Four issues will be on the minds of American voters when they step into the voting booth on Nov. 7. They are concerned about the scandal surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., foreign policy and terrorism, the state of the economy and the moral agenda in Washington, D.C. Republicans have the upper hand on every one of these issues, and Americans are beginning to realize it.
First, Americans will recognize that Democratic attacks following the Foley scandal are, at best, hypocritical. Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader in the House, voted on three separate occasions to make Gerry Studds - a man convicted of statutorily raping a House page on multiple occasions - the chairman of a House committee. Then, speaking of Foley, Pelosi told reporters that Republicans "... are so out of touch with the American people that they didn't even know that it was wrong to ignore the repulsive behavior of one of their members, a member of Congress who should be held to a higher standard."
The hypocrisy is clear. Inappropriate e-mails from a Republican are "repulsive," while Democrats who repeatedly rape boys are to be revered and installed in positions of party leadership. And then, of course, there was former President Bill Clinton, but that story needs no retelling. Americans are picking up on the shameful double standard employed by Democrats and are seeing the Foley scandal for what it is: an isolated miscreant within the party of higher standards. Republicans expel malfeasant members while Democrats celebrate them, and the Foley case only emphasizes this fact.
Second, on terrorism and foreign policy, Americans will choose this November between two thematic approaches to the problem. Democrats advocate what amounts to a sunshine policy toward terrorists, while Republicans have been following a policy of confrontation since Sept. 11, 2001. The execution of the Republican strategy has not been perfect. We should have done more to craft a multilateral response to threats coming from the Middle East, and we are seeing the cost of our poor course of action. However, mistakes are mistakes, and they do not speak to the correctness of the larger policy. The American people recognize that the appeasement and withdrawal advocated by Democrats will accomplish nothing.
Indeed, Republicans are continuing to make the confrontation strategy more effective and are finding wider support. As a result, we have seen NATO spearhead operations in Afghanistan and the U.N. Security Council pass sweeping sanctions against North Korea. These events represent a revised methodology in the implementation of the Republican strategy, and it is working.
Third, Americans favor a pro-growth, pro-family economic agenda over the entitlement-laden, tax-and-spend policies favored by would-be Democratic appropriators. They know that the true cost of the Democratic economic agenda will be increased dependence on the federal government, a higher tax bill for already squeezed American families and greater incentives for companies to move abroad.
In sharp contrast to the Democrats, Republicans want to cut costs and increase revenue. The Republicans will do this by implementing more effective and less costly entitlement programs, keeping taxes low to put more money in the budgets of American families and convincing American companies to stay within our borders. The last five years have proven that this approach will increase tax revenues, decrease unhealthy dependence on government and promote innovation and hard work. Americans will choose the pro-growth, pro-family Republican agenda over squeezing their tight budgets to satisfy handout hungry Democrats.
Finally, Americans don't want to install a San Francisco liberal like Pelosi as speaker of the House, a position third in line to be President. As difficult as it may be for us to believe while living on College Hill, "mainstream" values in America are not the values espoused on the left-wing campuses and urban centers on the West and East coasts. Mainstream Americans want to see traditional family values promoted in government, and these are the values promoted by Republicans. As Americans begin to realize that a vote for any Democrat is a vote for Pelosi and her like-minded colleagues on leadership, voters will reject even the most conservative Democrats and vote for the party that truly represents their values.
We know that if the Republican message is drowned out by scandals and attacks fabricated by desperate Democrats, America may be led down the wrong path. However, if Republicans can articulate these messages clearly in the closing weeks of this election season, Americans will vote Right.
Ethan Wingfield '07 is the chairman of the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island. Andrew Kurtzman '08 is the secretary of the Brown College Republicans.
