Thursday, October 06, 2005
Unfortunately, too many of my Conservative friends laughed at my concerns, showing that their on tipping point was much more lenient than mine. As a result, "Big Tent Government Republicanism" held the day in November, giving Bush another four years to convince Americans that the only difference between Republicans and Democrats is that Republicans invade countries where people actually have guns, as opposed to Democrats who would much rather invade places like Somalia where 5 guys with handguns can kill, like, 2,000 vicious thugs. With Conservative support, Bush has had a chance to cement his legacy by expanding government to new heights. Or widths.
While most Americans are comforted by the thought that, no matter who they voted for, it didn't matter politically, Conservatives held their collective breaths in anticipation for the first open seat. And the winner is: Sandra Day O'Connor! Tell the folks what they've won, Gene! Well, Bob, America has won a Justice who, unlike his or her predecessor, will have a strong commitment to textualist principles! Say "bye-bye" to Roe, Bob!
And then Rehnquist died, and then we got Roberts, who, much like that really "straight" girl in college, might make a great life partner but ain't going to get anyone too hot under the collar. But, damnit, at least he ain't a Souter!
So here, finally, was that bright, shining moment that Conservatives have been anticipating for over a generation. After years of smarting from Blackmon, Souter, and other Boomerang Justices -- after decades of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice -- we finally had an opportunity to put a majority of Solid Conservatives on the United States Supreme Court. Cue angelic trumpets.
Oooops. Fumble in the endzone.
So what do we do now? There's a lot of Conservatives out there with egg on their faces. I would find some comfort in saying "I told you so," but this government affects me as much as anyone else.
In fact, I think something positive may be coming out of the Miers nomination. For the first time in my political memory I'm actually seeing Conservatives say, "No more." I think that this screwup may have been a big enough to actually cause the "my party, wrong or right" crowd to finally decide enough is enough. Even my father, diehard GOP supporter that he is, has stated that he doesn't think he would vote for Bush again.
And that is the answer, boys and girls. If you want change, sometimes you have to be willing to do nothing for it. In the face of the overwhelming urge to say, "I know this Politician sucks, but he's better than the other guys, so I'm going to donate $500 dollars to his campaign and vote for him," you have to have the courage to fight back and just sit on your couch. If the most conservative 5% of this country would just take an election off, I guarantee that they'll hear a different tune from Republicans during the next election.
Sometimes, to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs. Still, it's better than getting them on your face.
Addendum: Welcome Confirmers and Southern Appealers (Appellants?). I'm working on a piece on the "fight it out in the primary" issue.
Strange times call for strange solutions.
While most Americans are comforted by the thought that, no matter who they voted for, it didn't matter politically, Conservatives held their collective breaths in anticipation for the first open seat. And the winner is: Sandra Day O'Connor! Tell the folks what they've won, Gene! Well, Bob, America has won a Justice who, unlike his or her predecessor, will have a strong commitment to textualist principles! Say "bye-bye" to Roe, Bob!
And then Rehnquist died, and then we got Roberts, who, much like that really "straight" girl in college, might make a great life partner but ain't going to get anyone too hot under the collar. But, damnit, at least he ain't a Souter!
So here, finally, was that bright, shining moment that Conservatives have been anticipating for over a generation. After years of smarting from Blackmon, Souter, and other Boomerang Justices -- after decades of blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice -- we finally had an opportunity to put a majority of Solid Conservatives on the United States Supreme Court. Cue angelic trumpets.
Oooops. Fumble in the endzone.
So what do we do now? There's a lot of Conservatives out there with egg on their faces. I would find some comfort in saying "I told you so," but this government affects me as much as anyone else.
In fact, I think something positive may be coming out of the Miers nomination. For the first time in my political memory I'm actually seeing Conservatives say, "No more." I think that this screwup may have been a big enough to actually cause the "my party, wrong or right" crowd to finally decide enough is enough. Even my father, diehard GOP supporter that he is, has stated that he doesn't think he would vote for Bush again.
And that is the answer, boys and girls. If you want change, sometimes you have to be willing to do nothing for it. In the face of the overwhelming urge to say, "I know this Politician sucks, but he's better than the other guys, so I'm going to donate $500 dollars to his campaign and vote for him," you have to have the courage to fight back and just sit on your couch. If the most conservative 5% of this country would just take an election off, I guarantee that they'll hear a different tune from Republicans during the next election.
Sometimes, to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs. Still, it's better than getting them on your face.
Addendum: Welcome Confirmers and Southern Appealers (Appellants?). I'm working on a piece on the "fight it out in the primary" issue.
Strange times call for strange solutions.
Centinel 2:02 PM #