Establishment Republicans view success as legislators in terms of how many new pieces of legislation they pass, how many lobbyists they satisfy, and by how much money pours into their campaign troughs from inside and outside of their States and local Districts. This is, of course, why establishment Republicans and Constitutionalist and Conservative Republicans can never quite see eye to eye on anything. To the National Republican Party, passing a $1.1 Trillion Omnibus Bill was a tremendous success. They passed a massive piece of legislation which served the overwhelming majority of the lobbyists in Washington D.C. and is certain to pay dividends in campaign finance in 2016. To the conservative grassroots, however, all they saw was more spending and more debt and a liberal President who got everything he asked for.
Congressman Dave Brat, however, working with a handful of other patriots in the House of Representatives has consistently voted no against reckless spending, regulation, and debt. His detractors argue that this means that he has not accomplished anything, after all, Congressman Brat wasn’t able to stop the Republican Leadership from getting their $1.1 Trillion Omnibus through the House of Representatives. Yet, that perspective is terribly skewed.
While the $1.1 Trillion boondoggle was a bipartisan effort, more Democrats (166) voted for it than Republicans (150). 95 other Republicans in the House of Representatives joined Congressman Brat in voting against the bill.
Congressman Brat didn’t merely vote no. He spoke out publicly and loudly against the Omnibus bill. He made his arguments on principle and on a deep understanding of the economic consequences such levels of federal spending would have on the United States economy. Many of the other 95 Republicans who voted against the bill did so because their constituents heard Congressman Brat and his handful of allies in The House explaining their reasoning why it was such an awful bill. Then, after the Republican Leadership knew it had enough Democrats to pass the bill, they began letting other Republicans off the hook, to vote on behalf of their constituents, instead of on behalf of leadership.
Congressman Brat’s “No Votes” come with explanations, explanations that get aired on NBC and FOX News, CNN and CSPAN, and across social media. Folks all across American now know Congressman Dave Brat the way folks all across America knew Congressman Ron Paul, the original “Dr. No”. Congressman Brat understands that he cannot compromise the principles he went to Washington D.C. to fight for in order to successfully pass legislation; and that is exactly what he would have to do in order to be “successful” in the eyes of establishment Republicans.
Horse trading legislation is the name of the game in The House of Representatives and Congressman Brat has refused to play that game. His refusal to play the game and the fact that he’s lived up to all of his campaign promises is exactly what gives him the clout to voice the principles and concerns of conservatives and constitutionalists all across America. And that is a huge success! Name another Congressman from Virginia that has been able to consistently access a vast national audience, explaining to them what the national media and the national Republican Party never would.
That is why principle, integrity, and character are so important. That is why Congressman Brat has been so successful. Love him or hate him, he isn’t a hypocrite. He hasn’t sold out. There are no lobbyists controlling what he says and when. The only reason Congressman Dave Brat is able to reach so many people is because he has never compromised himself or his principles. When the Congressman speaks, even his detractors listen to what he has to say, because it’s what will be repeated amongst conservatives from Virginia, to Texas, to Michigan, to California the next day.
Dave Brat has been a massive success in Washington D.C. I just pray that the 7th District knows what they’ve got in the Congressman and that they do everything they can to keep him on for another term.
Originally published on PendletonPenn.com
23 comments
The cleavage between the GOPe and those who actually support the Republican Creed is on full display. The GOPe having been stripped of their last fig leaf of phony conservative principles, fights for nothing but the power to tax, barrow and spend. They want to distribute our collective future incomes today and thereby enrich themselves and their lobbyist cronies. I hope and pray that their time has passed. All support for Congressman Brat.
Very few politicians can say no under any circumstance but almost NONE can say no and follow up with a measured, intelligent argument on why. Rep. Brat is a national House treasure delivered by Virginia’s electorate of the 7th congressional District to us all.
Go Dave Brat!
He’s a great person, too. The 7th District needs to support this guy – a speaker for each of us as he faces a primary challenge from Sheriff Mike Wade. Hopefully, the rest of country will send more like-minded representatives to Washington to join him. We will be better-served with more like him.
Remember this iconic photograph from the 2009 march ?
http://www.varight.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/marco3.jpg
http://www.varight.com/news/not-the-party-of-no-but-the-party-of-hell-no/
I agree with your analysis.
Dave Brat hasn’t been “a massive success in Washington DC”. No freshman representative can be described that way. He’s sitting at T371st on the seniority list. He’s accomplished just as much in DC as my representative who’s sitting T229th (Robert Hurt)… and that’s pretty close to nothing. That’s just the way it works in Congress right now, and everybody should know that.
Funny I haven’t seen Rep. Hurt in the press explaining conservative values nor do I see people from all over this country call the congresspeople and demand that they actually be conservative “like Rep. Hurt”. Seniority matter only if you are trying to play the establishment’s game.
Seniority matters also in terms of ‘juice’ — more seniority = more pork = continued incumbency = more juice.
It is a cycle that is difficult to break, and can result in an opiate haze between local district party and their incumbent Congresscritters.
Americans are addicts, the question is, will a Conservative intervention work, or do we have to wait for rock bottom?
God help our children and grandchildren if we do hit that rock bottom.
“,,,do we have to wait for rock bottom?”
That’s really the question of our age, isn’t it? Our relatively young Republic is based on the idea that free people, well educated, can govern themselves in a way that doesn’t lead to despotism or suicide. Twenty trillion in debt and a large portion of the population treated like household pets doesn’t augur well for the success of that idea.
It’s a privilege, however, to be alive at a time when the idea is tested. Ninety-nine percent of the history of our species is of a strong ruler or class of rulers in control, with modest input allowed from ordinary members of the community.
“free people, well educated, can govern themselves in a way that doesn’t lead to despotism or suicide.”
The well educated part is where we are failing the most.
if your criteria for effective Congressman is media coverage, you must love Nancy Pelo
My criteria for an effective Congressman is one who does not sell out the people who elected him… being in the press is not what makes Dave Brat an excellent congressman. Him being able to frequently and unapologetically articulate the Republican Creed and conservative ideas is… him being unwilling to vote in ways that his constituents would not approve of is also.
she got to be Speaker, didn’t she?
Pelosi came via the Newt Gingrich speakership. America rejected right wing conservatism.
If you don’t learn to work with everybody & accept compromise, then you’re playing any game.
Your kind of crap talk works well here at The Bull Elephant, but it accomplishes nothing in the real world.
Read… http://www.pendletonpenn.com/a-letter-to-the-editor-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank/
In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Saying NO to bad legislation is important. Cantor would have voted YES on most of it and that’s not what We the People want.
We don’t need anymore politicians voting for things just to claim they “did something”.
I agree.. funny how this post from the same site didn’t get shared here….. http://www.pendletonpenn.com/a-letter-to-the-editor-laughing-all-the-way-to-the-bank/
Spot on