CaseyJones
12-31-2013, 12:57 PM
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/367266/middle-class-heroes-andrew-stiles
Crony capitalism — the highly profitable alliance between Big Business, K Street, and the federal government — is a frequent topic of scorn for Republican critics of President Obama. But while crony capitalism has certainly flourished under the Obama administration, the GOP hasn’t exactly gone out of its way to combat the trend.
Many have argued that taking on crony capitalism, and perhaps adopting a more populist tone that emphasizes the needs of working-class Americans, should be an important aspect of the GOP’s rebranded agenda. By advancing a message and a policy agenda that combat the stereotype of Republicans as beholden to Big Business, the party could go a long way toward regaining some lost trust with the American people.
But the party’s actions haven’t matched this desire to change tone. Entrenched special interests still hold political sway. The status quo, being the status quo, is hard to crack. Additionally, as Matt Continetti argued for The Weekly Standard in the wake of the 2012 election, Republican efforts to strike a more populist tone and reach out to target demographics of minorities, single women, and millennials run the risk of alienating the party’s traditional base. Old habits have been difficult to break.
Yes, the GOP class of 2010 led a successful push to eliminate earmarks in Congress, but many lawmakers — Republicans in particular — now pine for their return. In July, all but twelve House Republicans voted for a farm bill laden with billions in subsidies to powerful agricultural interests; it appropriated about $25 billion more than even President Obama had called for in his own budget. Meanwhile, intransigent, libertarian-minded Republicans such as Representatives Justin Amash (Mich.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.) could face primary challengers backed by the Chamber of Commerce.
Consider, for example, the recent bipartisan budget agreement to roll back sequester spending cuts in exchange for promised savings in 2023–24. Like most congressional products, the deal was supported by teams of lobbyists and opposed by conservative activist groups. Almost as notable as the deal itself were House speaker John Boehner’s public outbursts at these groups, which had business lobbyists “pumping their fists,” according to The Hill.
Crony capitalism — the highly profitable alliance between Big Business, K Street, and the federal government — is a frequent topic of scorn for Republican critics of President Obama. But while crony capitalism has certainly flourished under the Obama administration, the GOP hasn’t exactly gone out of its way to combat the trend.
Many have argued that taking on crony capitalism, and perhaps adopting a more populist tone that emphasizes the needs of working-class Americans, should be an important aspect of the GOP’s rebranded agenda. By advancing a message and a policy agenda that combat the stereotype of Republicans as beholden to Big Business, the party could go a long way toward regaining some lost trust with the American people.
But the party’s actions haven’t matched this desire to change tone. Entrenched special interests still hold political sway. The status quo, being the status quo, is hard to crack. Additionally, as Matt Continetti argued for The Weekly Standard in the wake of the 2012 election, Republican efforts to strike a more populist tone and reach out to target demographics of minorities, single women, and millennials run the risk of alienating the party’s traditional base. Old habits have been difficult to break.
Yes, the GOP class of 2010 led a successful push to eliminate earmarks in Congress, but many lawmakers — Republicans in particular — now pine for their return. In July, all but twelve House Republicans voted for a farm bill laden with billions in subsidies to powerful agricultural interests; it appropriated about $25 billion more than even President Obama had called for in his own budget. Meanwhile, intransigent, libertarian-minded Republicans such as Representatives Justin Amash (Mich.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.) could face primary challengers backed by the Chamber of Commerce.
Consider, for example, the recent bipartisan budget agreement to roll back sequester spending cuts in exchange for promised savings in 2023–24. Like most congressional products, the deal was supported by teams of lobbyists and opposed by conservative activist groups. Almost as notable as the deal itself were House speaker John Boehner’s public outbursts at these groups, which had business lobbyists “pumping their fists,” according to The Hill.