GOP ELECTION STRATEGY: AVOID ISSUES AT ALL COSTS

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

If ever a phrase has stood the test of time, the above quotation from Lord Acton, in a letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, from 1887 has surely.  In it lies the problem with politics in America today.

In an article at the Washington Post today it raises the issue:

... will Republicans actually want to run ... any ideas? Behind the scenes, many are being urged to ignore the leaders and ... avoid issues at all costs. Some of the party's most influential political consultants are quietly counseling their clients to stay on the offensive for the November midterm elections and steer clear of taking stands on substance that might give Democratic opponents material for a counterattack.

"The smart political approach would be to make the election about the Democrats," said Neil Newhouse of the powerhouse Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies, which is advising more than 50 House and Senate candidates. "In terms of our individual campaigns, I don't think it does a great deal of good" to engage in a debate over the Republicans' own agenda.

Let me start out by saying this is not an attack at the Republican party but at our political system in general.  If the roles were reversed, we could just as easily substitute Democrats in the paragraph above.  The power of the office corrupts.  Politicians become ENTRENCHED.  Once entrenched, the only thing that matters is getting reelected.  All one need do to confirm this is read the paragraphs above - the strategy is about getting reelected not about the issues.

The irony is that we have no one to blame but ourselves - WE MUST DEMAND MORE FROM OUR POLITICIANS.  We can no longer simply vote Republican or Democrat, we must vote based on issues.

In that regard, I can agree with what many in the Tea-Party say about our elected officials.  Much of the tea-party movement is about discontent with our elected officials.  We should all be so discontent.  I do however strongly disagree with the rhetoric and hate espoused by much of the Tea-Party.  Until the Tea-Party can make it clear that they are not about hate, racism and ignorance it will remain a fringe movement.