| My Thoughts |  What a difference a year makes.
One short year ago we were trying to understand what the "Obama Tsunami" would mean for our economy, security and our nation as a whole. The common theme being bandied about was that the Republican Party was dead and that the landscape had changed in dramatic and historic ways. We were all looking for hope in the midst of a financial crisis, eight years of our brothers and sisters going off to fight in far away wars, and a political climate that had reached a level of nastiness not seen before. Post partisan politics, an open and transparent government accountable to the people was a refreshing thought.
As we all know, wishing hard enough doesn't always make things work out. We have watched in shock as the largest stimulus plan ever was rushed through the halls of Congress in order to prevent unemployment from hitting 10%. Thousands of pages of legal language have been passed so quickly that most of the members of Congress that supported them haven't even had a chance to read them. Promises of posting bills online before votes were broken almost as fast as the Champagne seals in the Speakers Office. Our indignation was compounded as our auto companies were all but nationalized, AIG was put onto a permanent respirator and there is a massive rush to change our health care system before America has a chance to return to the ballot box and put a stop to it.
The recent elections have shown how far things have come and how much things have changed since 2008. We have shown that coming together as a party and standing for something that counts means a great deal to everyone that casts a ballot. Locally, we have brought a new slate of leaders to the fore, Mike Pavia in Stamford, Peter Tesei in Greenwich and Tim Herbst in Trumbull, to name a few. These enterprising and charismatic individuals are bringing energy and new ideas to the forefront of our local governance. In a few short months, we will continue this push as we move into the midterm 2010 elections, again incredibly exciting for our state. Lt Governor Michael Fedele is running at the top of the ticket, looking to take his experience, knowledge and familiarity with CT voters to the State House as he succeeds Gov Rell. The slate of Senatorial Candidates looking to take the fight directly to Sen Chris Dodd is long and impressive; a vigorous and dynamic primary is exactly what we need to ensure that the person chosen to lead this fight does actually speak for the majority of people. The important issue to remember is that once this primary is finished, it is imperative that we all move quickly behind whoever is chosen to mount the challenge. If NY 23 has taught us anything, internal bickering is exactly what the Democrats are counting on.
The issues today are such that Republicans clearly have the advantage, and the actions of the Democrats this last year have ensured that people realize we need to have responsible leadership. In a recent Rasmussen Poll, 43% of those surveyed said they would vote for their district's Republican candidate vs. 38% choosing the Democrat. Fiscal responsibility, as we have seen, can be poorly managed by both parties, but right now Republicans clearly have the advantage. As the President allows time to slip by while our men and women are fighting in the mountains, America is looking again for decisive leadership abroad, While Congress stays in Washington on Saturdays so that they don't have to come home and face the voters, we are looking for reasonable and rational answers to healthcare.
This is the time for us to show that we have learned our lesson. Now it is our chance, our responsibility to stop the slide away from those principles which made ours the greatest nation, and ours one of the best states in that nation. Each of us has to appreciate the importance attached to this particular time and the nation we leave to our younger brothers, sisters, sons and daughters. Generations before us had to worry about what they left for their grandchildren, the pace of change at this moment means that we need to worry about the nation we leave our younger siblings.
Given these conditions we have an urgent need to come together as Republicans, as conservatives, as Americans -- in order to bring the right kind of change to the governance of this beloved state and nation of ours
Chris Meek
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