An Open Letter to Republicans

from Karl Scheer

There are those elections that are legitimate clashes of philosophical visions. The Reagan-Carter race was one. Carter represented the old-guard liberal take on most aspects of governance, whereas Reagan was a longtime voice of the right. It was a clear choice between two men with strong, well developed positions that were diametrically opposed. This November, we are faced with a very different situation. For one thing, George W. Bush does not represent the views and goals that are traditionally espoused by the Republican party, often even working directly against the philosophical foundation of the GOP.

He has, for instance, been a great lover of the unfunded mandate. His "No Child Left Behind" Act alone has imposed loads of new requirements on school districts, but--even with more money flowing through the Education Department--there is not sufficient funding provided to pay for everything. States and local governments have had to take up the slack when they are already stretched thin.

Wait a minute! How can any self-respecting Republican increase the funding for the Department of Education in the first place, and also usurp power from the States? In one Act he managed to spit on two core Republican values. I won't even go into the Homeland Security costs that are being shoveled onto the States.

And look at how he is running these wars. Rather than pushing through with the hunt for Bin Laden and getting Afghanistan onto a stable footing, he goes off half-cocked on this Iraq adventure. There is still a major heroin problem in this country and by dropping the ball in Afghanistan, Bush has left that place in such a mess that the only sure way to make any money there is by growing poppies. Osama is still off in the hills somewhere making tapes because it was so desperately important that we invade Iraq.

And how did he do it? Not with incredible diplomatic finesse like his father did, but willy-nilly, with too few soldiers and no real international support. Bush One, in a hard nosed, Republican Realpolitic masterwork, got all but $18 billion of the $82 billion cost of the war paid by other countries. You know how George II is doing it - he's spending us into huge debts.

While I'm on the subject, G-II's ham-handed handling of the Iraq War has included slaps in the faces of some of our most important allies. I thought the Republican idea was to keep the wheels of commerce greased, not throw sand in them. Bad Old Germany is our fifth largest trading partner with investments in the US to the tune of $35 billion. German investment here accounts for some 700,000 jobs. They buy a lot of stuff from us. But German people are getting fed up with the unilateral muscle flexing by our government. How much nose thumbing will consumers in the European Union take before they start "Buy EU" campaigns. From my conversations with people doing business in Brazil, Mexico, Spain and Germany, the respect for America is at an all time low. Mexico has no real choice but to engage the US, but there are a lot of places for the EU to get things.

So here we have a president who soaks up power from the States, imposes unfunded mandates, spends like a logger on holiday, goes to war with fuzzy, messianic thinking and no sensible plan, all the while leaving the mastermind of the worst crime ever committed against this country on the loose and alienating people we make money off of. Just where is there a shred of Republicanism in that mix?

No, this election we are not faced with a clash of philosophies, because there is no Republican in the race. I will not try to divine what GWB thinks he is doing in all this, but he shows little sign of being aware of the real world. A liberal Democrat is more likely to uphold the fiscal discipline and practice that we need right now, if only because the Republicans will be looking down his collar.

The Bush team is simply not up to the job.

Now, I won't be so cruel as to ask you to vote for a Democrat. I can fully understand the gag reflex you'd experience. I just have one much easier request. Leave the box blank. Just skip it. Go ahead and vote for that Representative you like or that State Senator you've had for six terms. Just don't mark the top of the ticket. I really believe you'll be happy you did.