After all the fuss, Election Day is officially over. Hopefully all of you exercised your right to vote, even if it was just to say you exercised at all this year. As predicted, the GOP dominated the midterm elections, taking seats previously held by Democrats in several states — and that’s not a good sign.
Some might think I’m saying this because I personally disagree with the vast majority of stances held by Republicans, but that’s not what this is about.
The entire goal of voting politicians into and out of power is to enact change and assist in the country’s government. Republicans want to do neither of those things — govern or change.
To the Republican Party, the words “progress” and “change” are as heinous as “cannibalism” and “animal abuse.” In their native tongue, “small government” translates to “no government at all.” And as the people behind every government shutdown since 1995, voters are in for disappointment when they realize that the Republican Party will get absolutely nothing done.
In August, Politico interviewed the recently re-elected and soon-to-be Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, who made it very clear he’s not scared of getting what he wants from President Obama by taking America hostage. McConnell said he would force the President to “move to the center” if he wanted to get any legislation passed through Congress.
This proves leading Republican politicians aren’t really interested in governing the country or even maintaining any sense of democracy or compromise. Politicians like McConnell are more adept at political blackmail than running America.
Salon.com’s Simon Maloy calls this the Republican Party’s “fatal do-nothing problem,” and it will be fatal to our country indeed.
As a political party, the GOP’s fundamental belief is that the government should be as small and inefficient as possible. They are practically shouting from the rooftops that they really don’t want to be doing what their jobs entail them to.
Their refusal to compromise with President Obama, the Democrats and even other Republicans is childish. It reminds me of those kids who don’t really make their dolls play with each other, so much as they just smash them together until they get bored or, in this context, ask for another government shutdown.
After the 2012 presidential election saw Mitt Romney constantly embarrassing himself with numerous flubs, and even a not-so-successful maneuver that involved brownface, many GOP members advised others in the party to simply stay quiet and useless in order to prove to the American people they were effective politicians.
One such GOP member was Louisiana’s beloved Gov. Bobby Jindal. Only a few weeks after President Obama’s re-election, Jindal went on “Fox News Sunday,” saying the Republican Party should stop “saying stupid things.” He specifically pointed out Rep. Todd “Legitimate Rape” Akin and Senate candidate Richard “God Intended for Rape Victims to Get Pregnant” Mourdock as responsible for the loss of potential Republican Senate seats.
But why were these such controversial and “stupid” things to say as Republicans? It clearly didn’t prevent them from taking the majority of seats in Congress, and one could say that these heinous comments even encouraged people to vote for them.
The only legislation the GOP and their followers seem to be interested in enforcing are those that make it nearly impossible for American women to procure safe and legal abortions. With a Republican majority, who knows how many anti-abortion policies will be able to pass before Roe v. Wade becomes irrelevant?
For Louisiana, however, we still have a chance to let our voices be heard in the Dec. 6 runoff between the Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy.
Let’s hope we make the right decision.
SidneyRose Reynen is a 19-year-old film and media arts sophomore from New Orleans. You can reach her on Twitter @sidneyrose_TDR.