Kimberly Strassel has an article in The Wall Street Journal Online about the coming battle in Congress over Barack Obama's legislative ideas. The article sites the work of Mitch McConnell who was reelected. It states:
"Mr. McConnell's strength has been putting up a principled opposition, without earning the reputation for Tom Daschle-like obstruction. And from the sounds of his opening statement this week, his game plan is the same, only with higher stakes. Mr. McConnell "stands ready" to hear Mr. Obama's "ideas for implementing his campaign promises of cutting taxes, increasing energy security, reducing spending and easing the burden of an immense and growing national debt." Note he is not standing ready to negotiate on eliminating union secret ballots, nationalizing health care, enacting a climate program, or over-regulating the financial industry."
The end of the union secret ballot can be stopped, as can some of the extreme environmentalism. The trick is to do it in a way that offers a viable alternative and sheds light on the heavy handedness of the original idea. We need to mind our manners over the next four years, but we don't need to give an inch of ground on principles. Let's show the crazies that vicously attacked George Bush for eight years how a loyal opposition is supposed to act. Civility needs to be the word of the day.
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