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Jewish World Review May 26, 2005 / 17 Iyar, 5765 Gang of 14, plus 86 midgets By Debra J. Saunders
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It is a dim reflection on the nation's capital today when
renegades in the U.S. Senate negotiate and cut deals with those with whom
they disagree, while its putative leaders — Republican Bill Frist and
Democrat Harry Reid — play chicken.
The days of Senate leaders representing their broad membership
seem over, as Frist and Reid kowtow to their parties' bases. Meanwhile,
moderate voters find slim representation from the seven Democrats and seven
Republicans who voted to prevent a breakdown in Senate decorum.
So Frist comes out a winner for losing. The GOP base won't care
if Frist lost his bid to end the filibuster for appellate nominees. To the
base, what is important is that Frist tried.
Besides, true believers can romanticize an exercise in political
martyrdom. They want to trample Democrats, who rather unkindly trampled the
reputation of some Bush nominees.
Indeed, there are activists who are so hungry to see every Bush
appellate court nominee win a seat on the bench that they don't care if
Frist's end of the filibuster might have cost the GOP seats in the 2006
election. If they can't have it all, they don't care about winning seats.
I'd find their principled stand refreshing if it weren't for the
fact that they see little victory in this week's three very real victories.
Priscilla Owen of Texas, Janice Rogers Brown of California and William Pryor
of Alabama will be confirmed, after years of being branded as too extreme to
win confirmation.
GOP strategist Dan Schnur disagrees with me. Schnur says Frist
hurt himself largely by looking as if he lost the fight.
Schnur says Frist should have boasted that the so-called
"nuclear option" threat ultimately delivered three conservative judges —
and that would have boosted Frist within the base.
Except that far-right biggies are focusing on two judges who
won't get confirmed despite the moderates' move. The far-right enforcers
also are not done complaining that, despite the deal, the Dems haven't
agreed not to filibuster under "exceptional circumstances." Let me add: If
Frist declares victory, McCain shares the credit.
As well McCain should. To the extent that McCain is a darling of
the media, moderate Republicans and dissatisfied Democrats, he won that
special place because he understands that politics isn't just about winning,
it's also about getting things done, and working with people on both sides
of the aisle.
Notably absent from the bipartisan exercise were Democrats
Hillary Rodham Clinton and former presidential nominee John Kerry. As Schnur
observed, Clinton decided it wasn't worth offending the center to join the
base, while "Kerry decided it wasn't worth offending the center to stand
with the party's base." Neither Kerry nor Clinton presents a profile in
courage.
Graham understood as much when he joined the Gang of 14. But he
explained to the press, "People at home are going to be very upset at me for
a while, but judges are going to get a vote who otherwise wouldn't.'' Or as
my husband and I announced on our wedding invitations: "It's the right thing
to do, but we're going to do it anyway."
Graham also joined McCain in being one of 11 senators — nine of
them were Republicans — who voted against a pork-laden transportation bill
that spends $11 billion more than the White House wants to spend. Which
means that 89 senators preferred to spend money Washington doesn't have.
Only 11 senators voted for fiscal discipline. Only 14 senators
stuck their necks out to cut a deal that impedes the devolution of civility
in the Senate. The real gang isn't the Gang of 14 lawmakers who would talk
with one another, but the 86 senators who would not.
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Comment JWR contributor Debra J. Saunders's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
