Political Suicide

Mike Foil


“Political Suicide - the concept that a politician or political party would lose widespread support and confidence from the voting public by proposing actions that are seen as unfavorable or that might threaten the status quo… Cynics may blame this concept as a reason for a lack of real change or progress in society and that actions described as political suicide are usually sound intentions shot down by reactionism and fear of change.” Wikipedia

On a regular basis we hear that someone has or has almost committed “political suicide”. It is common to then hear a follow-up comment about those who only came close to this fatal mistake, “We cannot expect them to follow through as that would be political suicide.”

Just what does that comment imply? We are being told that it would be unreasonable for us to expect that politician to actually do what they said they would do because the result would likely end their political career. To take that one step further, it means; keeping a promise made or taking a bold step, which may be a career ending move, is not something we can honestly expect a politician to do. Why? Because we have to realize that their careers are more important than doing what is best for the country as a whole.

Sometimes, doing what is right and best for America is not the same as what might be best for the person who has to do the hard work or make the tough decision. Doing what is best for the long-term stability of our nation may be very unpopular with the masses marching down the streets of our cities. Doing what is right, when circumstances demand hard choices, can very well end a political career. It might even launch a recall election. But, that should not be the determining factor! Their careers are not more important to the people back home than saving our country.

We sent a new crop of representatives and senators to Washington a year ago. There was a loud and clear message at that time. We demand a change to what has been going on. We demand you go and make the tough decisions and do what it takes to stop the out-of-control spending. We demand that you go and reign in the Administration who has a standard practice of stomping on the Constitution. We demand that you repeal or defund Obamacare. We do not want you to go there to try to “get along” with the other side of the aisle. “Compromise” is not your job description.

We elected new faces for a specific purpose and those who gained our trust campaigned on being different from their predecessors. We gave the House a majority position with the mandate of stopping what was going on until we could change who occupied the White House in 2012. There were specific marching orders and we expected them to be followed!

Instead of doing the dirty work, we are finding a Republican majority in the House caving into Democrat and media pressure. They have spent much of the time, especially the leadership, trying to reach a compromise that both chambers will pass and the President will sign. Sorry, but I do not find that process in the campaign speeches we listened to or in the instructions we issued to the winners in the last election.

As I recall, we expected one of two things: either get passed what will save America or stop what will harm America. In either case, give us two years where no more harm can be done. We were reasonable and did not expect you to get a conservative agenda passed and signed into law with the limited position the Republicans held, but we did not expect one compromise and cave-in after another to a point where two years later we will find that the Left has just about got their way on most issues and a lot more harm has been done.

The financial well-being of the USA is on life-support. We cannot afford another year like the last one. For me, I would rather have a stalemate and a “government shutdown” over the differences of the life and death of our country, than a continual string of losses in one bill after another. We are told by the Republican leadership that “We have to get something passed!” NO, YOU DON’T! The Republicans CONTROL the House, act like it! Spending bills have to originate in the House. That is a very powerful position to hold. You may be outnumbered by two-to-one, but you hold the Hilltop. Stop firing a couple shots, letting out a few yells, and then waving the white flag! We are not impressed!

We want men and women with backbone. We want you to stand on the principles that made this country great and then keep standing there. We demand that our government be brought back under the limits of the Constitution. We insist that spending be reduced, not just the increase slowed down a little. We will fight for our rights and we expect you to do the same for our rights.

Stop worrying about the media. You have the ability to communicate directly with us back home. Make the hard decisions, do what is right, begin the process of restoring limited government, cut spending; and then tell us directly what you did and why you did it. Remember, we are the ones who sent you there, you only have to answer to us. We expect you to commit political suicide if that is what it takes. If I see you doing the hard and unpopular work, voting to save America for future generations, I will vote for you again.

Back to the definition at the top, do what the masses see as “unfavorable”, upset the “status quo”. “Cynics may blame this concept (political suicide) as a reason for a lack of real change or progress…” It is not the cynics that voted for you. This is not a mob-ruled democracy and will never endure as such. Follow the rule of law (Constitution) and give our grandchildren a country where freedom still means something.