Try To Count The Standards
By Mitch Berg
Dana Milbank sniffs down his patrician nose that Scott Brown, a Republican, is voting with his party:
The self-styled “independent” senator spent the rest of the session repeating GOP talking points about tax cuts for all, going “back to the drawing board” on health-care reform, and being “the 41st vote” to sustain filibusters.
I’m wondering; did Dana Milbank wax similarly pithy when Al Franken finally made it to Washington and promptly handed his leash to Harry Reid?
February 5th, 2010 at 10:09 am
Of course not. Carpetbagger Al is doing the “right thing”.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:44 am
Is the ‘handed his leash to Harry Reid’ comment an incidental reference to Franken’s service dogs for vets legislation?
Your observation would make more of an impact, Mitch, if the Democrats had anything like the conformity that the Republican minority (it IS still a minority) has demonstrated on a continuing basis.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:13 am
The Republicans don’t “demostrate conformity” because they are a big tent party. Show me the Pro Life leaders in the Democrat party. Take your time, I have all day.
February 5th, 2010 at 11:19 am
what is funny is that with a year with a fillibuster proof House and Senate the dumbocrats were able to do… nothing. No card check, no cap and tax (it BARELY passed the House), no healthcare bill, nothing. Thank merciful god they are so incompetent, and to quote Jon Stewart, “Bush never had the majorities that Obama did and he still got whatever the fuck he wanted through.” Yep. š
February 5th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Your observation would make more of an impact, Mitch, if the Democrats had anything like the conformity that the Republican minority (it IS still a minority) has demonstrated on a continuing basis.
Uh, and your observation would make more of an impact if so many of the votes weren’t straight party line on both sides, DG. Which kinda proves Mitch’s point, now doesn’t it?
February 5th, 2010 at 11:52 am
The Democrat Party honors, embraces and encourages diversity of opinion. Why, just look at that nice Joe Leiberman…or don’t. Everybody’s got litmus tests; I’d merely suggest that the D’s litmus paper is about 60 grit.
February 5th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
the conformity that the Republican minority
Really? A party that includes Tom Tancredo and Norm Coleman, John Kyl and John McCain, Sarah Palin and Susan Collins, has “conformity?”
Do explain.
Sorry, DG. You are clearly relying on talking points, and they are sorely wanting.
February 5th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Danaās got a way to go to catch up with Patrick Kennedy. He calls Brownās election a āJokeā. Thereās a good possibility that the joke will be on him come Election Day.
Ed Morrissey covers it here:
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/02/05/another-kennedy-seat-at-risk/
February 5th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Joe Lieberman, pro-affirmative action, pro-amnesty, pro-choice, one time VP candidate, kicked out of the Democrat part because he failed to pass their litmus test on Bush-hatred.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:45 pm
Mitch wrote”Sorry, DG. You are clearly relying on talking points, and they are sorely wanting.”
The Republicans as a block have voted against even those things which they have previously supported (in some instances supported VERY recently).
Do you need me to list them? I’m betting you could come up with a more exhaustive list than I could.
Terry, Lieberman left the Democratic party because he couldn’t win in a primary challenge. No purity test by others, he himself has stated that he thinks he might be more comfortable as a Republican (not sure if the GoP will have him but that is a different issue). He has been treated very well by the Democrats, especially considering how much he spent campaigning with McCain, including being considered for the VP candidate slot before they went with Palin. If the Dems were going to be unhappy with Lieberman, it should be over that not how Lieberman felt about Bush.
If you guys actually want him, I’d be thrilled to see you have him. But then, I’d be happy to see the Democrats give you Arlen Spectre back too, LOL.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
The Republicans as a block have voted against even those things which they have previously supported (in some instances supported VERY recently).
Every party does that. What is it that you think “Party Whips” in each chamber do, anyway? They do what it takes to get votes in line.
Individual legislators often take positions in variance with their party’s majorities. Then the back-room discussions happen, deals get made, horses get traded, and votes may (or occasionally may not) fall into line with the party. If you don’t think Democrats do it – constantly – too, think again.
Great example: There are Democrats who have given sympathetic ears to charter school advocates. But the DFL cracked the whip, and all but six of them voted to cap the number of charter schools in 2007, in many cases in direct contravention of their original stances. The Teachers Union – which is largely indistinguishable from the DFL – sanctioned the six that broke ranks.
So much for independent thought.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:14 pm
Terry, Lieberman left the Democratic party because he couldnāt win in a primary challenge.
Against an extremist (and by “extremist” I don’t mean in the Doug Hoffman, “all conservatives are extremists” sense, but in the sense that he was a whack-job about three mils to the right of Dennis Kucinich) who was supported and funded by out-of-state extremist activists, including Media Matters and the Daily Kos.
Lieberman went on to win the election by a landslide.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Doggone, help me out here; since when have Republicans wanted socialized healthcare? Since when have they wanted porkulus bills that give twice the funds to Democratic districts as was given to Republicans? Since when has the GOP supported a carbon tax and global governance through the IPCC?
Sorry, the reason that the GOP has come together (besides whips) is simply that the new administration has so many truly bad ideas. The surprise is that the so-called blue dogs haven’t abandoned the Democrats en masse, and expect a number of them to be sent back to the private sector this fall for that reason.
February 5th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
Sorry, the reason that the GOP has come together (besides whips) is simply that the new administration has so many truly bad ideas
You are of course correct; the GOP is starting to grow a spine. When even Oly Snowe and Susan Collins are toeing the line, you know the Administration’s a total turkey. The good guys have a rallying point, and they’re using it.
My point was, changing votes to go along with the party is FAR from a GOP thing. Indeed, the Dems are the ones that are most known for their caucus discipline.
February 5th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Show me the Pro Life leaders in the Democrat party
Does Harry Reid count as a leader?
And Joe Lieberman was kicked out of the party so hard he kept his committee chairs under the Dems.
Does voting against a bill you co-sponsored happen a lot?
February 5th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Reid is a “pro life Democrat” in the same sense that I “shag Scarlett Johannson”. He talks about it a lot, but when push comes to shove there’s really no there there.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Does Harry Reid count as a leader?
Based on the available evidence? Not really.
February 9th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Harry Reid is a former Democrat.
Mitch is a former liberal.
…. …. ….
I think there should have been a lot more gridlock during the Bush43 administration.
(Although look at the Democrat double standard when it comes to judicial appointments.)