Twenty Days That Changed America

Republicans wanted to refuel in preparation for the coming congressional elections — but their power seems to be flagging.

Their confidence for victory is crumbling. The three-day meeting Republicans held at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans was supposed to be a demonstration of their strength. Their goal is to take President Obama’s congressional majority away from him in November. The most prominent party members who want to run against him in 2012 saw the gathering as an opportunity to preen in public: Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich; all of them were there. On Thursday, Gingrich whipped the crowd into a frenzy, claiming Obama was “the most radical president in American history.” During the last Democratic presidency, Gingrich was leader of the movement that took away Bill Clinton’s congressional majority in 1994, and he wants to do a repeat in 2010.

But the past 20 days have reversed the political dynamic in the United States. Three weeks ago, Obama appeared to be a weakling who promised much but couldn’t deliver. The Massachusetts election robbed him of his super-majority in the Senate. His health care reforms were being rejected by a majority of Americans. Republican accusations that he was a socialist who was going way too far in meddling with banks, auto manufacturers and the healthcare sector were finding resonance with the public. The “Tea Party,” a grassroots movement opposed to increased public debt and the expansion of federal power, was gaining in popularity across the nation. Republicans saw it as the mass movement that would bring them back to power at election time.

Then came the 20 days that changed America. It’s ironic that Congress was off on Easter break for much of those 20 days. Congress is the governmental institution least popular with the people. That applies to both parties, but it impacts the Democrats more because they hold a majority in Congress. Ten days before the Easter recess, Congress passed health care reform legislation; suddenly, Obama looked powerful. Then, in the first 10 days of the recess, the Republicans began making headlines dominated by scandal and other problems.

It’s not that health care reform suddenly became popular; it’s because Obama showed that he was able to change the country. Since passage of the reforms, criticism of them has lost traction. Citizens are beginning to see the advantages: Students can now stay on their parents’ health insurance plans longer and coverage can no longer be cancelled or denied due to pre-existing conditions. Republicans now fear that their opposition campaign wasn’t the right way to go. One sign of their insecurity: Mitt Romney, who plans on running for president in 2012, didn’t even speak in New Orleans. As governor of Massachusetts, he inaugurated a health care reform plan similar to Obama’s, yet railed against Obama’s efforts.

In addition, Republican Party chief Michael Steele came under fire. Party aides who were tasked with fundraising tried to create atmosphere by visiting a nightclub that featured topless waitresses and entertainment that specialized in sadomasochistic fun and games. They only spent $2,000 on drinks, but the whole affair damaged the moralistic image Republicans like to present.

Even their proximity to the “Tea Party” has suddenly become tricky. They don’t want to be enablers for a Republican Party resurgence; they prefer to reverse the roles and bring Republicans into line with their platform. In many locations, they plan to run their own candidates against traditional Republicans or they intend to support more conservative challengers against moderate Republican office holders. This sort of infighting among conservatives also hurts Republican prospects.

The 2010 mid-term elections are wide open once again.