Two of the more common boxing styles are the out-fighter style and the slugger style. The out-fighter focuses on staying agile and avoiding his opponent. He will land punches—generally not knockouts, though—gaining points, which will amass to victory. Think Floyd Patterson.
The slugger, on the other hand, expects to take punishment from his opponent, and focuses his fight on landing that powerful, knock-out blow. Think George Foreman. And, of course, some experienced boxers employ a combination of both.
The political arena, however, has seen many conservative Republicans unwilling to employ either tactic. Oftentimes, they will sit comfortably by, allowing liberal Democrats to wear them out, now and then receiving powerful knockout blows. But since losing the last round in 2006, the Republicans have been slowly getting the message: The fight is still on! And they are finally acting on it.
The House Republicans are celebrating week three of their Capitol protest against high gas prices. Like an experienced boxer using the out-fighter boxing style, they are keeping their distance, moving quickly on their feet, and striking at the enviro-lobby supporters—over and over and over, until finally, they are beginning to see results.
The American people are watching this fight, and have sided with the Republicans. The punches have caught up: Speaker Pelosi is beginning to feel exhausted and has finally promised that Congress will vote on energy relief. But the match isn’t over yet!
House Republicans retorted that, if she is so concerned about this issue, she will call Congress back into session—which, as speaker of the House, she has the power to do. While there is no response from Pelosi yet, mounting public pressure may catch her off guard yet again. Like an experienced boxer, the House Republicans are standing their ground, continuing their unremitting assault on the Democrats.
In the Senate, thirty-eight senators have signed onto a letter, authored by Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), threatening to shut down the government if Congress does not address the energy crisis, with Norm Coleman (R-MN) and Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) the most recent signatories. Only three more signatures are needed before they will have achieved a cloture-proof minority.
Once those signatures are obtained, however, Senate Republicans need to stand their ground with their fellow Republicans in the House. As the pressure mounts, and Democrats continue making concessions, the Republicans must resist the temptation to let up on their resolve–such as by voting to reauthorize the moratorium on off-shore drilling and oil shale exploration–and “go easy” on their opponents by agreeing to support compromise legislation like the Gang of 10 proposal.
On the contrary, once a fighter has delivered a powerful slug, he needs to follow up with more blows, unrelenting until the contest is over. Giving the opponent time to recover will only prolong the match. Republicans have fallen prey to this error time and again, showing mercy when they should be sealing their victory.
Not this time.
Right now, with the support of upwards of 70 percent of the population, the Republicans are in a position to begin winning back the trust of the American people—redeeming themselves from their humiliating defeat in 2006. The Republicans know that the people handed them that defeat based not on the strength of the Democrats’ platform, but on the weakness of their own legislative performance over the past 12 years.
At this historic instant, the momentum is in their favor. But now is the most critical time of all. If they begin to waver, and negotiate with the liberals, they will lose all for which they fought. But if they continue to stand their ground, and with a cry of “no compromise,” to reign down blows on their opponents until they are utterly defeated, the Republicans—and the American people—will win.
Republicans need to stick to their guns and demand an up-or-down vote on the American Energy Act.
The fight continues. Advice to the Republicans: a little more Floyd—then bring in George.
ALG CTA: Concerned readers should be urged to contact their representatives and urge them to support the American Energy Act. Senators should be urged to add their names to Senator Jim DeMint’s letter and vote against any reauthorization of the off-shore drilling moratorium. The Capitol switchboard is (202) 224-3121.
http://www.getliberty.org/content.asp?pl=37&contentid=37#No_Compromise
