We Won — Now Let's Do Something with It

This week’s midterm victories were a step in the right direction for conservatives and the core principles we hold dear. There is no understating the importance of the seats we picked up in both the Senate and the House, and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come. The American people resoundingly spoke out against the failed leadership and policies of the Obama Administration and Harry Reid.

However, winning the midterm elections does not mean all is right within the Republican Party. Conservatives still face an uphill battle against the party’s establishment, which will no doubt play out in the 2016 election cycle. We’ve seen this before — all too recently — when party leaders made the decision to not pass any innovative conservative legislative items that might have jeopardized the impending election of Mitt Romney. Make no mistake, that strategy was and is a failure. 

Let’s not do it again; majorities exist to be put to use for the American people. We must pass a conservative, pro-growth agenda in the next Congress and take our optimistic policies to the American people in 2016. If we make the mistake of trotting out the “prevent defense” option once again, Hillary Clinton will be elected president with a Senate – and perhaps a House — majority.

President Obama and Senator Reid wasted the past two years advocating for personal vendettas instead of matters the American people truly care about. They forgot about the real priorities that are staring us all down. Let’s face it, when you’re focused on trying to gut the First Amendment instead of jobs and the economy, you deserve to lose. That is why it’s incumbent upon the soon to be Republican majorities in both the House and Senate to not simply stand firm against the Obama agenda, but offer a hopeful alternate vision for the future and lead on it. 

Let’s not overcomplicate what needs to be done. Obamacare is horribly unpopular and ineffective. It needs to be replaced. Taxes are too high. They need to be reduced and simplified. We need an energy policy in this country, so we can create new jobs right here in America. We need an immigration policy that promotes legal immigration. That’s a winning agenda – let’s pass it and make President Obama explain why he’s against it. If he wants to veto every reform bill that he’s sent, that’s his prerogative, and the American people can hold him accountable.

In the final analysis, several establishment-backed candidates prevailed last night and others did not. Most of these candidates campaigned on conservative ideals and principles. Now it’s their turn to step up to the plate and have the courage to promote and enact their campaign agenda in the Halls of Congress. Washington is broken and in dire need of change agents who are interested in fixing what’s broken instead of joining the club and focusing on becoming a career politician. We’ll soon find out who’s who and act accordingly. At the end of the day, party primaries are still a healthy exercise and may the best candidates win.