A Spine Grows In GOP Land

IBD Editorials ^ | July 26, 2011 | Staff

[Kaslin]

Leadership: The tough stance taken by House Speaker John Boehner and congressional Republicans in debt talks marks a welcome new trend: GOP leaders who show guts.

It didn't start with John Boehner refusing to give in to President Obama's insistence on tax increases. This once-thought-extinct species — Republicans who have spines — has migrated to Washington from other habitats:

• New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie: Accomplishing what many believed impossible, he took some of the most powerful public sector unions head-on, suspending the lavish cost-of-living adjustments of their underfunded pensions, raising retirement ages, and insisting state employees pay more for benefits, as private-sector workers do. Christie's fate after crossing Big Labor's thugs? He's now begged, nearly daily, to run for president.

• Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker: Democratic lawmakers left the state in an attempt to prevent the passing of laws, and the Democratic National Committee helped Big Labor hold demonstrations comparing him to Hitler, physically keeping lawmakers from getting to their offices. But Walker kept his campaign vows to regain control of spending by changing the way state government works and restricting collective bargaining by state employees. Other governors are now studying this as an object lesson in executive leadership.

• Florida Congressman Allen West: Others may fear new DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, but the Iraq war veteran took her on like a jihadist insurgent. "You are the most vile, unprofessional and despicable member of the U.S. House of Representatives," he wrote her, adding that she had "proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady" and unworthy of his respect. West says he won't apologize to Schultz.

[MNJohnnie]

It seems the Tea Party supplies what the GOP has always lacked

A Spine.