The Spaghetti Strategy: Advice to Republicans
How do you know when your pasta is cooked? A storied measure of how to determine if the pasta is right to eat is to throw a noodle or two against the wall. If the pasta sticks, it’s ready.
This was the Obama administration’s plan when he took office on the first week in January of 2009. The only difference was that Mr. Obama wasn’t trying to determine the fitness of his policy for digestion in the body politic. Instead his noodles, varied and numerous as they were, represented every Marxist-Leninist idea ever thought up in a liberal think tank. The “policy pasta” was flying fast and furiously with executive orders, left-wing legislation, and appointments of anti-American hacks in key positions of authority within our government.
Obama was following a blueprint laid out by Cloward and Piven. The two professors, at Obama’s Columbia University, created a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands. The strategy worked, to a large degree. Flat-footed from their consecutive defeats in the ’06 and ’08 elections, Republicans found themselves unprepared and seemingly uninterested in opposing Obama. Many went out of their way to appeal to Obama’s sense of reason Still others tried to find a middle ground with our inexperienced president to try and temper his large lurch to the left. Others were content to get out of the way and lick their wounds.
Democrat strategist James Carville declared the GOP was dead as a viable American party for decades to come. Indeed, the GOP’s prospects looked bleak. Then something amazing happened … America got sick, and yes, tired of being that way. The people’s stomach was turning from the indigestible dish that Obama had served up. It was an extreme left-wing casserole of high unemployment, out-of-control government spending, and appeasement of America’s adversaries around the world. The people, through a healthy dose of therapeutic Tea, began to fight back. And this Tea Party breathed new life into the limp and lifeless Republican Party.
Newly invigorated by the growing unpopularity of Mr. Obama and the leaders in the left-wing Congress, Republicans found their voice and rediscovered their reasons for being. I say rediscovered because the platform was always there. It took a healthy dose of patriotic caffeine provided by the Tea to clear their eyes so they could see it. The GOP has always been and should continue to be the party of the people, a conservative party that stands up for limited government, strong national defense, and a shot at prosperity for all.
This platform is anathema to the Obama, Reid, and Pelosi agenda that’s designed to weaken America and usher in a new era of 2nd world status for our people. With the historic 2010 elections, Republicans were given a second chance to live up to their conservative roots and be the party that will once again fight to keep our light of freedom ablaze for all the world to see. But they must be willing to do something that up until this point they’ve been unwilling to do: beat the president at his own game.
The GOP ought to adopt the “Spaghetti Strategy.” Republicans now control the purse strings in the House of Representatives. They have increased power in the Senate. Though they do not have a majority, they do have a crop of so-called moderate Democrats. Experience tells us there is no such thing. These so-called moderates were all too willing to sell America into socialism when their socialist president was popular and they were not up for re-election. In 2012, that’s not the case. Many of these Democrats are up for re-election. And in typical Democrat fashion, they’ll be motivated in saving their own hides and distancing themselves from their leftist president.
Republicans ought to use the next two years to send cost-cutting, government-reducing, pro-American legislation to the president’s desk. They ought to do it weekly! The conservative pasta should fly now. If the pasta sticks, meaning if the president signs them into law, great! America wins and the 20% of Americans, Obama’s base, who identify themselves as liberals lose. If the pasta doesn’t stick, or Obama uses the veto pen, great! The 80% of Americans who do not identify themselves as liberal galvanize in further opposition to this president, making it likely he sees only one term. This is only one part of the strategy. We will need to have more cooks in the kitchen if America is to survive Mr. Obama’s first term.
Brilliant.
Analytical and passionate.
Thank you for this column.
I would add that the Tea parties must keep pushing the GOP and rallying the People.
The subversives will fight like a cornered rat. We will need to keep them in that corner, both in Washington and in the whole Country.
DeMint, Ryan, Bachmann, Rubio, Cantor and several others I can’t think of at the moment. We’ve got the troops to do it, to hold Obama’s feet to the fire. We’ve got the young turks. But will Boehner and McConnell do it? They’re not young turks and have made long careers of accommodation to the liberal agenda. If those two don’t hit the ground running the only hope is an early and determined revolt, which leads to takeover of the Republican Party by the genuinely conservative Republicans.
Pile on.
Repeal everything they have passed every month. Keep repealing over his vetoes. Cut spending everywhere. Every week cut something. Block regulations everywhere. Investigate all of them. Block every appointment. Call all of the czars to testify about what they have been doing. Even if they can’t be stopped, call them so the American people learn how many radicals there are. Use every legislative trick in the books to block, repeal or stop everything they have done or do in the future. Everything. Hire more staffers to investigate more corruption and marxism. Investigate everything. Have an embarrassing hearing in progress every day of the year. Censure every Democrat currently under investigation. Investigate more of them. Reveal the details of all the spending, particularly by party boy himself. Investigate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Bring it all to light. All of it.
Yes!
In other words, BE OBSTRUCTIONIST! BE THE PARTY OF NO!
And GLORY in it! REVEL in it! Celebrate it! When the press calls you on it, respond with, “YES! We ARE the party of NO! NO socialism! NO Marxism! NO Big Government! We ARE the party of NO, and we are PROUD of it! We will CONTINUE to be the party of NO NO NO NO!”
And watch the leftists squirm!
And watch them lose House, Senate, the White House, governorships, state legislatures, and the American People.
The path to victory is through COMBAT.
The only thing appeasement ever won is CONTEMPT.
Thanks for a great article. The more the president’s bureaucratic tentacles grab power like a dictator’s minions, the more pressure will build on the GOP to rid us of the likes of the FCC and the EPA.
It will take a constant effort of the Tea Party and Conservative Republicans to hold the Republicans in the House and Senate, feet to the fire. There is still to many RINO’s in Congress that put their own self interests ahead of the good of the country. “We the People” must do a better job of protecting our Rights and Freedoms from these politicians and bureaucrats that have taken over our Republic.
It does matter to Obama that his left-wing policies have not produced prosperity anywhere on earth. That is why he keeps pushing so hard for them.
America must be on her knees in submission. Weak and ineffective. He actually does know how to go about making sure this happens. Then the lefties can swoop in acting as some kind of ‘saviour’ to the people with bogus claims and bad directions.
The GOP led House should repeal Obamacare in its entirity as the first order of business. The repeal will then go to the Senate. My guess is that Harry Reid will not have the guts to tamper with the filibuster rule if a bill is waiting in the wings to repreal Obamacare and all it needs is 51 votes.
I would add one other point to all the good ones made here: Congress must do something about the Administration’s legislating through regulation. Example: Cap ‘n Trade came up several times in Congress and it was defeated each time. Yet the EPA is going ahead with the Cap part through regulation. (Indeed, the EPA threatened Congress that it would just that if Congress didn’t pass Cap ‘n Trade.) If it were up to me, I would make it mandatory for every change in a regulation, or imposition of a new regulation, to go through Congress like a regular bill that then has to be signed by the President. There can be no stealth legislation.
The last time I looked at the Constitution, all legislative functions were in the Congress, none were in the Administration. We cannot allow Congress to abdicate its role as the legislative body of the Federal government, and Congress cannot allow the Administration to usurp that role.
This is a proposed amendment to the Constitution to define and/or limit Presidential Powers.
1. The President may veto line items of legislation passed by Congress and presented to him for his signature. Vetoed line items shall be returned to Congress for reconsideration in the same manner as provided herein regarding wholly rejected legislation.
2. The Executive branch of the government shall enforce all laws enacted by Congress, and all provisions thereof, unless they shall be repealed by subsequent Act of Congress or nullified as contrary to the provisions of this Constitution by the Supreme Court or by a majority of the State Legislatures.
3. Signing Statements issued by the President upon approving legislation passed by Congress shall not nullify any portion of the relevant legislation, except in conjunction with the veto power granted herein.
4. No President may exercise the privilege of recess appointments for more than five positions during his tenure, nor shall the privilege of recess appointment be used for any member of the judicial branch, nor shall a recess appointment be used for any appointee already submitted to Congress or for any position which was already vacant on or before the day of their recess. Congress shall, within ninety days of their return from recess, either confirm or disqualify any recess appointee in the same manner as if the appointment had been made while they were not in Recess. If confirmed, the appointee shall continue to serve as described for recess appointments in the Constitution.
5. Executive Orders by the President are limited to implementation or clarification of existing legislation as enacted by Congress and must cite the portion of the relevant law which they seek to implement or clarify.
6. Within six months following the ratification of this amendment by the several States, all Executive Orders issued by any President, either current or preceding, and still in effect as of the date of ratification, shall be reviewed and revised according to paragraph five of this Amendment, and if they be not in compliance thereof, shall be rendered null and void.
7. No President may suspend habeas corpus, nor assume Emergency Powers, without the express consent of a majority of all members in both houses of Congress, nor shall any such consent exceed thirty days without subsequent consent of two-thirds of the entire membership of the House and two-thirds of the entire membership of the Senate, nor shall the duration of any subsequent consent exceed a period of thirty days.
8. No President may disclose information affecting national security to any foreign nation or power, nor alter the classification of documents affecting national security, without the express consent of Congress.
9. No President may implement, by any action or order, any terms of a treaty or international agreement with any foreign nation or power which has not been ratified by Congress as provided in this Constitution.
10. No person appointed to fill a close advisory or other position with direct access to the President, and no person whose office permits the determination of access to the President, and no heads of departments, subordinate heads, or any other person whose functions include determination of policy, shall be exempted from confirmation by Advice and Consent of Congress, nor may Congress by legislation circumvent this provision.
11. All actions, papers, and communications of the President, and of his Office, and of the Executive Branch, are subject to review by Congress, but in instances wherein the underlying issue of such actions, papers and communications shall be determined by the Supreme Court to be vital to matters of national security, no details thereof may be disclosed by anyone holding an office under the United States to anyone outside of Congress, until such time as the national security impediment shall have been removed by Congress; but this impediment shall not be operative as a means of failure or refusal to disclose information in questions of misconduct or criminal activity.
12. The President may not appoint to any office anyone who has previously served as private legal counsel or private legal advisor to that President, nor may officers of the United States serve as counsel to the President in personal legal matters which may have occurred either before or while in office, nor may the President or anyone holding an office of public trust in or under the United States use public funds for private legal defense.
13. The immediate family of a President, including but not limited to his spouse or domestic partner, children and their spouses or domestic partners, and siblings and their spouses or domestic partners, shall not be eligible to seek the office of President, nor to hold any elected or appointed office under the United States, for ten years after that President shall have left office, nor shall the immediate family head any agency, hold any position, or perform any duty, whether compensated or not, which is empowered to make law or policy, during the tenure of that President.
14. Impeachable offenses of the President and all lesser appointed or elected officials shall include malfeasance and misfeasance, and shall include willful refusal to enforce laws affecting national security or to protect the covenant with the several states.
15. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions or the legislatures in the several States, as provided herein.
elephant4life – I like many of the provisions of your proposed amendment, but I think some need further thought. In particular paragraph 5. Right now regulations are being put in place based on some flimsy connection to earlier legislation. I haven’t figured any way to prevent such actions (when an Administration is intent on implementing its will) other than to make all regulatory changes (even the most trivial) subject to being legislated on by Congress and then being signed off by the President.
For paragraph 7, I would add a provision that allowed suspension during wartime when Congress has declared war. It has to be a declaration. Congressional resolutions won’t do.
For paragraph 11, I would lighten it up because there must be frank discussions between the President and his advisors. The advisors should not have to fear actions of a future Administration or of Congress when they provide advice (think John Yoo here).
For paragraph 13, I would change the time period to 8 years (two terms).
Jack and Elephant, I would also add to #13: “Excepting they already be serving a term of office, wherein they shall be afforded to complete their current term.”
I don’t think it would be proper to force one family member to resign just because another wishes to seek the Presidency.
I just found out at hotair that Obama lied to the Senate about the START Treaty. This was predictable. I just don’t understand how many lies someone has to tell before they stop believing him? He wouldn’t release the White House notes to the Senate before they ratified it, and several Republicans voted for it anyway? I don’t think they’re fit to serve, do you?
Alexander (TN)
Bennett (UT) – retiring
Brown (MA)
Cochran (MS)
Collins (ME)
Gregg (NH) – retiring
Isakson (GA)
Johanns (NE)
Lugar (IN)
Murkowski (AK)
Snowe (ME)
Voinovich (OH) – retiring
Wow! Bring it on!
I wonder how the old folks who voted so strongly for Obama now feel about the Death Panels he is about to fund through Medicare, especially at a time when he is gutting Medicare for Obama care. I see life long Democrats chafing at what is going on. Its all very interesting. Unfortunately this messiah acts is mysterious ways.
Perhaps, we should follow Russia’s example:
Cut the bureaucracy by twenty percent.
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=15835014&PageNum=0
now I am hearing what I like
I hope congress keeps him so busy that he is too tired to read his notes when he makes a speech. They should throw in a few subtle insults also since is notoriously thin skinned.
Great piece. Well done.
It will never work. The House can pass all it wants. The Dems control the Senate, and any Bill which they do not want to see on the President’s desk will simply die in committee. The President will never see these bills.
The only thing the House can do, regardless of Dems’ efforts, is to stop any and all funding. EPA? No money for you. None. The House has total control of the budget. The President cannot even veto it.
Just send a message. Only Congress can write laws. If you try to bypass us, you will no longer have phones, or internet access, nor even get paid. Kiss your pensions goodbye. They’ll fall into line right quick.
Reduce government? Simply reduce the money supply. “Sorry, but you are taking a 20% cut this year. Deal with it.” Starve the Beast.
You are right that he won’t see them on his desk, but it will still keep him on the defensive. He will have to keep talking about it. The more he talks, the worse his ratings get.
It will also keep the leftists in the Senate too busy to do much mischief, plus it will keep the base energized.
Most importantly, it will prove they are serious, which will usher in a RESOUNDING defeat for the Marxists in 2012.
Can’t argue with the strategy proposed. One reason Rove was so inneffective in the White house was that he was playing defense all the time.
The best defense against the left is to continuously attack every position they take. The Repubs are in charge of the house and all of it’s machinery. They should use it to their (and our) advantage.
“One reason Rove was so inneffective in the White house was that he was playing defense all the time.”
That’s one reason. The other is that he’s a RINO.
That’s far more important than mere strategy.
Great ideas in elephant4 life’s proposed amendment above. How about another proposing that Congress may pass no legislation concerning retirement, health care, etc. which does not apply to them as well. Maybe that would help with the defunding process?
It was just on the news that Dumb-Bo will come back from Hawaii with food safety on the top of his agenda; What? Did he drop some cigarette ashes on his slurpee? That has always been a problem for my kids. I’m so grateful someone of his ‘caliber’ (ahaaa, ahaaa,) will address this problem. (heavy duty snort).
For the last four years the Republicans have been sitting on their heels. A massive piece of legislation (Obamacare:2700 pages) was introduced out of thin air by the Democrats with no Republican black letter legislative response. Even though there are people saying they’re trying, I ain’t expecting much.
We have a process problem. No tracking of the government. No transparency. Half the population doesn’t pay taxes. Millions get government aid in boojillion forms but don’t have to cop a 1099-GOV. Cut an entitlement and die at the polls. Define who is getting aid and let the people decide how it should be handled. Fairness implies that income and ‘redistributed, income’ should be handled the same way for IRS reporting.
Cooks throw spagetti against the wall to see if it sticks; politicians throw another product to see if it sticks. Here is a short list to see what sticks:
Unemployment because of regulations and uncertainty
The deficit and spending limits
The accountability of the czars
regulatory laws by agencies instead of congress
The unionization of government employees
Corruption within medicare, medicaid, et al
foreign aid spending: return to cost values
Advice for Republicans? Join the Tea Party or your out. Now, wasn’t that simple.
Advice for Democrats, please wake up to realize that your party has been infected with Communists and apparently MSNBC doesn’t care.
To quote another person on this website:
“Congressmen and Senators all become wealthy after just a few years in office. So do all their aides! They get all kinds of inside info, and it is completely legal; Not legal for us mind you, but for them.
Harry Reid has been a public servant all his life. How did he become worth $12M?
They sell their votes. It is institutionalized bribery. Folks know they do it for campaign contributions, but most are not aware of the actual insider trading bribery.
A demand for their investments to be held in trust, the same way the President’s is, would generate great scandal.
This is not about serving your country, it is about becoming VERY wealthy once you are in office. They are robbing the taxpayers and no one says anything.”
The elected Republicans are mostly Rinos. They perceive themselves as pandering to an ignorant, hateful, and despicably right wing base. They want Obama to win. They are not on your side. They will not serve up conservative legislation.
Perhaps, we should follow Russia’s example:
Cut the bureaucracy by twenty percent.
Better yet, cut by twenty-five percent and dare the Russians to match it.
Nooooo!
Why help the Russians? Let them INCREASE their bureaucracy!
That’s a good START
“They say they will listen to “We the People.””
I don’t WANT them to listen to “The People”.
America is not a democracy. Elected officials are not sworn to stick their fingers in the wind and vote however “The People” want them to at the moment.
I want them to listen to, and OBEY, the Constitution.
Great Article !! God Bless the New Congress. I pray they get us out of the ‘mess’ the old Congress got us into.
I wish we all would start referring to America as what it is – a ‘Constitutional Republic’ (Republic for short). We are not a ‘democracy’. If we are going to be true to ourselves lets start using the correct wordage. Our Pledge of allegiance: “And to the ‘republic’ for which it stands…one Nation under GOD…”
I am not really sure ‘when’ ‘some people’ decided we were a Democracy? Or where that came from…
Y’know, I suppose I could take the time to point out the odd minor inconsistency here, but this is Friday, and I’ve taken advantage of that to enjoy a few adult beverages, and so… Screw it. Take intelligent moderation and shove it. Right on! I LOVE this article. I don’t wanna be an adult right now. I’m two sheets to the wind, and the lefties can fold it five ways and do something painful with it. Socialism (and Obama) plain old SUCK, and I want my country and constitution back. If our Dear Leader wants to force a government shut down and play little games, Bring it. Mr. Bohener and I are ready. I’m looking forward to this new Congress like a prosty when the fleet is in port. Come on GOP, tear these fools a new one. Let’s show Pelosi what a REAL speaker can do.