple his deficits and double our national debt.
Democratic duplicity gives Republicans a better-than-even chance to recapture credibility as the party of fiscal responsibility and economic growth.
To grasp that opportunity, Republicans must advocate a principled alternative to the redistribution schemes of the Democrats. They have to show families how Republican policies will restore hope, opportunity and economic prosperity. And they have to once again become champions of America’s middle class — the people who pay the bills.
But as long as there are Democrats like Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D-Fla.), it would seem Republicans have the Democrats right where they want them. As a candidate last year, Kosmas promised that her 30-year small-business record will help her “rein in wasteful spending and ensure accountability so we can get back to a balanced budget.” Then, a couple of months later, she stood on stage with Obama in Fort Myers, Fla., touting the largest government spending bill in our history.
Come the next election, if those who voted for Kosmas and her colleagues are still suffering an economy in shambles, the Democrats’ dishonesty isn’t likely to recommend them to those whose trust they betrayed.
Originally published on Politico.comTony Marsh is President of Marsh Copsey + Associates, Inc., a strategic communications and political consulting firm based in Washington DC. Mr. Marsh most recently served as a senior consultant to Michael Steele’s campaign for Chairman of the Republican National Committee. You can reach Mr. Marsh at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
