New year: Republicans need to keep in mind that giving away the farm not voters' wish

Wednesday will be the first official day of a new majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and a day of new realities in the Senate.

And while many are saying that the message sent by voters was get back to work, find a consensus and get the job done, the real mandate from the voters was all of the above -- and get it done right.

And that does not mean that the Republicans should be looking for ways to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya" with the Democrats.

Americans want to see problems addressed not just with any old resolution that both parties can agree on, but with legislation that reflects the values they said they wanted back in their government.

So while a budget bill might be nice, it is not the right one if it does not aggressively address overspending in government.

See? It is not a matter of stopping the arguing in Washington, but about stopping foolish legislation that addresses the symptoms, not the cause.

Republicans are in for a pretty good test this year. They cannot sit around and reject every suggestion if they do not have a plan of their own -- and they cannot simply try to reach an agreement with the president or the Democratic majority.

This is a time for a gut check -- and leadership. Unfortunately, this is not a quality that has been the hallmark of many Republican majorities.

So back to work they go. It will remain to be seen if they really got the message.

Published in Editorials on January 3, 2011 10:55 AM