I was thinking today about the senators and representatives that conservative pundits often mention as their heroes, like Inhofe, Sessions, Bachmann, and DeMint. They are the “true patriots” – the “defenders of freedom against tyranny.” They are also often cited as among the most conservative members of either chamber.
And I thought to myself: What does this mean?
How about this: Speaking generally, depending on who might get what (and how) in any legislation under consideration, they will almost always vote a certain way.
-They won’t vote for any bill that may strain relations with Israel.
-They will vote against new government spending or bureaucracies.
-They seek to make flag burning and gay marriage unconstitutional.
-They will not vote for anything that may make life uncomfortable for business or corporations.
-They push for monotheistic religious worship in public schools.
-They see English as our national language and want it recognized as such.
-They generally disdain any environmental protection legislation for two reasons: jobs are more important than trees, and taxpayers would pay for that job loss.
I’d like to stress that these ideological positions are just my observations, and that people, just like legislation, are complex and have many parts.
In other words, I don’t mean to oversimplify, but my point is that it is easier to do so when looking at the record of the above legislators: predictable, ideological, and inflexible.
Of course here is the “million dollar question:” Is that bad?
Any important issue has numerous angles which should be evaluated carefully to determine overall impact. But to me, if you always “toe the party line,” that suggests intellectual stagnation, extreme partisanship and unwillingness to compromise.
I don’t think it is a secret that most of our legislators don’t read most bills. They don’t have time and the bills are dense. Also, consider the hundreds of bills pertaining to different facets of these perennial core issues they’ve voted on.
And they always vote a certain way? These are supposed to be heroes? We need a viable Republican Party in this country. The bitterness and anti-intellectualism are driving people away when they need new blood.
This philosophy among the movement’s leaders, that any sort of deviation amounts to betrayal worthy of the blackest scorn, will be the death of the right in this country if it prevails.
Aren’t new ideas, insights and movements (the wellspring of effective governance) vital to the continued success of any faction? Would it be too much to say that it is a sort of lifeblood? Without it, the organism dies.
Sometimes the ass needs a swift kick, right GOP?
