OPINION:
The only thing stopping Republicans from delivering on their promise of more responsible governing is Republicans themselves.
The 119th Congress opened for business Friday, with the Senate and House under Republican management. Donald Trump will be formally designated president-elect after the counting and certifying of electoral votes on Monday. Six of the nine Supreme Court justices were named by GOP presidents.
It’s time for Republicans to set aside the internal feuds and act like Washington’s majority party. Members on the right side of the aisle tend to forget they’re no longer the minority. They surrender to Democratic demands during tough budgetary votes after mounting a token resistance carefully calibrated to ensure they get out of town before missing tee time at the country club.
Democrats are much easier to manage because they tend to agree that writing a bigger check is the solution to all shortcomings. That the national bank account is overdrawn to the tune of $36.1 trillion is someone else’s problem.
Even squishy Republicans seek to pinch pennies. Party members disagree only about where restraint should apply. Some insist on cutting the welfare state, but only because they want to spend the “savings” on defense. A smaller number of budgetary hawks think even the Pentagon’s lack of discipline is apparent, and they want to rein in the overseas adventurism responsible for trillions in red ink.
Weak-willed GOP members are malleable on these issues because they fear casting the votes that invite criticism from the special interest groups upset at the prospect of being kicked off the federal dole. These establishment “conservatives” skate under the radar, doing as little as possible, relying on the formidable power of incumbency to keep their jobs.
Mr. Trump has a unique advantage. He can herd these reluctant Republicans in the right direction by calling them out on X. They might even face a primary challenge funded by Elon Musk if they obstruct the “make America great again” agenda.
That creates an entirely new dynamic — one that was not in play in the first half of Mr. Trump’s first term. Even though the GOP had control of the House and Senate in 2017, Democrats executed a masterful plan that knocked the new administration off balance.
Hillary Clinton’s fabricated allegations of Russian collusion gave corrupt Justice Department officials an excuse to sabotage Mr. Trump’s presidency with what we now know were investigations that had no valid predicate. The ensuing controversy gave Republican lawmakers an excuse to distance themselves from the demands of a “tainted” administration.
Things will be different if Mr. Trump continues his promise to declassify every document in the government archives. It would shed light on what former Attorney General William Barr called “one of the greatest travesties in American history.”
Instead of Mr. Trump being on the run this time, it’ll be California’s new junior senator, Adam Schiff, lawyering up as investigators examine whether his hoax peddling involved acts not shielded by the Constitution’s speech and debate protections.
The House Oversight Committee has already issued a report arguing that one of Mr. Schiff’s fellow Jan. 6 committee members, erstwhile Rep. Liz Cheney, may be guilty of suborning perjury.
Turning the tables against lawfare perpetrators shouldn’t be about the unlikely prospect of putting them in jail. What matters is exposing their actions as a lesson to future generations. The air must be cleared for the GOP to unite around an agenda that will bring peace and prosperity to the nation.
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