Holding Fast

In the wake of new Republican House leadership, a weak State of the Union, and a looming March 4th deadline for a continuing budget resolution to keep government running and the Capitol’s lights on, conservatives find themselves pressed against an innate system of government largess and go-along mentality.

While campaigning allows candidates to say much of anything without being held yet-accountable, governing is an entirely different animal; taking on the massive leviathan that is Washington DC will take a resolute spine and the tenacity of a junkyard dog protecting his wares. As congressional Republicans move into committee chairmanships an leadership positions,the message from the entrenched establishment is ‘sometimes it’s best to just quietly go along and not raise a fuss.’ Conservatives across the nation fear that this approach will lead to the inevitable ‘Conservative Light:’ someone who professes from high rooftops to be a staunch fiscal advocate of less government and will take the system head-on, however once in office and pressed, folds like a cheap suit and gives-in to base temptations.

Desperate and critical circumstances are often breeding grounds for true leadership to emerge: a divided nation brought Lincoln to hold us through a Civil War; in the face of spreading fascism, Churchill’s resolute stature held Europe together; and in the face of growing inflation, high unemployment, and a losing Cold War, Reagan transformed this country and took us to never-before-seen growth and security. We’re a few steps away from matching Greece in our financial house of cards, unemployment and housing continue to be issues, and now Egypt is a mess, causing more concern for an unstable Middle-East. The new congress must keep to their conservative principles, it is imperative that they force a Democrat Senate and Leftist Administration to reign-in spending across the board, get our economic house in order, and serve as a strong voice on National Security.

Circumstances are not easy, we face a desperate situation on many fronts, our newly elected conservative leaders must hold fast and emerge as the leaders our country needs them to be.