The Ghost of '94

Dean Barnett spent the afternoon on a number of blogger conference calls with Republican candidates for the House Minority leadership positions. To hear him tell it, it's quite an odd way to spend a day:

I've spent most of the afternoon on conference calls with Republican congressmen who are vying for leadership roles in the 110th Congress. Since I had previously dismissed such events as "reliably dull as dishwater," you're no doubt wondering why a man with a life as rich and full as mine (giggle) would spend his afternoon in such a fashion.

All self-depricating humor aside, Dean goes on to offer a summary of the various calls and his take-aways from each. Having already gone on the record as a Shadegg apologist, I must note the difference that even Dean includes:

Following Lungren, we were visited by the ghost of 1994 in the person of John Shadegg who is opposing Roy Blunt in the minority whip race. Shadegg came to office in '94, and the fire of that revolutionary year still burns within him. Shadegg rightly pointed out that if as a party we return the same leadership to office, we'll send an unmistakable message to the public. It won't be a good one.

Shadegg also brimmed with big ideas. He knows that we need to bring our health care system back to free market principles. He knows that given the sense of entitlement that has sprouted around health care, as a nation we've become trained to feel not responsible for our own health needs. Taking on this matter is critical, and a long process.

Shadegg understands the need to take Congress back in '08 when the first-time Democratic victors from last Tuesday will be most vulnerable.

It is indeed, the Ghost of '94. Shadegg was there, he knows first hand how it was done. Most importantly, he's not lost in his 12 years in the House, the principles that he and that class stood and won on.

Perhaps it's a pipe-dream that thinks that unique moment in time can somehow be recaptured that drives me to support Shadegg's candidacy and vision. I don't know for certain.

All I do know is, I cannot but help want that man in the House Leadership come January. The old guard is in large part responsible for losing the majority and it must either make demonstrably clear that it understands it's ercommitment to correcting them or be pushed aside, making way for people with the commitment and vision for conservative governance.