Friday, December 16, 2016

Disabling Filibuster Is Key For Pro-Growth Reforms

Voters might justifiably assume that having now gained control of Congress and the White House, Republicans have complete power to enact all campaign promises of the last election. But without changes to the filibuster, Senate minority Democrats can still block Republican reforms.
The grass-roots Republican voter base, however, already demonstrated in this year's presidential primaries great frustration with Republican ineffectiveness. That was the whole point of voters turning to the highly controversial political novice Donald Trump as their nominee, over a dozen proven political veterans with ties to the Republican establishment. This now presents a highly volatile, hugely threatening problem for Republicans.
This Great Frustration began brewing in 2010. After two years of complete Obama Democrat control of Washington, voters gave Republicans that year a New Deal-size landslide victory with a gain of more than 60 seats in the House. That retired Nancy Pelosi as speaker, with a controlling Republican majority that continues to this day.
That also provided an immediate check and balance on President Obama, blocking any new Democrat legislation. It resulted as well in the Sequester in 2011, which returned federal spending slowly over several years back down closer to the long-term consensus trend line of 20% of GDP. That consensus trend line had prevailed for over 60 years, from the end of World War II until 2009.
But that Republican House majority proved ineffective in defunding any already enacted Obama Democrat initiatives, given Obama's proclivity to shut down the government to defend what was already won, and collaboration of the dominant Democrat-controlled media to blame Republicans for that. Without cooperation from the still-Democrat Senate, Republicans could not pass legislation undoing Obama Democrat anti-growth travesties, like ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, or Obama's regulatory and administrative jihad against American energy production.
Read the rest of this IBD op-ed HERE.

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