Last night in a fit of ire, I wrote a letter to Bill Frist: "You Suck". Then I went to bed. I figured sleeping on it would help.
Nah. It didn't help.
As several of my very astute commenters noted, the problem isn't just Frist. McCain, Warner, Graham, Chaffee, Collins, Snowe, and DeWine are the real problem here; they are of a piece with a problem we've been fighting in Minnesota for a GOP generation, the cancer of the RINO.
In Minnesota, the RINOs had an excuse - Battered Spouse Syndrome. Republicans had been beaten so much and so often, they could perhaps be forgiven for going along to get along. Not any more, certainly, which is why we're engaged in the exact same fight here in Minnesota today.
But in the nation at large, since Reagan first began excising the Rockefeller Republican gestalt from the party 25 years ago, there is no excuse for people like McCain, Warner, DeWine and Graham to stab their party in the back; we are the majority, and could very well be for a good while here!
I entitled this post "The RINO Cancer". Reasonable people can disagree about things. But if you were sent to Washington as a Republican, then you should get behind your party on things like this - that, or join the Democrats, or run as an independent.
I've heard all the excuses; "preserving senate comity" (We don't pay you to preserve comity; we sent you to the Senate to do your job), "it's for the good of the nation" (We the voters will decide that at election time, if you don't mind. In fact, we thought we had - when a big chunk of the Senate ran for office on this precise issue), and so on.
Not good enough.
Speaking of elections, Thorley Winston commented:
Senator DeWine (R-OH) - up for reelection in 2006Turning out the three in '06 will be a good project; Snowe and Chafee will be no big loss, they vote Democrat too often anyway; they're a step shy of Jim Jeffords in the best of times.
Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) - up for reelection in 2006
Senator Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) - up for reelection in 2006
Senator John Warner (R-VA) - up for reelection in 2008
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) - up for reelection in 2008
Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) - up for reelection in 2008
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) - up for reelection in 2010
Of course, McConnell showed himself to be the most flaccid "whip" in recent history yesterday. If he's a whip, we need to trade up to a baseball bat.
Frist, of course, must go as Majority Leader. Sooner than later.
More later.
Posted by Mitch at May 24, 2005 06:47 AM | TrackBack
The Republican "big tent" isn't so big anymore, is it? Sit down, shut up, and vote like we tell you.
Welcome to real politics, from whatever fantasy land you thought you were in.
Posted by: Jeff S. at May 24, 2005 08:33 AMpresident Bush has primary responsiblity for this debacle. He spent lots of time and effort getting his budget busting prescription drug plan passed but not one little bit of effort on his court nominees.
He nominated them and then let them twist in the wind for years. He has no excuse for not trying to get them confirmed especially after winning his second term.
Posted by: TJIT at May 24, 2005 08:40 AMThis is going to make Jimmy Carter's deal with North Korea look Solomon-like. It might be interesting for some enterprising blogger to check the Democrats' recent rhetoric surrounding some of the judges that are about to be confirmed based on this deal, against some reasonable standard of "extraordinary circumstances." I mean, the Dems basically had all of these poor folks lining people up for labor camps while raping their sisters, didn't they?
Posted by: Brian Jones at May 24, 2005 08:56 AMNobody at the grassroots level can now be faulted for withdrawing their support from the Republican Party. This "deal" is an abject betrayal of their hard work and dedication. They helped elect a conservative president and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress --but to no avail. The Democrats still run the show.
Congratulations, Harry Reid. Senator Frist, call your office.
Posted by: Eracus at May 24, 2005 09:30 AMMy dear wife and I worked very hard during the election and for what: nothing. Ibid Eracus
Posted by: Master Chief at May 24, 2005 09:59 AMThis isn't a mob rule state. Come clean and tell us how disturbed you were by the Lawrence decision. I know that the legal sex happening in the house next door is a danger to you and your family, but you'll have to cope. Quick! Pass that "marriage" amendment before you are FORCED to explain to your children why those two men are holding hands!
May your marriage remain intact despite what other people do to tear you apart.
May your daughters be happy, successful, and rebellious.
May your sons have the freedom to compete for work and status on their merits rather than on their male white privilage.
May you live in interesting times.
Posted by: Blogesota at May 24, 2005 10:15 AMThis isn't a mob rule state. Come clean and tell us how disturbed you were by the Lawrence decision. I know that the legal sex happening in the house next door is a danger to you and your family, but you'll have to cope. Quick! Pass that "marriage" amendment before you are FORCED to explain to your children why those two men are holding hands!
May your marriage remain intact despite what other people do to tear you apart.
May your daughters be happy, successful, and rebellious.
May your sons have the freedom to compete for work and status on their merits rather than on their male white privilage.
May you live in interesting times.
Posted by: Blogesota at May 24, 2005 10:16 AMThe big tent was never intended to include Democrats.
Posted by: Ralph at May 24, 2005 05:01 PMThe big tent was never intended to include Democrats.
Posted by: Ralph at May 24, 2005 05:01 PMBig tent?
Posted by: Frank Lee Blue at May 24, 2005 05:45 PMYep, good analogy.
Musty, dirty, old & tattered, littered with elephant droppings; home to clowns and sideshow freaks, and unfriendly to the rubes, no matter many flags it's wrapped in.
Heh.
I forget where I saw this, but a blogger tagged today's GOP as M.I.N.O. for Majority In Name Only.
I'd like to suggest it is also a C.I.N.O. Conservative In Name Only.
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