A few weeks ago I wrote
an article entitled,
“Vote
Wisely...America's Future Depends On It”...
basically
laying out why come this November we must take nothing for granted.
In said
article I not only spoke about the
importance of voting in general, but about why taking back the White
House, while important in it's own right, does not negate the fact
that taking back both Houses of Congress and putting them into
Republican controlled hands is just as, if not more so, important than
the actual presidency itself. Why so? I'll get into specifics about
that in a bit.
So for now, simply
stated, it's my opinion that this November's election should
primarily be about the “down ticket”
ballot candidates and which party they belong to, for it's those very
persons who will set the actual course that our country will be on
for the next four long years. And know it's no matter which
man...sorry Nikki...is elected president, as the all-important state
and local levels matter as well, for successful change usually starts
at the bottom and works it's way up. And if we're not careful in how
we vote the course we're on now could remain unchanged for a
generation or more to come.
But first some
important, albeit brief, background information many of us learned in
high school while many others did not as mandatory civics classes
have now become few and far in between, most especially in “blue
states.” So here let's start with the
“pecking order”
if you will, beginning with the president himself or (someday)
herself, including some civics 101 basics. While our duly-elected
President is both the head of state as well as deemed to be the head
of our government, he under “Article
2, Section 2”
of the U.S. Constitution is also the
Commander-in-Chief of all U.S. armed forces both in times of peace
and in times of war. Also, under “Article
2, Section 3” the president is
responsible “to
take
Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”... meaning
not just laws
newly created
and passed by Congress, but all laws that currently exist on the
books...as well as his ability to sign bills into law; holding the
power of the veto; and making treaties with the approval of Congress.
And while many deem the
president to be
“all powerful,” actually he is not...at least not in
the classic sense...and it's all thanks to our system of “Checks
and Balances,” a system most especially
needed when it's in regards to monetary outlay. It's Congress
itself...more precisely the House of Representatives...who holds the true monetary power...the “purse
strings” as it's commonly known. And
while the Senate has the power to try all impeachments, as well
as their having the power to confirm presidential appointments that by law
require consent, even here there is a
“check” in place as the House must
approve appointments to the Vice Presidency as well as any treaty involving foreign trade...as in the monetary outlay pertaining to
any such trade agreement.
So while the president can
propose and present an annual budget for federal agencies or suggest
other legislation along with corresponding monetary funding if need
be, remember only the House can actually make new laws or change
existing laws, while at the same time they can pass or reject any
proposed monies needed in the implementation of said laws. And while
the president can still veto what has been passed if it's not to his
liking, even his veto can be overturned with a two-thirds majority
vote in both the House and the Senate, as per “Article
1, Section 7” of the Constitution.
What truly wise men our
“Founders and Framers”
were to make sure that the greatest power would always
reside within those elected to the House...the “true voice” of the
people...and not with the president alone. And know they did so, so that no one branch of our three branches of the government...as in the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches...could ever try to set or to dominate the
governmental discourse to their, or to one party's, liking alone. And
this is key in regards to this November, for the fact remains that
whomever is elected president will not really matter if both the
House and Senate are not in the hands of the party to which that
president belongs.
“
Executive Orders,” thankfully, can really only go so far especially when in today's overly heated political climate
“bipartisanship”
is a dirty word. In fact, it seems that true
“bipartisanship”...”bipartisanship”
for the good of “We the People”
as well as for the good of our country instead of for the good of one
party alone...has not been around since the Reagan/Tip O'Neill years
when, in 1983, the Republican president and the Democrat House Speaker
reached a Social Security compromise...a compromise that was far from
perfect, but a true compromise nevertheless. Called the “Social
Security Reform Act of 1983”...H.R.
1900...the Democrats...who had control of the House...got some things
they wanted while the Republicans...who controlled the Senate...got
courtesy of shared common ground, some things they wanted as well.
And said compromise led even harsh critics of the bill to state that,
the Social Security deal was a “practical”
and “bipartisan
reform” that had a “lasting
positive impact” on government and
public policy.
How
I wish, as I'm sure many of you do too, that true common sense based
“bipartisanship”
was around today instead of the nonsense that always seems to engulf
us... nonsense like repeated “Stop-Gap” funding bills to keep the Biden led, Obama
wanted, failed government open... something akin to putting lipstick on
the ever proverbial political pig.
But here with our once again recently passed
“Stop-Gap” bill to temporarily fund the
government...you should see why “down
ticket” voting is important especially
in regards to the House's control of the
“purse strings,” control which
most definitely includes how our taxpayer dollars are spent. And with
we Republicans currently holding such a slim lead in the House at
best, we more times than not are having to face trying to convince
some members of the other party why they should cross over in the
name of “bipartisanship.” And
with some House Republicans being but RINOs at best, losing their
votes over “personality clashes”
equates to yet another failure of the
Republican party to get done what they need to get done. But if the
House was in complete Republican control by a sizable majority,
things would be greatly different than they are today even with Biden
as president.
So now for the specifics I alluded to at the beginning of this article,
key of which is the fact...as I see it...that no matter if Trump wins or
Biden wins America and
“We the People” lose...I cannot say
it any plainer or more directly than that.
Why so? Scenario one: if Donald Trump is able to pull off an election
win...which at this point in time I believe can only happen if all
Republicans rally around him as well as the independents...if no
election “funny business” was to take place including not
allowing “illegals” or “dead people” to
vote...and if a good number of fed up with the economy and border fiasco Democrat “crossovers” were to also cast their vote
for Trump...even then celebration would be but short lived if we were
to lose either the House or the Senate, or more likely both.
And why so...because 2022 proved that Trump supported and/or
endorsed candidates did not fare well in their races. Remember, we
barely took the House and outright lost the Senate by four seats even
in the more competitive states, with some candidates not even
wanting or were leery of Trump's support especially in swing states.
In other words, without the full Congress in Republican hands...and I
mean via overwhelming numbers...without them to stand strong behind
Trump...nothing...I repeat nothing...would get done even with Trump
holding the power of the veto over the Democrats heads. Why so? Simply because not only will the Democrats again call for Trump to
be impeached...it's what Democrats relish in doing...but a Democrat controlled Congress will easily be able to override any veto Trump
were to hand down. Trump might be president, but a politically
impotent one at best.
Now for scenario two...a somewhat simple reversal if you will. If Joe
Biden were to win in November not only would Obama get his fourth
term in office and more time to “fundamentally transform”
America from within...a loss for our great republic in its own
right...but Biden would also face a tit-for-tat Republican called for
impeachment for obvious and rightful reasons, and yet he would still
be able to push forward Obama's said transformation via a Democrat
controlled Congress rubber-stamping his every whim. And this would happen
even if the House technically stayed in Republican hands because
these past few years have shown that the Republican party itself is
far from being united behind the entirety of its ticket.
And when
Republicans overlook just how important the House and Senate races
are to their agenda, they not only tend to lose some what should be easily won
races, but some much needed House Republican votes...RINO votes
if you will...votes that are lost courtesy of some siding...on certain unfortunate key issues like abortion... with the Democrats. And this is done way more times than
Democrats crossing over to the Republican side.
And once again both “We the People” and our beloved America loses.
Simply, Biden as president does not really have to fear Democrats
switching to the Republican side regarding their vote, but Trump has
to fear Republicans siding with Democrats on certain issues.
Remember, not all Republicans are conservatives nor are they all far
to the right, while almost all Democrats march in lockstep with the hierarchy's wishes, together united in their leaning to the left. And
this could only be negated if by some outside chance the Republicans
took both the House and the Senate by enough numbers to override any
Biden presidential veto he might issue.
Translation regarding both scenarios: “We
the People” and our republic lose no
matter which of these two men becomes president...meaning the
“lesser of two evils” becomes more
important than ever this go round, especially when House and Senate
seats are usually influenced by the turnout for the candidates in the
presidential race. Get a top ticket person not to the party's nor to
ones personal liking and even the thought of a “down
ticket” ballot gets thrown by the
wayside. In fact, voting history has shown that people, in general,
tend to lose interest in the House and Senate races if they are truly
unhappy with the top of their ticket. And this is especially telling
now that this November's race...a race few Americans wanted...seems to be a losing proposition no
matter who wins. But even if Trump were to pull of a win the chances of him solidly
locking up the Republican ticket...as in the House and the Senate...seems highly unlikely at this point in time.
So do think long and hard about the importance of voting a straight Republican line
ticket, whether you like Trump or not, because to do otherwise might well mean our republic's
demise. Sadly, case closed.
Copyright © 2024 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.
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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, The 9-0 Meltdown.
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