April 15, 2005
Rebel With His Own Cause
Senator John McCain is the real thing. He spent five years in various North Vietnamese POW camps enduring inhumane treatment and almost daily beatings. When his captors learned that he was both the son and grandson of admirals, they offered to release him as a goodwill gesture. Realizing the PR value of such an offer, McCain refused. His imprisonment left him with permanent injuries.
With this in mind, I tread lightly in my criticism of the Senator. If anyone has earned the right to his opinions, it is John McCain. But I can’t help but notice that, as time goes by, his agenda seems to be driven more by the MSM and the Democrats in the Senate than by his own party. His comments this week concerning a potential vote to change the filibuster rules with regard to judicial nominees bear this out (transcript courtesy of redstate.org and MSNBC) :
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Do you think it's fair for the Democrats to stop all government business if the Republicans get rid of the filibuster in judgeships?
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN: No, I don't. And I think...
MATTHEWS: Is it fair for the Republicans to get rid of the filibuster?
MCCAIN: No. And why is it that after 200 years we now cannot settle the issue of judges? Well, it's a symptom of the problems we have with the bitter partisanship here in Washington.
MATTHEWS: The president of the United States gets to pick federal judges. What should be the standard that the opposition applies to whether they let it come to a vote or not?
MCCAIN: I think that they should let them come to a vote, but I also think that before the nominations are formally introduced, the way they used to do it, they would kind of run the traps of the-- senators, particularly those on the committee and say, "Are these acceptable or unacceptable?" and if they were unacceptable they wouldn't send them over and if they were acceptable, then they would move forward.
We used to have this thing called a blue slip, where if it was a judge from your state, you could and if you objected they didn't take it up. And by the way, when Bill Clinton was president, we effectively, in the Judiciary Committee, blocked a number of his nominees.
MATTHEWS: But bottom line, would you vote for what's called the "nuclear option," to get rid of the filibuster rule on judgeships?
MCCAIN: No, I will not.
MATTHEWS: You will stick with the party?
MCCAIN: No, I will vote against the nuclear option.
MATTHEWS: You will vote--
MCCAIN: Against the nuclear option.
MATTHEWS: Oh, you will?
MCCAIN: Yes.
MATTHEWS: So you will vote with the Democrats?
MCCAIN: Yes, because I think we have got to sit down and work this thing out.
Straight from the Democratic talking points---“bitter partisanship” and “work this thing out.” According to the Party of Dean, bitter partisanship exists when Republicans do not do what the Democrats (the minority party in both houses) want. “Work this thing out” is a liberal euphemism for “give us what we want.”
The simple fact is that the Democrats will not let the President’s judicial nominees come up for a simple up-and-down vote. Their use of the filibuster, while not unprecedented in use, IS unprecedented in scope. It is, simply, a usurpation of the rights of the majority by a bitter minority. And while the minority party has the right to be heard, election by the people determines who gets to carry the big stick.
If Senator McCain agrees more and more with the opposition, why doesn’t he run as a Democrat? Could it be that the voters of Arizona wouldn’t re-elect him? Possibly, but I believe there is more to it than that. I believe the Senator is in love with his status as a rebel. Would Chris Matthews be calling if Sen. McCain were a Democrat? Doubtful; they have Harry Reid for that. The MSM loves McCain only because he’s a Republican. But all glory is fleeting. A reckoning will come one day, and the cameras and microphones will go away. Senator McCain will be left with his beliefs. And, quite possibly, only he will know what they really are.
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.opaquelucidity.com/movabletype/mt-tb.cgi/203
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Rebel With His Own Cause:
» poker from poker
poker The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing. [Read More]
» new balance shoes from new balance shoes
new balance shoes Many of these dishes, when intercrystallized with meat, sive but a sophisticated-looking proportio [Read More]
» ass in thong from
lindsay lohan anal hilary duff britney spears naked lindsay... [Read More]
» interracial fucking from
interracial cuckold free interracial porn cuckold interracial black and white ... [Read More]
» latina ass from
sex toy huge tits huge dildos fucking machine galleries fucking machine galleries [Read More]
» teen porn from
milf sex wet pants mature sex mom son sex mature babes tasty girls... [Read More]
» milf hunter from
sperm shack bang boat cumshots mikes apartment cum shotcum shot [Read More]
» brutal dildos from
hairy and natural vibrator beaver big tits beave... [Read More]
» digimon hentai from
teen lesbian gay hunks hentai lesbian teen lesbian asia... [Read More]
» home-loans from home-loans
cash advance,[prevkey], [currkey] is a niceblog. [Read More]
» minktell from cdr clock digicam ds dvdplayer minktell [Read More]
Tracked on November 29, 2005 07:37 AM» vangelo secondo maria from vangelo secondo maria
vangelo secondo maria [Read More]
» Rape Porn from Rape Porn
Rape Porn [Read More]
» Rape from Rape
Rape [Read More]
Matt
I know many Democrats who vote more along the lines of Republican. Does that not make them Democrats? The beauty of being in a great democracy such as ours is that everyone's opinion counts, regardless of if they're left, right, or somewhere in between.
McCain has just as much right to an opinion as everyone else. It seems that most people, regardless of party alignment, tend to believe that if someone doesn't conform to their views then they are not part of the party. What truly makes someone a Republican or Democrat? They do. If McCain considers himself a Republican, then that's what makes him a Republican, in my opinion.
Now, with that being said, I believe that I may understand what he's trying to say here, and I don't think that it has anything to do with being Republican or Democrat in the traditional sense. Instead, I believe he's trying to let cooler heads prevail.
In the past few years, it's been extremely obvious that there is a sharp divide in this country in regards to politics. It's gotten to a point where things are now becoming a bit flaky on both sides, with a lot of anger and hatred, people are starting to do some really dumb things. What's worse is that no one in their respective parties seems to see what's going on. What I believe McCain is doing is simple:
1. Keeping the lawmakers from changing laws just because it doesn't suit their wants or needs.
The filibuster has been used by both Republican and Democrat parties. There is no denying this, and it can be proven by simply looking at past votes. I'm not going to bother posting specific examples, but I'm sure if someone wanted to find one they could do so easily for either party.
What it seems to me is that Republicans recognize that this is an opportunity for their party to make some historic and long standing changes to the political structure of the country. Because of this, they don't want the filibuster to prevent them from from appointing those who they believe will help direct this nation down the path they believe to be most correct. Because of this, they want to change laws that puts favor on their side.
Democrats, and I'm sure other lesser known parties who have representation in Congress, don't want this to happen. They want to use the filibuster and want to keep the people they see as being unfit or not of their ideals being put on the bench. What's really great about our government is that we CAN do this if we want to. Now, if this roll was reversed, I honestly believe that we would be seeing the Republicans using the filibuster and the Democrats wanting to change the laws in their favor.
It all comes down to the plain and simple understanding that both parties want things to go their way and their way only. There seems to be absolutely no middle ground on any issues anymore. No one is willing to compromise. This brings me to point number two.
2. I believe that McCain understands the problem that the current government is in and realizes that bipartisanship and unity between both sides makes the most sense. Just because things don't work out the way someone or a group wants them to doesn't mean that we should go about changing laws just because we can. Unfortunately, it seems as if this is the way that people view politics these days.
If I said the following to you, which group (liberal or conservative) would you say I'm speaking about?
"If I don't like something, then I'm going to change it. Never mind what those who came before me thought. I'm the one in an elected position now and that's all that matters. I don't care what this group or that group thinks. Their opinions don't matter to me."
Now, if I said that to a conservative, that person would tell me that I was speaking about a liberal. Someone who is liberal would say that I was speaking about a conservative. In reality, I'm speaking about both liberals AND conservatives.
I fear that the foundation that our government was laid upon is at one of the weakest points it's ever been in since the this country was created. The bickering and hatred has got to stop, from both sides of the political fence. I believe that McCain understands this and wants to mend the fence.
....
But that's just my ranting opinion of course.
Posted by: Ed at April 15, 2005 08:51 PMMatt
I know many Democrats who vote more along the lines of Republican. Does that not make them Democrats? The beauty of being in a great democracy such as ours is that everyone's opinion counts, regardless of if they're left, right, or somewhere in between.
McCain has just as much right to an opinion as everyone else. It seems that most people, regardless of party alignment, tend to believe that if someone doesn't conform to their views then they are not part of the party. What truly makes someone a Republican or Democrat? They do. If McCain considers himself a Republican, then that's what makes him a Republican, in my opinion.
Now, with that being said, I believe that I may understand what he's trying to say here, and I don't think that it has anything to do with being Republican or Democrat in the traditional sense. Instead, I believe he's trying to let cooler heads prevail.
In the past few years, it's been extremely obvious that there is a sharp divide in this country in regards to politics. It's gotten to a point where things are now becoming a bit flaky on both sides, with a lot of anger and hatred, people are starting to do some really dumb things. What's worse is that no one in their respective parties seems to see what's going on. What I believe McCain is doing is simple:
1. Keeping the lawmakers from changing laws just because it doesn't suit their wants or needs.
The filibuster has been used by both Republican and Democrat parties. There is no denying this, and it can be proven by simply looking at past votes. I'm not going to bother posting specific examples, but I'm sure if someone wanted to find one they could do so easily for either party.
What it seems to me is that Republicans recognize that this is an opportunity for their party to make some historic and long standing changes to the political structure of the country. Because of this, they don't want the filibuster to prevent them from from appointing those who they believe will help direct this nation down the path they believe to be most correct. Because of this, they want to change laws that puts favor on their side.
Democrats, and I'm sure other lesser known parties who have representation in Congress, don't want this to happen. They want to use the filibuster and want to keep the people they see as being unfit or not of their ideals being put on the bench. What's really great about our government is that we CAN do this if we want to. Now, if this roll was reversed, I honestly believe that we would be seeing the Republicans using the filibuster and the Democrats wanting to change the laws in their favor.
It all comes down to the plain and simple understanding that both parties want things to go their way and their way only. There seems to be absolutely no middle ground on any issues anymore. No one is willing to compromise. This brings me to point number two.
2. I believe that McCain understands the problem that the current government is in and realizes that bipartisanship and unity between both sides makes the most sense. Just because things don't work out the way someone or a group wants them to doesn't mean that we should go about changing laws just because we can. Unfortunately, it seems as if this is the way that people view politics these days.
If I said the following to you, which group (liberal or conservative) would you say I'm speaking about?
"If I don't like something, then I'm going to change it. Never mind what those who came before me thought. I'm the one in an elected position now and that's all that matters. I don't care what this group or that group thinks. Their opinions don't matter to me."
Now, if I said that to a conservative, that person would tell me that I was speaking about a liberal. Someone who is liberal would say that I was speaking about a conservative. In reality, I'm speaking about both liberals AND conservatives.
I fear that the foundation that our government was laid upon is at one of the weakest points it's ever been in since the this country was created. The bickering and hatred has got to stop, from both sides of the political fence. I believe that McCain understands this and wants to mend the fence.
....
But that's just my ranting opinion of course.
Posted by: eengelking![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.opaquelucidity.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at April 15, 2005 09:10 PM
So much business is getting undone because of Right vs Left. I am so sick of partisan politics. Now it's so bad that if you don't make an absolute choice between both sides you are marked as a nobody. Your opinion doesn't matter.
This is the America we have now. It's either right or left and there is no in between. I live between both parties. I see good and bad on both sides. I don't think there is anything wrong with that.
Posted by: David at April 16, 2005 09:26 AM
Conservatives say Matthews is a liberal. On JABBS (http://jabbs.blogspot.com), read three posts that try to convince conservatives they're wrong.
Posted by: david r. mark at April 16, 2005 11:56 AMDave and Ed,
I think it's important to distinguish between being a non-elected Rep. or Dem. and an elected representative or senator. McCain can vote whichever way he wants; the problem comes when you stop to consider that Republican donations help fund his campaigns. If he does not represent at least the core of the Republican plank, he shouldn't be a member of the party.
Also, I don't believe we are more partisan now than we have ever been. I just think the MSM had made more of an issue out of it than ever before.
Posted by: Matt_D at April 16, 2005 08:00 PM
Matt,
I would disagree on the partisanship issue. I think the Clinton and GW years have shown the most public displays of outright hatred between the parties that I've ever witnessed.
I was a John Anderson supporter back in 1980 (I hear people everywhere saying "Who?!?") and I don't recall people hating Reagan nearly as much after he won. I was in college and watched the news coverage of the assassination attempt of Reagan at the student center and no one cheered. These supposedly "brainwashed liberal" students all voiced concern over the president.
If that happened today to Bush liberals would likely be partying in the streets on campuses everywhere. If it had happened to Clinton Rush Limbaugh would have pissed himself in glee.
When before now have you ever run a cross a Vice President telling a Congreeman to "go fuck himself" on the Senate floor? I think the hatred is obvious, it's public and it's never been this bad...