What If There Were No Republicans?

Imagine if we woke up tomorrow and there were no Republicans. I am not suggesting that they be rounded up and eliminated or put on boats and sent back to Europe, where most of their ancestors came from. I mean that tomorrow the whole concept of conservatism and Republicanism just disappeared, just for the next few years, just for the remainder of Obama’s first term.
What would Democrats do? What would Obama do? My guess is that the first thing that would happen is we would withdraw from Afghanistan and stop trying to look tough in the eyes of conservatives who would not be around to condemn the Democrats for being soft on terrorism. I believe we are in Afghanistan because the Democrats felt shamed into being somewhere other than in Iraq in order to keep in check Republican and independent hawks who see the active demonstration of military strength as a litmus test for the presence of political testosterone or toughness.
The second thing that would happen is the tip-toeing through the minefield of private option preservation in health care insurance would stop, and an actual single-payer program would be developed that would serve to cut health care costs astronomically and boost economic recovery substantially in the long run. American companies would finally be able to compete with their foreign counterparts and would be encouraged to stay home and hire Americans rather than seek cheaper off-shore manufacturing sites.
The third thing to occur would be the re-establishment of anti-trust laws and the break- up of large “too big to fail” corporations and banks. No longer would the Democrats have to fear the loss of Wall Street support for their candidates. Caveats would be put on bonuses for bankers and CEOs that would tie any bonuses not only to actual value creation but to unemployment figures. Bonuses would not be granted until national unemployment dropped below say five percent. That way, investors would keep in mind that their investments had to create jobs or they would not be getting big bonuses.
The fourth thing that would happen in spite of some Democrats from coal-digging states is the country would shift from coal and oil as the primary energy sources to wind, sun and natural gas, assuming that the latter can be carefully extracted without harming water and air. No longer would the current oil and coal lobbies have enough power to control congress by playing one party against the other.
The fifth event would be the complete overhaul of American education. No longer would the Democrats have to bow to the will of teachers unions. They could embark on real educational reform including a longer school year, smaller schools, better teacher-student ratios, more rigorous standards, and more freedom to get it right.
The last benefit I will mention is the Democrats would have to take responsibility for balancing the budget starting now. They could no longer blame the past administration or the current obstructionists for preventing them from doing what is right for their grandchildren’s sake. After all, it is Republicans who often say about future generations: “They’ll figure it out. Meanwhile, let’s make some money, lower taxes, and cut programs” (that Republicans never benefit from or don’t need because they are rich). The bleeding heart liberals, of course, actually care about others and don’t want to leave a legacy of burdensome debt for their grandchildren to go “figure out.” Liberals by definition are other-directed, not “you’re on your own” rugged individualists. At the same time, they will be solely responsible for their programs and budgets, knowing they will be held solely accountable and that the Republicans would be available again in 2012 if the Democrats don’t follow through.
These are among the many benefits of not having any Republicans around for the next few years. I am not suggesting that they disappear permanently, as the Whig party did in the nineteenth century, although I am sorely tempted to conjure up a bumper sticker to that effect. In fact, I can see the bumper sticker now: REPUBLICAN: Gone with the WHIG!