For GOP Congress, a ‘Green Bay Sweep’ Emerges as Best Tactic To Beat Democrats Threatening Shutdown

Republicans now face the great test of their ability to profoundly reshape government. They were effective in passing the budget reconciliation bill, because Senate rules allowed a simple majority in the Senate to pass it (50 senators and the vice president).Now, with the upcoming big spending bills necessary to run the government, the Senate rules require a 60-vote majority to stop a filibuster. Since there are only 53 Republican senators, they will be seven votes short even if every Republican agrees to vote for the bill.The price Democrats will charge for their cooperation will be far higher than the Republican base will tolerate. Republican voters (and especially MAGA voters) did not elect Republican majorities in the House, Senate, and White House to watch them cave to Democrat demands.A compromise package with the Democratic leader in the upper chamber, Senator Chuck Schumer, and his left-wing members is impossible. No deal made will earn votes from the House Republican conference.Despite these difficulties, something must be passed for the American government to continue working. Without a new spending bill, nearly everything grinds to a halt after September 30.After weeks of trying to think this problem through, I concluded that the Green Bay Sweep is the right model for President Trump, Senator John Thune, and Speaker Mike Johnson.When Vince Lombardi was the dominant coach in football, he developed a simple but virtually unstoppable play called the “Green Bay Sweep.” It called for the two guards to pull out and form a blocking wall around the end while the halfback took a pitched handout from the quarterback. The Green Bay Sweep came in two simple forms — sweep right and sweep left. The heart of the Green Bay Sweep was relentless excellence in execution. As Lombardi said. “It’s not whether the play will work, it’s whether we can make it work better than they can stop it.”The Green Bay Sweep was intimidating, because it was a slowly developing play. The defense could watch it evolve. The other team knew what Lombardi was trying to do — and knew how to stop it. Yet most of the time, they simply couldn’t. At its peak, the Sweep was averaging seven to eight yards per play. The Packers won five NFL championships with the Sweep.John Madden once recalled that as a young head coach he sat through a coaching seminar with Lombardi. It focused on the psychology and execution of the Green Bay Sweep. As Mr. Madden recalled, “he talked for eight hours—and after that I realized I knew nothing about football.”The big-government socialist opposition will do everything it can to stop the Republicans from passing spending bills on terms that are acceptable to the American citizens. There is only one solution that will achieve real change that the American people will support.That solution must be executed with the same relentless, disciplined determination as the Green Bay Sweep.First, every Republican must make clear that they want to keep the government open — but on terms that will control spending and lead toward a balanced budget. They must assert that they will not betray the country’s future by agreeing to higher spending, more debt, bigger interest payments on the national debt, and more inflation.Second, Republicans must pass an acceptable, popular spending bill in the House that meets the standard of controlling spending and moving toward a balanced budget and debt repayment. Then, House Republicans must clearly and constantly communicate that they have passed a bill which will keep the government open — if only the Democrats would be reasonable.Third, Senate Republicans must also develop a solid bill which, ideally, all 53 Republican senators can support. They must parallel their House Republican colleagues in communicating that they are taking steps to fund the government within a framework that controls spending. Their bill must also move toward a balanced budget, set the stage to reduce the federal debt, and decrease the amount spent on interest on the debt. Senate Republicans must pressure their Democratic counterparts to put the country first and help keep the government open on fiscally prudent lines.Fourth, at each step of the way, Mr. Trump and his entire team should communicate their desire to keep the government open within a fiscally responsible framework. They should repeatedly call on Democrats to join a bipartisan effort to keep the government open while strengthening our country’s future.Fifth, the executive branch, House, and Senate Republicans should find examples of waste and fraud which prove that government can be run with a smaller budget than the big government socialists want. Throughout the negotiations — and the shutdown if there is one — Republicans will need to continuously find new examples of why a giant government is unaffordable and incompetent.Sixth, if the Democrats refuse to negotiate, the president should publicly work with Secretary Scott Bessent and others to keep the government going as much as is legally possible. It must be repeatedly emphasized that the Democrats were responsible for closing the government because they refused to be realistic and negotiate within a fiscally responsible framework.Seventh, if we see a protracted Democrat shutdown, responsible funding for national security, law enforcement, and health care should be developed as isolated opportunities for Democrats to consider. Republicans must apply constant pressure on Democrats to put vital national and human interests above partisanship and ideology.This kind of clear, steady strategy — if executed with relentless focus — will be the Republican’s Green Bay Sweep. It will lead to a major victory for the American people and for Republicans late this fall.

For GOP Congress, a ‘Green Bay Sweep’ Emerges as Best Tactic To Beat Democrats Threatening Shutdown

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