Obama-scare

You don't have to be too much into the whole reading thing to know that many conservatives are looking forward to the midterm elections. While political forecasters may disagree about the size and scope of the revolt, they all agree that Republicans should see their numbers in Congress increase significantly as a result.

Fine. But something about the hypocrisy in the air is making my soul feel ache-y and feverish.

Moments ago I watched a commercial that featured Roy Blunt saying he wanted to fix Medicare. You know, that government-run health care program for seniors. Blunt, apparently, is not ideologically opposed to Medicare. For if he were, it seems he would want to repeal it. He would say that the government can't run anything and shouldn't be providing socialist entitlement programs when the private sector is perfectly capable of insuring seniors.

Libertarians are often clear and consistent about what they feel the role of government should be. In short, military, cops, and that's about it. Libertarians believe a free market can better provide for many of the things we socialize (education, health care, etc.) and the government's primary role should be to protect individual freedoms (in other words, it shouldn't legislate morality).

I've often romanticized Libertarian philosophy. But ultimately, I believe a government run by elected officials can oversee effective educational and health care systems. Most people, like good ole' Roy, aren't ready to get rid of public schools or Medicare.

And, by the way, fixing Medicare is a good aim. Fixing Social Security is a good aim, too.

With the Obama administration in place since January '09, I've sat back and watched a number of conservatives demonize our president's liberal "agenda." At times, it's been funny to me because I remember well the calls of "Impeach Bush" that seemed so loud just two and three years ago.

Now, as I watch political commercials rail against "Obamacare," and the left's "extreme" vision for America, I can't help but feel sickened.

If you count yourself among the conservatives anxious to vote on Nov. 2, I'd like you to first consider a couple of things. Then, by all means, vote away.

1. A stimulus was needed.

When the economy began to tank in 2008, and the fed cut interest rates next to zero with little effect, pressure for the government to do something became a reality for people of both parties. It's easy for people to forget, but Sen. John McCain's own economic stimulus plan (proposed in Feb. 2009) was $421 billion. Neither political party was suggesting that deficit spending was irresponsible when we were still on the brink of Depression.

By late 2009, many felt Obama's $787 billion stimulus had had at least a stabilizing effect on the economy. Some others felt the stimulus wasn't aggressive enough.

2. Obamacare does not exist.

Democrats in Congress under the guidance of their president had hoped to create a "public option" as part of their plan to insure more Americans and reduce medical expenses in the summer of '09. But, amid talk of death panels and town hall forums gone crazy, Dems abandoned the idea in favor of reforms deemed acceptable by the more conservative members of their party. The result was legislation that featured an expansion of Medicaid and mirrored a conservative alternative to Clinton's universal coverage attempt of the 90s: individual mandates.

The truth is that health care costs in this country have been out of control for years. Clearly, industry reform was a priority for Obama. Was this a bad goal? No way.

3. Bailouts were bipartisan.

I was lucky enough to interview Roy Blunt in 2008 moments after he addressed local citizens' concerns about the TARP legislation (a.k.a. Wall-Street bailout) for which he helped secure votes. In a recent Columbia-Missourian article, Blunt states that the $700 billion measure designed to save troubled banks and financial institutions "may have prevented real economic disaster."

The article points out that while Robin Carnahan supported the stimulus, she opposed the bailout. Blunt, perhaps obviously, hated the stimulus but thought TARP was necessary. Neither have been very popular with voters, and are often listed as reasons for the emergence of the Tea Party.

On Nov. 2, doors to polling places across the nation will open. People will file in, mark this box or that, and collectively, their voices will be heard. It is my hope that they think before they speak.