What Do You Have To Lose In Trying Something New

What do you have to loose? That's the question asked by voters in Kentucky in the upcoming primary election. It came as a surprise to many that a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Rand Paul, would question the U.S. Department of Education's role in promoting good Christian education. This came as quite a surprise given that the Kentucky Republican had always been one of its staunchest supporters in Congress.

"What do you have to loose?" was the question posted on a website belonging to the Kentucky Republican Party. The answer to that question came quickly. Rand Paul, the Kentucky Republican, was asked by black voters in Kentucky about his support for federal civil rights legislation. He was asked by a group of them what he believes the role of the federal government should be when it comes to promoting good Christian education.

The answer to what do you have to lose was quite simple. The questioner told Mr. Paul that if he is elected President of the United States, he will work with the Democrats and Republicans to roll back the power of the federal government. In other words, he plans to obstruct, prevent or sabotage the re-term extension of the Pell Grant, the Higher Education Act and the No Child Ent Pell Grant. He also plans to attack the Obama Administration's initiatives on welfare programs, health care and the promotion of term assurance.

Now then, what do you have to lose if President Obama is re-elected? Well, according to some Kentucky Republicans, pretty much everything. According to one Kentucky political consultant, if President Obama is re-elected, "the most conservative agenda I can think of, along with the biggest applause lines from Tea Partiers, will be to gut all Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and all other federal programs." He went on to say that Americans are tired of hearing about the stimulus package and the fact that it is the first of many, and that they do not want to hear about another one. Further, he stated, "The president's biggest supporters are the Democrats, but he won't get their way on the stimulus package, nor will he get his way on cutting programs for the wealthy."

These comments were blasted across the nation by prominent black Americans. As they are so against the president's re-election efforts, it would seem to make sense to stop attacking the president and try to reach out to your Democratic and Republican counterparts in an attempt to find common ground. Unfortunately, much of the dialogue on this issue has been over the top and inflammatory. For example, a leading black politician in Louisiana had this to say on the topic of what do you have to lose if the president is re-elected, "Well, actually, black Americans probably lose more if President Obama gets re-elected because we'll lose our health care. That's just my opinion and I'm just expressing what I think a lot of people feel."

Needless to say, this didn't go over very well with many black Americans who feel that the health care initiative is a good thing and would like to see more support among the African-American community for it. Additionally, the Democratic Party platform supports some type of universal health care system. Still, it appears that the efforts to find common ground with the Republicans and Democrats are continuing.

According to The Hill newspaper, Rep. Eric Griel (D-WI) said "We cannot give the Democrats a mandate to the American people to raise taxes or raise the debt ceiling without Republicans hold the majority in the House and the Senate." While he admitted that he was "not anticipating" a government shutdown, he added, "Anyone who thinks this is not possible between now and August 19 is kidding themselves." As indicated by the New York Times, numerous conservative groups are gearing up to battle the Obama Administration over healthcare reform. "This could be a real powder keg," warned Grover, adding that if the media cuts through the smoke and mirrors correctly, the legislation will indeed "go bad."

As of this writing, there does appear to be some hope that the battle between the Democrats and Republicans will continue through the next four years, especially after what happened on the Hillary Clinton campaign trail. Despite the negative press she received, Hillary Clinton did receive enough votes to win the democratic nomination. It was not enough to win the popular vote, but her opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernard Sanders, did beat her in the pledged delegate count and thus earned the right to represent the Democrats in the general election. What do you have to lose in trying something new?