It's over; now GOP should get back to the
basics
By John Ellis, Globe Columnist, 01/23/99
It's over. The votes aren't there for
conviction, and they're never going to be
there. Those of us who thought the US Senate
might recoil at the prospect of allowing Clinton's
conduct to set the standard for public service in
the future were wrong. Those of us who believed
that principled people in the Democratic Party
might draw the line at immoral behavior and illegal
acts were wrong.
Those of us who thought a sense of shame might
cause Clinton to resign for the good of the country
were wrong. What we failed to appreciate was
the breadth of Clinton's cynicism and the
willingness of his supporters to enable its political
success.
Everyone knows that Clinton is a liar. Everyone knows that he repeatedly
lied under oath. Everyone knows that he engaged in a months-long effort to
delay and obstruct the administration of justice. And everybody knows,
because of lock-step Democratic partisanship, that he will not be convicted
of these crimes.
So be it. Rather than whine about the outcome, Republicans should simply
walk away from it. Let Clinton and his supporters have their ''victory.'' Let
him break out the drums and the unlit cigar, as he did after the Paula Jones
case was dismissed. Let his enablers write the resolution of censure.
Let them explain why his disgrace and dishonor do not merit his dismissal.
Republicans should demand an up-or-down vote on conviction on Monday.
If a majority of senators vote to convict, but a two-thirds majority cannot be
attained, then the record will be clear. History will show that the House
impeached Clinton and that a majority of senators validated that finding.
Clinton will not be removed from office, but the stain on his presidency will
be indelible.
Once the vote is taken, Republicans should immediately disengage from the
politics of impeachment. Clinton is dependent on enemies, real and imagined.
They are the essential ingredients of his political survival. Deny him his
enemies and all that remains is his shamelessness.
Having undertaken an honorable but unpopular cause, Republicans should
return to basic issues of governance. They might start by considering an
honest accounting of the nation's finances. Last year, the federal budget
deficit rose from $5.486 trillion to $5.618 trillion, an increase of $132
billion. At the same time, Social Security receipts rose by $200 billion, a
function of baby-boom demographics and low unemployment.
Mixing the two together, Clinton proclaims budget surpluses for years to
come.
Republicans who participate in this delusion lend credence to a fraud. Tax
cut proposals and promises of plenty only further that delusion. Voters will
never take seriously politicians who are manifestly unserious. Why bother
with the moving expenses if the net result is the same thing?
The truth is that Republicans have lacked a serious government agenda since
the political collapse of House Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1995. They have
articulated no substantive plan to save Social Security, fix Medicare,
enhance economic growth, improve education or better provide for the
national security. As a result, their pursuit of Clinton has been recast as their
defining purpose. Absent a substantive GOP agenda, Clinton has been able
to assert that only he cares about ''the people's business.'' He couldn't care
less, of course. Since the Lewinsky scandal erupted one year ago, Clinton
has tailored his entire administration toward the furtherance of just one goal:
beating the rap. Tuesday's State of the Union Address was crafted for a
single purpose: preventing his conviction in the Senate. Once he is acquitted,
most if not all of the agenda he outlined will never be mentioned again.
If the Republicans do not fill this void with substance, then their political
circumstances will further deteriorate. The truth is that Clinton has won a
crucial battle. He has convinced the electorate that politicians and the
political process are corrupt. He has made ''the politics of personal
destruction'' a fact of modern life. He has made cynicism the state of political
art.
Republicans cannot compete with Clinton at this level of the game. They
don't know how and their constituencies wouldn't abide it even if they did.
The GOP's only hope is to return to the principles that have long guided their
path; smaller government, greater individual freedoms, free trade and a
commitment to an internationalist foreign policy. The sooner they develop a
serious and substantive agenda, the quicker they'll be back.
Republicans can take pride in their case against Clinton. They were right to
pursue it, despite the political cost. They stood on principle, which is what
matters in the end. Now they must make the case for themselves.
John Ellis is a Globe columnist.
This story ran on page A15 of the Boston Globe on 01/23/99.
© Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company.
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