Letter: Elections Have Consequences

Even as the final tallies were being tabulated on Election night Republicans from across the political spectrum were stepping forward  acknowledging their loss at the polls with assurances "they got it". 

Prominent members of the GOP  proclaimed "they understood the lessons" expressed by the voters when they re-elected President Obama and increase the Democratic numbers in the United States Senate while reducing the Republican majority in the House of Representatives.

They claimed to realize that the electorate was calling for a bi-partisan approach to addressing the nations problems and a desire to see cooperation on their part with the re-elected President in dealing with the economic health of the nation. 

Unfortunately their subsequent actions have called into question the sincerity of these post-election pronouncements.   

Before the official count in Florida could be finalized Republican leaders in Washington, such as Sen. McConnell and Speaker Boehner, were offering their defeated Presidential Candidate's position on how to reduce the Federal deficit as the essence of compromise despite it having been overwhelmingly rejected by the public.

This was followed by post-election analysis from the Republican Party nominees, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, on why they lost.

Ryan mused that Obama won because he "carried the urban vote". A comment that seemed to imply a sinister motive behind a segment of the public voting their interest in the hope of assuring continued public policy advocating for government involvement in rebuilding infrastructure and providing a social safety net as opposed to say wealthy Americans and Corporations who spent huge sums largely attempting to achieve a Romney victory that protect's their tax status and self-interest.

Mr. Romney was even more candid in his assessment. His remark about "Presidential gifts", accusing President Obama of buying the election, questioned the integrity of the voters and ignored the reality that his position on issues was fluid and changing constantly throughout the campaign thus undermining Mr. Romney's own commitment to principles. 

This remark, like his "47%" flap during the campaign not only insulted the electorate but failed to address the simple fact voters understood Mr. Romney's vision and rejected it as a blue print for the 21st Century.    

The latest demonstration that the Republicans fail to realize elections have consequences involves the effort by Senators McCain and Graham to assume the Presidential responsibility of staffing government by informing the President of whom he should nominate for Secretary of State.

This action is a thinly veiled attempt at playing politics in the same manner as Sen. DeMint attempted four years ago when he led an effort to deny President Obama the choice of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Singling out Ambassador Rice by creating a controversy that would embarrass the Administration before all the facts are investigated may provide Sen. McCain a platform from which to appear relevant and offer Sen. Graham an opportunity to begin forestalling a right wing Primary challenge at home in 2014 but it is not a responsible use of the Senatorial "Advise and Consent" Clause.

Their position might be credible had both not supported Bush Secretary of State designate, Condellizza Rice, despite the National Security apparatus having failed the American people on three occasions under her leadership. In each case, failing to connect the dots prior to 911, sending Colin Powell on a mission to mislead U.N. as a justification for The Iraqi War and the failure to identify with certainty Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts in the mountains of Bora Bora  when the opportunity to bring him to overdue justice was presented undercuts their arguments today.

National Security Director Condi Rice was in a position of real time responsibility during each of these failures, a level of responsibility far exceeding current Ambassador Rice's with regard to Libya, yet both Senators endorsed her selection as Secretary of State without reservations.   

All of these actions have occurred less than a month after the November election. They appear to be a harbinger of exactly how well members of the GOP "got it" on election night and what can be expected over the next four years as they continue to obstruct and stall every Obama Administration initiative starting with calls for succession and refusing to establish 'Healthcare Exchanges" in states like South Carolina or deal credibly with the budget deficit. 

If this is the Republican Party's direction going forward perhaps they should consider changing the Party symbol from the Elephant to the Ostrich because they clearly have their "head in the sand" choosing to ignore what the American people are demanding from elected leaders at every level of government when they spoke on Election Day.

John G. Painter 

Seneca, SC