Barack Obama promised change and yesterday the result of his policy agenda was broadcast across the world.
A Republican was elected as a Senator for Massachusetts – the most left-wing state in the union. Importantly, this is no RINO (republican in name only), this is an unabashed conservative and free market advocate.
Senator-elect Scott Brown ran on a platform of free market advocacy, support for families, patriotism and freedom. He believes the US Government is too big, taxes are too high and the national debt is too large.
In fact, almost everything he advocates is different to the policy agenda of the Obama administration. The fact that Senator Brown won the late Ted Kennedy’s old seat would most likely have the democratic war horse turning in his grave.
It should also send a message to the Rudd Government and provide heart to the Liberal Opposition.
This result proves (once again) that fiscal conservatism wins elections.
Remember, Kevin Rudd declared himself a fiscal conservative in order to win in 2007 but his position changed soon after. Conservatives observed at the time that his conversion from ‘Christian Socialist’ to fiscal conservative was a miracle worthy of Mary Mackillop and was most likely disingenuous. They have since been proved right.
When Rudd later outed himself as an anti-capitalist social democrat in one of his most incoherent essays, he stripped away another layer of the veneer he uses to camouflage his true nature from the Australian people.
Now what is he to do? The golden boy of the global left (Obama) has been handed a salutary lesson that new styled socialism (as practised by Rudd and other Obama acolytes) is just as unpopular as old style socialism.
Voters across the world are realising that big government is not the answer to their problems. Australians are waking up to that fact too. While Rudd & Co seek to establish government at the very centre of the Australian economy, running up massive debts with little to show for it, people are growing tired of the tortured rhetoric.
It is clear that Australians want to get on with their lives without the stifling embrace of a growing government that can only be sustained by increased tax dollars.
Rudd has clearly set his course and this provides a wonderful opportunity for the Coalition to choose the path that does the right thing for the country and, more often than not, wins elections to boot. Even in Massachusetts.
Cory Bernardi is the author of seven books and has been a member of the Australian rowing team, a publican, an investment portfolio manager and spent nearly 14 years as an Australian Senator.
