But Can They Do It?

February 3, 2002

by Charles E. Perry

I just finished watching President Bush’s State of the Union speech. I thought it was a good one. There were, by my count, some 73 bursts of applause and 31 standing ovations. Bush spoke about the war on terror, and made us feel good about being Americans. He spoke about service to the country, and made us think about the duties of citizenship. He spoke about the economy, and gave us hope. But he issued a challenge to Congress for which I’m not sure they can follow through.

He asked Congress to work together, not as Republicans and Democrats, but as Americans, to solve the problems and address the issues our nation faces. When it comes to the war on terror, they have done so, for the most part, but when it comes to domestic issues, I just don’t think they can. I think Congress will think too much about politics, and not enough about the people, pretty much like they always do.

We’ve already seen a preview with Democrats trying frantically to make Enron’s failure into the political scandal it isn’t, and with Daschle trying to say tax cuts that haven’t taken effect yet caused the recession. Frankly, I think we’re going to see them go back to politics as usual, and forget We the People. The Democrats are lusting after regaining control in Congress, and they don’t seem capable of being just Americans. In the Democrat Party response to Bush’s speech, Gephardt seemed, to me, to be saying: "No, Mr. President, we will not put America first. We are Democrats, and the party comes first, always."

Sadly, they don’t even realize that they could be cutting their own throats by engaging in partisan politics. There’s a new feeling in America. We have stopped seeing ourselves as distinct little groups, and have started seeing ourselves as one people. Politicians who recognize that and act on it can do well. Those who don’t may well fall by the wayside. We might just get to watch the Democrat Party implode and destroy itself.

Bush called on Congress to put America before party. I’d like to join him in that challenge. The only question is: can they do it? Sadly, I’m not sure they can, but I hope they will.

Gob bless America, let’s roll.

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Charles E. Perry is a freelance writer living in Michigan. He has done a variety of things in his life, including Ward Supervisor at the State of Michigan's Maximum Security Mental Facility. His degree is in accounting, but he discovered writing and now spends his time hunched over a keyboard, hollow-eyed, looking for just the right word. Perry is the author of "How Government Should Work: A Look at the Federalist Papers and the Constitution of the United States," currently pending publication.

Send the author an E mail at Perry@ConservativeTruth.org.

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