Webb: A leadership divided cannot govern

It’s almost here: the end of the legislative, bureaucratic reign of Barack Obama terror. If some think this harsh, watch carefully how difficult it will be to peel back what he has accomplished with a compliant Democrat junta, under leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, followed by a too often ineffective loyal opposition by Republicans. 

Democrats’ unity is simple and historical — they line up behind a candidate no matter what, and in fact they have only one viable candidate for the general election this year, Hillary Clinton. 

{mosads}The GOP faces a more complex challenge. Republicans in general intellectualize more than emotionalize in politics. While some may disagree with this given the state of the party’s fervent and over-the-top rhetoric, we cannot repeat the grave error made by evangelicals when Mitt Romney lost to Obama in 2012, and staying home is not an option. 

Some practical advice for my Republican friends, or even those considering voting on the Republican side of the ticket for the first time — and in fact for some voting on the Democratic side: Think about how the system works, with all three branches of government. 

In both the House and Senate we have a divided GOP, between the conservative wing and the moderate wings. Even the judicial branch stands with eight justices right now, and the possibility of a tie or cases that will be tabled until a full court is seated. 

If Clinton — and she will be the Democratic nominee barring indictment and prosecution — is elected president, she will face a Republican-controlled House and most likely Republican-controlled Senate. Gridlock will be the result, and while that is good in some cases, for the most part it’s bad for resolving many of the problems our country faces. 

If a Republican candidate is elected he will have a Republican-controlled House and a likely Republican Senate, more likely because of the down-ballot voting and an opportunity for the GOP to come up with solutions that will not be vetoed by the executive branch. 

Many in our country have evolved beyond partisan lines. The complexity of technology, social media, multiple communication options and a millennial generation more aware of the challenges they face combine to provide a stark view of our global community. But core conservative values still matter. Put the parties aside and think of the conservative brain versus the liberal brain and the great compendium of ideas. While we may not know the solutions or the pathways to some solutions, we know that solutions are needed. We are in effect experiencing a 40-year itch politically and a change in generations, one that will leave the next generation with less than the one before. Not every issue will be resolved by this next president or in the next few terms. Some issues will take decades to fix and will need to evolve to the future reality. Even if we can project, we cannot effectively predict some outcomes. 

There are hard choices in front of us. We need the executive and legislative branches to be unified under one party, to move in a direction that has historically been good for America, and that is the conservative position on governance, the Constitution and economic and national security issues. Everyone is entitled to their core beliefs, but when it comes to social issues, we need a moratorium, as Indiana Gov. Mike Pence correctly posited in the last election cycle. 

Conservative, Republican, however you identify yourself, you must realize that the Constitution and its protection of individual rights does not require the agreement of all. Life is messy and complicated and sometimes disappointing. If any one of us cannot get our own family to agree 100 percent on any issue, how do we expect over 300 million people to agree? 

This is reality — you can either deal with it or ignore it, but neither changes it.

Webb is host of “The David Webb Show” on SiriusXM Patriot 125, a Fox News contributor and has appeared frequently on television as a commentator. Webb co-founded TeaParty365 in New York City and is a spokesman for the National Tea Party Federation. His column appears twice a month in The Hill.