The 'Do-Nothing' party

By Mike Pellicio

Back in the days of Abraham Lincoln, there existed a political party known as the Know-Nothing Party, which ran on an entirely anti-immigrant platform. It was officially the American Party, but it received its sardonic label because its members were instructed to say they knew nothing of the party's maneuvers. The party, not surprisingly, didn't last long.

The Know-Nothing movement doesn't concern me in the least bit, but if I were a Republican politician, it would. The Republican Party has looked like the Do-Nothing party as of late. Note: That's not to say it has reverted back to its small government roots, God forbid.

One would think a party with control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress would do something. But nothing has really happened to reward conservatives who so loyally show up at the polls to keep these people in office, save for two excellent Supreme Court appointments.

What do the voters want? They want to be safe; this includes reforming border security and immigration policies and developing a sound foreign policy -- specifically confronting Iran and its maniacal president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The voters also want the federal government out of their business, which means lower taxes and a lot less spending. This isn't even to mention social conservatism. The point is that there's no shortage of things that conservative voters want; the shortcoming lies within the party.

A prime example of the transformation of the Do-Nothing Party is its unwillingness to do anything about the current Iranian regime. Ahmadinejad recently said that Israel faces "annihilation." He describes Israel as "a rotten, dried tree that will be eliminated by one storm." Nice words from the leader of a country that has just enriched uranium, a crucial step in developing nuclear weapons.

Now, what sort of "storm" can "annihilate" a country? Ahmadinejad outlined his plans to destroy Israel and then the United States at the World Without Zionism conference in Tehran. Come on, W. Let's go, Condi. Remind us why you make the big bucks.

Whereas the Democratic Party has always been the Do-Everything Party, the Republican Party now has its own deserved moniker. The American Party knew nothing and promptly faded into oblivion. If Lincoln, the first Republican president, were here today, he might advise President Bush that, unless he wants to be the last Republican president, he'd best get on his horse before it's too late.

Sooner or later, if current trends continue, voters are going to get fed up. Then the Republican Party will really have nothing to do.

Mike Pellicio is a junior political science major.