Are you feeling principled today? How about gutsy? Are the wishes of voters — the same voters that afforded you a 2010 landslide victory — at the forefront of your minds?
I certainly hope so.
As conservatives across the country await a decision as to whether or not there will be an increase in the debt ceiling, we can’t help but wonder if you will dig in your heels and stand for something.
Will you prioritize significant — and I mean significant — spending reductions?
Will you refuse to accept tax hikes and stand firm against class warfare?
Will you fight for a balanced-budget amendment?
Will you call out the left’s precious “shared sacrifice” talking point for what it is, a class-warfare driven divisive tool that aims to pit one American against another and demonize our country’s job creators?
Will you articulate that in America, we don’t take from one person to give to another? We unleash a booming private sector where people have the opportunity to build their own successes.
Will you draw a clear line of demarcation between the big-government, tax-and-spend agenda of the left and what should be a limited-government, pro-growth agenda on the right?
Will you only embrace “compromise” when it’s in the best interest of the country to do so?
Americans are tired of phoniness. We’re tired of false promises. We’re tired of tax deals that inject no long-term certainty in the economy, accomplish nothing in the way of spending reductions and reflect a profound lack of gravitas on your part. We’re tired of weak cuts disguised as something greater. We’re tired of lies.
And we’re not stupid. We’re attuned to business as usual, to closed-door meetings and to what appears to be a disturbing inability on your part to stick to your guns.
So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to stand firm, to let President Obama, Harry Reid and their allies know that the buck stops here? Are you going to lead a Republican Party that stands for strict fiscal discipline, constitutional integrity and a commitment to protecting all that makes America exceptional for future generations? Are you going to be the bold contrast to the left that you should be?
The choice is yours. We’ll be watching — ready to stand by you if you do what’s right and to hold you accountable if you don’t.
There’s no time for nonsense. This country deserves real leadership. And as we head into another election season, Americans aren’t about to settle for anything less.
Jedediah Bila is a conservative columnist, television commentator and author of the new book Outnumbered: Chronicles of a Manhattan Conservative. For more information on Jedediah, please visit jedediahbila.com. Follow Jedediah on Twitter.