I sat and shook my head as President Obama gave his "budget" speech tonight.  Not because he has no idea of what the word budget means, a summary of intended expenditures along with proposals for how to meet them, nor because his overall plan is to restore the nation to the dark pre-1980's state of higher taxes and "Great Society" style government.  No, I shook my head repeatedly, as the Republicans stood up 33 times to applaud the death of the Reagan Revolution. 

They did not sit on their hands as democrats have done for eight years; they are too spineless to even act as silent protesters.  They instead chose to join in every cheer, every standing ovation, and every moment of applause.  The Republicans have lost their way, but I have known that for eight years now.  Compassionate conservatism was just code word for Reagan was too harsh so we will play nice and use the government for good. 

Don't get me wrong, I love President Bush.  He was in the right place at the right time in our nation’s history.  He is one of the main reasons we were attacked only once in eight years, on September 11, 2001, President Bush determined that we would not be hit again on his watch, and we weren't, well at least not by terrorists.

We were hit by a government takeover of private business, of politicians acting as if they could save the economy, of a bailout that was nothing of the sort. The September bailout, led to the February government outreach bill, and opened the door for a never-ending stream of legislation to "fix" the economy, that will never do anything of the sort.

Reagan came in and declared that government was the problem.  He cut taxes, encouraged small business, and deregulated national industry, leading to almost three decades of prosperity, so much prosperity that the generation born into it has become spoiled and ungrateful.  They expect to have everything, because that is all they have ever known, and now demand that the government make this current economic down turn better so that they can continue to live as they wish and disrespect the nation that they were blessed to be born in. 

The Republicans are weak-kneed and scared into submission by an eloquent speaker, who claims unbiased, non-partisanship, but who is instead one of the biggest ideologues the office of President has seen in years.  Tonight’s session of the joint congress was a sappy love fest; with laughter rocking the place even when no one else was laughing (nobody messes with Joe...WHATEVER). 

I believe that we saw tonight the wake of the Reagan Revolution, and the rise of a socialistic power grab that has not been seen since FDR ran for his fourth term in office.  That kind of arrogance filled the House Chamber, and sadly, the only ones there to stand against it sat on their hands, with their tails tucked between their legs.