Column:
Conservative values needed now more than ever
Published Oct. 30, 2009
As this issue of The Maneater is distributed across campus, I am on the way to Virginia to campaign for Bob McDonnell in the upcoming governor's race. Many of you are probably wondering why a student at MU would campaign for a candidate in a race a halfway across the country.
To find the answer, we need only look back to 1993 and 1994.
Former President Bill Clinton won the 1992 presidential election and promptly went to work promoting a health care overhaul. His plan called for universal coverage, regulation and restrictions on companies. It also forced Americans to buy some sort of health plan.
Sound familiar?
The bill was long-debated, eventually being dubbed "HillaryCare," due to the then-first lady's involvement with the plan. Democrats had a majority in both houses of Congress and they still were not able to get a bill passed. Concerns about "too much government" were found across the country, and the plan was defeated.
During the debate, Virginia was gearing up for its governor's election. Democrats had controlled the executive branch of Richmond for 12 years, and Democratic candidate Mary Sue Terry held a huge advantage in the polls over Republican candidate George Allen. As the health care debate wore on, Terry lost a 30-point lead in the polls.
Eventually, Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell famously declared the bill to be dead, but the damage to Democrats was already done.
As he gained ground, Allen campaigned all the more, and during one speech on the campaign trail, he proclaimed a revolution was at hand.
"Mary Sue Antoinette says, 'Let them eat cake,' " Allen said. "Well, we're going to have our revolution, a resounding revolution."
How right he was.
Allen would win the election, which gave Republicans momentum heading into the 1994 midterm elections in which the GOP took control of the House and Senate.
Fast forward to 2009.
President Barack Obama is pushing a universal health care package that has not been able to get passed, despite significant Democratic majorities in each House. The bill has grown increasingly unpopular, as a Rasmusssen report released Oct. 23 showed 66 percent prefer the free market opposed to the government regulation proposed by Democrats in Congress.
Once again, there is a race for governor in Virginia, where Republican Bob McDonnell holds a lead over his opponent, Creigh Deeds. The hope among Republicans is a win here, along with one in the governor's race in New Jersey (where Republican Chris Christie has held a very slim lead for weeks), can give the party the momentum it had in 1994 to make gains in the House and Senate.
You see, I'm in Virginia because this race can have a national effect, one I believe can help make America better.
These governor's races are the Republican Party's first chance at a comeback, and more importantly, this could also serve as a rebirth of conservatism.
In 1994, the Republican Revolution swept the GOP into power, only for many Republicans to abandon their conservative values. Hopefully, they've learned their lessons, because true conservative values are what America needs now more than ever.
Eric Hobbs is the MU College Republicans vice chairman. He can be reached at emhn75@mail.mizzou.edu.
Comments (4)
3:01 p.m., Oct. 30, 2009
Brandon said:
If by "conservative rebirth" he means more Bush conservatism, then hell no. We don't need any more of that. 8 years is enough. If he means REAL conservatism in the mold of Barry Goldwater with real limited gov't, less spending, and lower taxes, great. Real conservatism that doesn't think policing the world is a good idea but uses our power prudently and wisely, as Russell Kirk favored, esp. in his later years. I sure hope Hobbs isn't seriously comparing Obama's healthcare plan to the Clinton one of 93. That'd just be plain ignorant. Clinton's plan was FAR more restrictive and about nationalization than Obama's. Obama's, while not perfect, offers a VOLNTARY public option and does increase some restrictions on insurers but also, from what I've heard, has a few tax breaks and incentives here and there. But the main diff. between Obama and Clinton's plans is that Obama's mainly deals with healthcare PAYMENT. It does not intend in any way to affect services or control research or tell doctors what they can and can't do.
11:52 p.m., Nov. 2, 2009
Kimberly said:
I sure wonder how Mr. Hobbs thinks that these "conservative values" are needed in America. Call me old fashioned, but the last time I checked you couldn't punish people for being gay, poor, or a working woman. But oh wait, that's what Bob McDonnell proposed in his Master's Thesis. You can read it yourself here (http://tinyurl.com/mpdbjy) lest I beat a dead horse. Good luck in Virginia pal.
9:24 p.m., Nov. 16, 2009
Tom said:
Kimberly seems to think that whatever McDonnell said in a paper reflects the feelings of most conservatives. Actually, most of us believe in no bailouts, no butt-kissing for unions, and smaller government. We oppose progressivism, whether promoted by Repubs or Democrats. We think that Hank Paulson did the country a huge disservice by yelling "the sky is falling" when his real motivation seems to have been protecting the value of his Goldman-Sachs stock, not helping the average American. too bad so many people believed him. It appears that G.W. Bush, McCain and Obama all fell for his B.S. and he is laughing all the way to the bank, while most of us now find Obama trying to take over control of every private company in the country.
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1:57 p.m., Oct. 30, 2009
David said:
The latest PEW survey shows that most Americans (66%) support a form of the public option. From PEW: Two-thirds (66%) favor mandating that all Americans have health insurance, with the government providing financial help for those unable to afford it. Nearly six-in-ten (59%) favor requiring employers to pay into a government health care fund if they do not provide health insurance coverage to their employees. A similar majority (58%) also favors raising taxes on families with incomes of more than $350,000 as a way to pay for reforms. And 55% say they favor a government health insurance plan to compete with private plans, which is largely unchanged from late July (52%). (PEW, 2009, ¶ 3)