The Voice of Young Conservatives Blog

As elections are drawing nearer, the hype is growing for this “right swinging” revolution.  This is most clearly evidenced by the latest Gallup poll.  Taken on August 30th, the latest generic ballot poll finds that the GOP has surged to a 10 percent lead just two months before the November elections.  It is not hyperbole to say that this is historic.

The previous record lead for the GOP in the Gallup poll was a tie between the 1994 and 2002 elections.  They were at only 5 percent!  In other words, we’ve doubled the generic ballot lead compared to 1994 – best known as the Republican Revolution. That year Republicans were able to capitalize on the perceived failures of President Clinton and Congressional Democrats to take 54 seats and capture both houses of Congress.

Lots of things are looking up for Republicans. Healthcare is more unpopular than ever, Democrats are being forced to distance themselves from their once-champion Barack Obama, and despite (or possible in spit of) historic government spending, our economy remains stagnant. Not only that, but the GOP doesn’t even need to win as many seats as 1994 to take back control of Congress. On paper we’re looking at a wave election. But the elections aren’t over, the results are not in, and nothing should be taken for granted. There is still a need to recruit the undecided and encourage those who haven’t yet registered to vote, to do so.

First goal is to take control of the State.  Currently, the Democrats are holding the majority of Gubernatorial seats. But that is likely to change. As Republican strategist and former Bush chief of staff explains in the Wall Street Journal,

A quick survey of the political landscape shows six of the seven Democratic governors running for re-election are polling under 50% and in danger of losing, while all six GOP incumbents seeking re-election are expected to win. In the 24 open gubernatorial contests, Republicans lead in 15 and are tied in three others.

With redistricting approaching, winning in the states will be more important than ever. But perhaps even more importantly, governors are showing that the states can truly be “laboratories of democracy” whose experiments can highlight the successes of conservative policy. Just take a look at what Chris Christie has done in New Jersey, Mitch Daniels has done in Indiana, Bob McDonnell has done in Virginia, or Tim Pawlenty has done in Minnesota if you doubt the national agenda shifting power that state leaders can have.

Republicans will not merely be content to win at the state level. The national stage has been set to make large gains in the House where Nancy Pelosi’s leadership has taken us on the path to record deficits. To regain control the GOP will need to win at least 39 seats, a difficult, but not impossible task. But to succeed we cannot rest on our laurels. For instance in places such as Alabama, Arizona, North Carolina, and South Carolina the incumbent Democrat is leading by a mere 1 percent. This is a year in which every vote counts. Let’s let Democrats know that their vote on a price-raising healthcare bill, a deficit-busting stimulus bill, and a regulatory mess of a banking-bill weren’t forgotten. Their vote counted, and so will ours.

The Senate is projected to be a more difficult reclamation project.  Even with the projected 7 seat gain we will fall just shy of the majority.  Nevertheless, if the historic generic ballot and voter enthusiasm numbers aren’t enough to make you believe that anything is possible this November then I don’t know what is.

Over the past year the liberal experiment has been on full display. The government has reached ever-further into our lives, Keynesian economic models have been implemented, and the welfare state has exploded. None of it has worked. America’s economy continues to be weighed down by the cost of government, wrapped up in red tape, and forced to carry new regulatory burdens. Is it any surprise we’re getting nowhere?

Now, while staring at reduced job opportunities and lower salaries, we are staring tax increases in the face. Someone has to pay off the government’s debt, and surprise, surprise, that someone is us. The spend-and-tax culture in Washington has got to change. Fortunately, the ballot box provides us a lever to begin that process. This election represents the chance to recapture our own futures that are currently being spent away by our so-called representatives. In states throughout the country we’ve seen the benefits that fiscal conservatism can bring, it’s time to take those success stories nationwide. It’s time Washington got out of the way and let Americans do what they do best – create, innovate, and build. The generic ballot test is a clue that time is coming.

by Brandon Greife and Reiley Hooper