[The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Alligator.]
Tuesday night, the Republican Party scored a major victory. They gained control of the Senate, retaining and increasing their lead in the House, and now 31 states will have Republican governors. Earlier in the year, President Barack Obama said, “I am not on the ballot this fall… but make no mistake: these policies are on the ballot. Every single one of them.” I think it’s safe to say that a majority of Americans went out Tuesday and vehemently rejected Obama’s agenda.
With that in consideration, the American people decided to try Republicans over Democrats for the next two years, and they expect results in a timely and efficient manner. Republicans must deliver what they promised if they wish to keep their power in Congress and potentially paint the White House red in 2016. If they fail to lead and progress, they will be voted out before they can even get settled.
For Republicans to be productive the next two years, they cannot ignore the fact that Obama is in the White House. Compromise will have to be made for legislation to pass, bearing in mind that Obama can veto everything and that their majority isn’t large enough to enact legislation on their own. Compromise does not equate to giving in, as some political pundits would like you to believe, but rather coming to the table to discuss different ideas about how to fix the problems we face and coming up with a cohesive plan that puts together the best parts, regardless of whether a Republican or a Democrat crafted it.
Republicans will be giddy and eager to immediately pass legislation to defund and repeal the health care law, but this would be quite foolish. The American people don’t want to see you come into office only to repeal legislation without any backup plan.
Before going after the Affordable Care Act, Republicans must have a solution of their own that addresses the concerns in America’s health care industry, one that preferably won’t immediately cut off what the Affordable Care Act has enacted and that will slowly transition into a new, more sustainable plan. Any abrupt cut to the system could cause a shock to the industry that could have many unintended consequences. Regardless of your personal views on the Affordable Care Act, it has helped some people, and they rely upon it. It would be wrong to gut this legislation without a viable alternative.
Republicans must show that they are ready to get to work. After four years of having legislation reach Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s desk, only to sit there and pile up without a discussion or vote on the Senate floor, the American people are ready to see Congress do its job. With an approval rating of just 14 percent, according to a Gallup poll, Congress has a lot of work to do to patch things up and show that it can lead. It is unfortunate that leadership will now lie with Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, as he likely will not be much of an improvement over Reid. Hopefully, we’ll all be pleasantly surprised.
Republicans cannot be in control come January and simply do what their party prefers. Americans are tired of seeing political parties only promoting what is good for their political gain toward winning elections. They need to do what is right, regardless of whether the Republican National Committee is on board. Some decisions will be quite easy. They should pass legislation that finally allows the Keystone XL pipeline to be built. They should pass a budget that doesn’t continue to spend us into oblivion.
Some issues will be more difficult to confront, but that’s where true leadership shines. They should pass comprehensive immigration reform that actually fixes problems so we aren’t discussing this 30 years later. They should look at the mess that is our tax code and not reform it, but get rid of it and replace it with something a little more fair. They should realize that we cannot continue to let education slip through the cracks, like it has done for more than 50 years.
Republicans have a real opportunity to pass laws that will have a positive impact on the average American’s life. They must resist the urge to pay homage to the GOP industrial complex and do what is right for all Americans.
Nick Eagle is a UF economics and political science senior. His columns appear on Mondays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 11/10/2014]
