Thursday, October 06, 2005
Somehow "I told you so" just doesn't quite say it.
This blog originally started as an extension from a debate going on over at Southern Appeal. The time was the heady days of Election 2004, for those of you old enough to remember last year, and the issue was whether or not Conservatives should hold their noses and vote for George Bush, despite his numerous political infidelities.
At the time, the only argument that the "Vote Bush"-side ("suckers") could muster was that we had to have Bush because he would nominate conservative judges. Now, a bit of clarification is no doubt due. While having solid, conservative judges at the district and circuit court level is of untold importance, what these supporters were pushing was much sexier than that. Seeing an aging O'Connor, Ginsburg, and Stevens, these individuals argued that Bush might have the opportunity to replace one or, dare we dream, even two of those pillars of liberal jurisprudence. So tantalizing was the meager prospect of actually having a majority of justices who actually believed the Constitution means what it says, that they allowed themselves to fall into the arms of a president who, in many respects, appeared to be governing to the left of the Clinton Administration.
Try as I might, I could not get Bush's political supporters to get past their "Lesser of 2 Evils" mantra. Using my masterful MS Paint skills (much better than bowhunting skills), I have diagramed their political beliefs:
I was not one of these people, you see. After years of working in politics I had come to understand the animal known as the Politician (Characterus absentia). This animal only covets one thing: Power; it only has one desire: To win the next election. Evolution has equipped this animal with a brilliant ability to camouflage itself by adopting positions that will aid its electoral quest. Ever concerned for its safety, the Politician will not do the right thing if it means taking a chance. That's why they have to be trained. If, let's say, you are a pro-gun group and a particular Politician votes in favor of some gun restriction, you need to rub his nose in it while firmly spanking him. This may require the group to, say, drop 20,000 pieces of mail to pro-gun voters in the Politician's district informing them of his indiscretion. Ultimately, if you are going to train a Republican to be a good pet and legislator, you must make him or her realize that you can always toss them out. The minute you give up that punishment -- the only real threat you have -- the Politician will walk all over you.
Why? Because s/he knows the calculus. If you won't punish them, why should they cater to you? Why not cater to those to the left of middle, instead? Why not receive more favorable press in the NY Times and Washington Post? As long as they are some degree to the right of the Democrat candidate, they know they can count on Conservative support. All they have to do is throw the base a bone every now and then. Now who's the pet?
For this reason, it is vital that Conservative voters have what more creative minds than mine have come to call a "tipping point" or a point where you say, "That's it, I don't care if Ted Kennedy wins this seat, I'm not voting for another squishy, spineless Republican." By nailing the "moderate" Republicanss skins over the door, you are sending a message to all future Republican politicians that, should you grow in office or seek to grab votes on the left at the expense of the Conservative base, you too will be put down.
(Continued below)
At the time, the only argument that the "Vote Bush"-side ("suckers") could muster was that we had to have Bush because he would nominate conservative judges. Now, a bit of clarification is no doubt due. While having solid, conservative judges at the district and circuit court level is of untold importance, what these supporters were pushing was much sexier than that. Seeing an aging O'Connor, Ginsburg, and Stevens, these individuals argued that Bush might have the opportunity to replace one or, dare we dream, even two of those pillars of liberal jurisprudence. So tantalizing was the meager prospect of actually having a majority of justices who actually believed the Constitution means what it says, that they allowed themselves to fall into the arms of a president who, in many respects, appeared to be governing to the left of the Clinton Administration.
Try as I might, I could not get Bush's political supporters to get past their "Lesser of 2 Evils" mantra. Using my masterful MS Paint skills (much better than bowhunting skills), I have diagramed their political beliefs:
I was not one of these people, you see. After years of working in politics I had come to understand the animal known as the Politician (Characterus absentia). This animal only covets one thing: Power; it only has one desire: To win the next election. Evolution has equipped this animal with a brilliant ability to camouflage itself by adopting positions that will aid its electoral quest. Ever concerned for its safety, the Politician will not do the right thing if it means taking a chance. That's why they have to be trained. If, let's say, you are a pro-gun group and a particular Politician votes in favor of some gun restriction, you need to rub his nose in it while firmly spanking him. This may require the group to, say, drop 20,000 pieces of mail to pro-gun voters in the Politician's district informing them of his indiscretion. Ultimately, if you are going to train a Republican to be a good pet and legislator, you must make him or her realize that you can always toss them out. The minute you give up that punishment -- the only real threat you have -- the Politician will walk all over you.
Why? Because s/he knows the calculus. If you won't punish them, why should they cater to you? Why not cater to those to the left of middle, instead? Why not receive more favorable press in the NY Times and Washington Post? As long as they are some degree to the right of the Democrat candidate, they know they can count on Conservative support. All they have to do is throw the base a bone every now and then. Now who's the pet?
For this reason, it is vital that Conservative voters have what more creative minds than mine have come to call a "tipping point" or a point where you say, "That's it, I don't care if Ted Kennedy wins this seat, I'm not voting for another squishy, spineless Republican." By nailing the "moderate" Republicanss skins over the door, you are sending a message to all future Republican politicians that, should you grow in office or seek to grab votes on the left at the expense of the Conservative base, you too will be put down.
(Continued below)
Centinel 2:04 PM #