(February 17, 2010 - Photo by Robert Giroux/Getty Images North America)
I know the headline may scare some of you; infuriate many more of you; and cause a fair amount of concern and trepidation for a lot of you, but… rest your weary heart fine people. Its just one vote, and it wasn’t just Collins and Snowe joining forces with the Dems on this one. Senators Kit Bond and George Voinovich voted for cloture on Harry Reid’s $15 billion “jobs bill” as well. So what does this mean? Absolutely nothing… YET. I only comment on this vote – in the fashion which I am commenting on this vote – in the interest of offering a admittedly premature ”I told you so” just in case this is the first of many times Brown finds himself siding with Snowe and Collins.
In fairness, I don’t think that is what this is… What I do think it is though, is a sign that the Republican minority “majority” extends only to the realm of health care reform. I think Scott Brown may be on a very tight self-imposed leash when it comes to party politics. The good or bad of that I will leave you to be the judge of, but on this one I am certainly offering him a pass. Reid shat on the whole bipartisan dream with his proposal in the first place choosing it over that drawn up by BOTH Republicans and Democrats – if you can call it that. I’m not a fan of the federal government thinking it can create, save, or even manage jobs in this great country, but who am I to judge? This whole “New Republican” thing is supposed to be about a big tent anyways… Isn’t it? Forgive me while I am slow to catch up…
My boy Scratcher over at Makes My Brain Itch is a newby to the ranks of the Republican Party. He was recently baptized, and I think he is well on his way to being a Redefined Republican in the truest sense of the word. He’s happy about Brown’s first big vote and could care less about being labeled a RINO. In fact, he’s proud of it, because that’s essentially what he is – A Republican because he has to be. If you’re not familiar with Scratcher’s stuff, you should probably know that he is very much an (i)ndependent in the truest sense of the word. He’s not a fan of labels – conservative, republican, libertarian or otherwise. I think that’s why I kinda like him – even if I am proud to be both a conservative and a Republican. He knows what he is AND what he’s not. I think about 95% of Republicans / conservatives could stand to learn a thing or two from him and folks like him.
As for that whole RINO thing. I’m not the biggest fan of the use of the word/label/insult – whatever you wanna call it. I think its a cheap trick defense mechanism used MOST FREQUENTLY by intellectually bankrupt Republicans when they’re ideologically backed into a corner. That said, there are some fitting occasions for use of the term, and there are certainly a few individuals worthy of the label – Snowe, Collins, McCain… just to name a few.
I’m not calling Brown a RINO just YET. He has to earn that label. I don’t like this vote – not because he broke ranks, but because I don’t think the federal government has any business taking progressive action to “create jobs.” Throw around some payroll tax cuts or real incentives for small businesses to hire, and we can come to the table, but I tend to shut down when people begin believing that a group of disconnected politicians in Washington think throwing money at a bad situation does anything except create more waste.
Allahpundit says “No crying… We Knew this day would come” and drops a comment from retiring Senator Evan Bayh
Brown’s upset victory over a Democrat who held a double-digit lead a week before Massachusetts’ special Senate election last month signaled that voters wanted “more practical problem solving,” Bayh said in an interview Monday on ABC-TV’s “The View.
“Scott Brown is a good example of what I think the ultimate cure might be,” Bayh said. “My read on what happened in Massachusetts is the vast majority of moderates and independents rose up and said enough already.”
From The Lonely Conservative….
The Gay Patriot is less than pleased with the vote…
That bloom is quickly fading.
For a man who was swept into office based on his self-described distaste for an out-of-control government recklessly spending our money, he is off to a very, VERY bad start.
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I am like you, T. Christopher. I think it is perfectly acceptable for a Republican to break ranks with his party and it’s leadership, if the occasion calls for it. I am just not so sure this was one of those occasions.
Yeah, the whole toeing the party line thing smacks of group think. I hate it and I rarely support it. I understand that at times a Party must make a statement and show unanimity and on those occasions I am and will be the first to ridicule a party member for going astray. This however, is neither of those scenarios at play. I get that some are jazzed up about his being an independent thinker, but do they really like his position on this one? I know I don’t.
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Subtle disclaimer – Like LD, I’m not 100% sure about this bill. To be honest, while I pored over every line of every health bill (thanks for wasting a whole bunch of my time, Congress), I’m not as familiar with this one. What I really admire is that Scott Brown – just exactly like he said – looked at it and, deciding he felt it was good for his state & country, voted for it regardless of party ideology. Maybe I’m wrong here, but it doesn’t seem the same to me as the folks who said “I know America doesn’t want Obamacare, but I’m voting for it anyway.” Brown seems, so far at least, to be a man with an independent mind and the conviction to do what is right.
For THAT reason, I’d like to see 99 more Senators and a few hundred Congressmen that act just like him. He was very blunt about his bill-by-bill, issue-by-issue, Party-be-damned mindset and I have to respect him for it, even if I won’t always agree with him. It’s exactly what I want out of a representative.
And since you’ve been more than kind here in describing my own sometimes schizoid political ideology, I’d like to say something:
There was a time (a lot of time) when I viewed conservatives with leery reticence. When I started blogging, I figured I’d split my time 50/50 on hammering both cons and libs, letting my inner libertarian run wild. The people I’ve “met” since I started (yourself included) have helped me to see that conservatism isn’t the small-minded, exclusive group I thought – Ryan Sorbas of the world aside – and that many of the things I consider of utmost importance in politics are not incompatible with conservatism.
Ha. Well I don’t mind your “schizoid political ideology.” I appreciate anyone more interested in the WHY’s than the WHAT’s. Party politics and cozy little labels tend to lead to the latter. I sincerely appreciate your saying that folks such as myself have shown you a different side to conservatism. I am nothing if not open-minded in make take on conservatism – in my own very close minded fashion.
As to the bill… as a general rule I oppose the federal government trying to create jobs. To me the task is no different than when the federal government tries to tackle education. A – its not a federal responsibility and B – its too big and too difficult to manage from the federal level. There is a reason our Founders did’t dissolve state governments and rewrite state constitutions. They were meant to have autonomy and the ability to act in the best interest of their own citizens. In fairness, the education angle may be a poor choice as I am somewhat hesitant to even imply that the states can serve a function in job creation. To me… jobs are saved or created in the private sector. I think the last twelve months of this administration have proven that the only impact that government can have is a negative one. That promise of 8% unemployment for $800 billion seems a bit hard to swallow while we’re sitting at 10%.
As to Brown… I share your feelings of appreciation for an independent thinker. That said, independence does not buy a universal free pass around here. This is one bill. I just hope its not the beginning of a long series of Brown finding himself aligned with Snowe and Collins because if it is, I will have a problem with him ideologically speaking. For now, I say it is just one vote and can leave it at that.
The perjorative “RINO” is more like a lifetime achievement award. So with one vote Senator Brown is not really a RINO like Collins and Snowe.
And his vote might just be an overall PR win for the GOP. The Senate can get stuff done! See, Scott Brown is working with you guys, so stop your bellyaching about “the party of no”.
Im with you Chris… Its too early to start tossing that label around. From a purely pragmatic standpoint, I think I can even agree with you that this may have been a smart move politically for both Brown and the Party. This bill being watered down to $15 billion (wouldn’t it be great if we still lived in a world where $15 billion was still a relatively large sum?) makes it far less egregious and a relatively safe debate for Brown to flex his independent muscles on without being a direct shot at the Republican leadership..
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