Feehery: The next Republican wave is coming | TheHill – The Hill

In my short three decades in Washington, I have seen two huge Republican waves and I am anticipating a third one a year from now.

The latest generic ballot has Republicans up a touchdown and a field goal, the largest margin I have ever witnessed. If the GOP screws this one up, it will be the most epic fail in history.

There were signs that 1994 was going to be a big year for Republicans, but the establishment had become so used to Democrats running the House that nobody truly believed that then-Rep. Newt GingrichNewton (Newt) Leroy GingrichMORE (Ga.) could take the Speakers gavel. Those signs included an incompetent Clinton administration, abject corruption in the House, a favorable issue set for a center-right country, and a motivated and energized Republican conference.

It became pretty clear by the fall of 2009 that the shelf-life of the Democratic majority was expiring in November of 2010. Instead of focusing on the economy, the Obama administration spent all their political capital on health care reform. House Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiBlack Caucus eager to see BBB cross finish line in House Hoyer: Vote on .75T spending package likely Thursday or Friday Feehery: The next Republican wave is coming MORE (D-Calif.) made her moderates walk the plank on climate change legislation that never went anywhere in the Senate. And former President ObamaBarack Hussein ObamaBriahna Joy Gray: White House is setting Harris up to move past her The Memo: Democrats may rue pursuit of Bannon Biden's decision on Fed chair said to be 'imminent' MORE himself became a polarizing figure who inspired a Tea Party revolt.

The key difference between the 1994 and 2010 came with the governing agenda. Gingrich had one and Speaker John BoehnerJohn Andrew BoehnerFeehery: The next Republican wave is coming Rift widens between business groups and House GOP Juan Williams: Pelosi shows her power MORE (R-Ohio) didnt. The Contract with America had a specific set of promises that were achievable if you looked at the fine print, and those promises started with a complete overhaul of the House of Representatives. The Tea Party, on the other hand, was an incoherent jumble of the unachievable (repealing ObamaCare) and the incomprehensible (keep the governments hands off of Medicare) as the movement devolved into a mass of petty grifters who were using the passion of the moment to make a few bucks.

The next Republican wave will be a reaction to the progressive movements monumental overreach. As always happens, Republicans fail because they try to do too little, while the Democrats fail because they always try to do way too much. President Biden campaigned like he was former President Clinton in his second term but has tried to govern like he is FDR, LBJ or Obama.

The Biden bait-and-switch is only part of the Democrats problem. The American people dont want more government. Sure, they will take the handouts, because free money is hard to resist. But voters understand instinctively that there is no such thing as a free lunch. They blame the Democrats and the president for inflation and high gas prices (rightfully so), they blame the Democrats and the president for the risk of more government restrictions on freedom (rightfully so), they blame the Democrats and the president for failing schools (ex. the Glenn YoungkinGlenn YoungkinAmericans keep spending House Democrats planning 1,000 events to tout accomplishments Manchin has 'a lot of concerns' over timing of Biden spending plan MORE victory in Virginia), and they blame the whole progressive movement for cancel culture, wokeness, defunding of the police and a general disdain of America and its cultural norms.

The left has become anti-American, anti-capitalist, anti-free speech, anti-liberty, pro-globalist, pro-lockdown, pro-socialist, pro-COVID-19 hysteria, pro-climate hysteria, pro-mask and pro-gender-bending. They have become very easy to run against.

That explains why Republicans will win in November. All the GOP has to say is we are not them and they will have a very good election. We are not crazy. We are not socialist. We are not hysterical. We are pro-family, pro-freedom, pro-economic growth, pro-getting people back to work.

The Republicans dont need a crazy agenda full of promises they cant keep. They dont need to relitigate the 2020 presidential election. They shouldnt spend anytime looking backward.

The Democrats believe that their only hope is to make this election about former President TrumpDonald TrumpBiden sends 2016 climate treaty to Senate for ratification US, China ease restrictions on journalists Americans keep spending MORE. The media likes that strategy because Trump is very good for ratings. But actually the only thing that will help the Democratic Party now is if they turn away from the progressive nonsense that has driven Bidens poll ratings to historic lows. That doesnt seem very likely. And so, prepare yourself for the next Republican wave. Its coming to a town near you.

Feehery is a partner at EFB Advocacy and blogs at http://www.thefeeherytheory.com. He served as spokesman to former Speaker Dennis HastertJohn (Dennis) Dennis HastertFeehery: The next Republican wave is coming Feehery: The GOP could have done better Feehery: The theme song of the counterrevolution MORE (R-Ill.), as communications director to former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) when he was majority whip and as a speechwriter to former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.).

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Feehery: The next Republican wave is coming | TheHill - The Hill