Interesting Ryan Alessi article in the Herald Leader this morning asks Sen. Mitch McConnell and Rep. Ben Chandler to describe the year 2005 in Washington D.C.
In short, McConnell says it was the best year in a long time and Chandler says it was a bad one.
While it is tempting to go along with Chandler's point that it was a bad year for Republicans because Social Security reform was murdered in its infancy, the war effort was attacked relentlessly by the media, and the Tax Reform movement was betrayed by those most capable of moving it along, GOP initiatives to curb bankruptcies and illegal immigration, spur energy production, highway safety, and free trade all the while holding off Democrat efforts to mar the war effort make 2005 a qualified success.
It bears repeating that liberal Republican Senators give Democrats a voting majority on many issues in the United States Senate. Given that, McConnell is right and deserves praise for his work as Republican Whip to gain votes for key bills. Understood in its proper context, it is amazing that President Bush has been able to get anything done at all.
Ben "the wealthy haven't sacrificed anything" Chandler seems to be enjoying his rock throwing days in the minority of the House. He is right that Bush failed in his top priority of securing Social Security. But the Americans who will pay the price for Democrats' Pyrrhic victory of 2005 (read: all of us) will remember at some point that the liberal bum's rush on free market reform of the last huge defined benefit plan.
Zig zagging poll numbers have left wing activists seeing brighter liberal days ahead through their beer goggles. Drink up boys, but please don't drive home. You've done enough damage to America for now. And we want to see your faces when your obstruction comes back to bite you in the next year.
This year hasn't been all fun and games like you see over at Kentucky Kos, but it has just been a warm-up. All the games that count are in 2006. Don't forget that.
And we have them on tape crowing about the war, Social Security, and energy independence. Those should be fun to play back later.
