Vive la différence

By Lisa Fabrizio

I'm so confused. Whenever I've entered the voting booth, I foolishly believed that I was in there in order to elect a representative to conduct the business of a constitutional republic. Little could I have imagined that the person I was sending to Washington was a veritable superhuman, invested with powers far beyond those of mortal men. Witness Rep. John Boccieri (D-Ohio), who said of his decision to vote 'yes' on the healthcare bill, "If I can save one life, I'll have done my job...My job is to make a difference in peoples' lives."

Of course there was one way that Congressman Boccieri and friends could have saved many lives and actually performed the jobs they swore an oath to do. Unfortunately, on Sunday they forfeited that chance in order to push their more important and pressing desire to foist on us a socialistic form of government that has failed or is failing all over the globe; strangling economies while choking the lifeblood of men, formerly known as individual liberty.

Now that the Democrats have succeeded in their thuggish attempt to cripple the best healthcare system in the world, conventional conservative wisdom suggests that those of us who scorn their agenda should simply let things play out until November; that voters will remember the vile sausage-making of this bill and give them the boot. But while that may be true, the only sure way to win the ongoing war between champions of our Constitution and those who would follow the failed policies of Europe, is to further elucidate the differences that distinguish them.

Take the noxious oxymoron that is the 'pro-life Democrat.' Bart Stupak and friends demonstrated once again that a modern pro-life Democrat by any other name is an adherent to the belief that the expansion of government shall come before any other commitment, including the defense of innocent life. The same applies to most "Blue Dog" Democrats; those folks from conservative districts who turn yellow when their seats are on the line because of the agenda of the reds in their party. If these men were truly pro-life, as they so often and passionately claim to be, then they most certainly would not be Democrats, since their official party platform proclaims:

The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empower people to make informed choices and live healthy lives.

While it is true that there are some pro-abortion Republicans in Congress, they don't proudly walk around proclaiming themselves to be so every five minutes. They know they are in direct opposition to the Republican stance so eloquently stated in their platform:

Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.

It's time for voters to be disabused of the lazy and uninformed canard encouraged by the liberal media and even echoed by many on the right, that both parties are alike; that there is no difference between them. We need to reach these folks that spend their time watching American Idol, instead of glued to C-SPAN where they would soon be persuaded otherwise.

If there is one consolation to this whole mess, it's that some Americans did indeed witness this sorry process of bullying and bribery comically known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It's time that the rest of America took notice.

Yes, elections have consequences, but let it be said that with overwhelming majorities in both houses, the healthcare bill was passed only by the narrowest of margins and most importantly, against the will of the people. That should be a sobering lesson for the party in power.

The form of government crafted for us by our founders is unique in that our elected representatives and those who elect them should have a symbiotic relationship. And although this bond has degraded by both an apathetic electorate and a deaf and complacent Congress, the election of Scott Brown in Massachusetts has demonstrated its intended vigor. The fact is, there has not been such Republican determination and unity in the Congress for many a year.

We need to feed on that energy by making clear that there are huge differences between the parties. The published platforms need to be circulated far and wide for all to see and read. Once the official stated views and values of Democrats are digested, the motives behind their policies like healthcare reform and cap and trade will be more easily understood and the consequences of further enabling them made crystal clear. This is a recipe for a truly sweeping victory in November.

© Lisa Fabrizio