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Today Is Super Tuesday. Will the GOP Finally Bail on Bush Wednesday?
By Gregg Gordon
Created Feb 5 2008 - 7:06am
Super Tuesday. The day we've all been waiting for. A month's worth of
breathless punditocracy analysis all culminating in a night of breathless
punditocracy analysis that will actually be about more than 30 or 40
delegates. Indeed, before the night is over, we're likely to have a much
better idea of which two candidates will face each other for the presidency
in the fall.
But there's one group that's been waiting this day with a little more
anticipation than most: Republican Congress critters. Ever since they lost
their majority in the 2006 elections, Republicans in Congress have faced a
true Hobbesian dilemma. Stick with their president and his mind-blowing
record of failure and risk being skinned alive in 2008, or begin to act like
rational human beings and face the near-certainty of being savaged by their
own party. But now in about half the states, that bad dream is almost over,
so the question becomes, if the truth has not set them free, will the
primaries?
After 2006, many of us assumed we would start to see some breaks in the
near-unanimous party discipline that had prevailed among the GOP in the
first six years of President Bush's term. But now Bush's numbers were in the
toilet and had been for some time, and the election showed that was no
illusion. The country had stopped listening to him and found the experience
a pleasant one. They weren't coming back. And the main Congressional
enforcer of that discipline -- The Hammer, Tom Delay -- was gone, under
indictment, grinning all the way to a seat in front of a Texas jury.
Things looked bleak if they kept this up. And indeed, some 28 of them --
nearly 15% of their number -- simply decided to cash in their chips. Their
families suddenly became much more important to them, and they decided not
to run again. But while most of us are happy to accumulate a few frequent
flyer miles, Congressmen get free plane rides, no humiliating Homeland
Security screening necessary, and some decent college will take their kids,
no matter how delinquent. It's a tough job to walk away from.
But 2007 came, and nothing seemed to change. On the war in Iraq, health
insurance for children, more tax breaks for millionaires, wiretapping,
torture, they stood with their president. No position was too un-American
for them. Are these people intent on committing suicide? What gives?
What gives are the pathological billionaires who fund groups like Freedom's
Watch, the White House front group led mostly by former Bush-Cheney
officials, including former official liar and CIA agent outer Ari Fleischer.
Its chief funder is the third richest man in America, casino tycoon Sheldon
Adelson, jet plane provider to the Rudy Giuliani campaign.
Freedom's Watch was founded last year to shore up support for the Bush
foreign policy (if "policy" it can be called) and has reportedly amassed
$250 million to that end. But while it made a fairly significant $15 million
ad buy last summer, and a smaller one around the holidays, for the most part
the troops have remained unloved. But that bank account, and those of other
"independent" conservative groups, have hung like the Sword of Damocles over
any Republican Congressman who might dare to leave the Rez.
Take the case of Wayne Gilchrest, a moderate Republican who has served nine
terms representing Maryland's First District, which encompasses the Eastern
Shore and curves around the top of Chesapeake Bay to reach into the northern
suburbs of Baltimore. It's Republican-leaning, though not greatly so, and
it's nearly a third African-American, but in recent years, Gilchrest has won
in a walk.
But as the "moderate" modifier would suggest, the GOP base has many problems
with him. A Marine platoon leader and Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam, he
is now portrayed within his party as a traitor and a coward. (Sound
familiar?) His sins are many. He's pro-choice, supports a repeal of don't
ask-don't tell (what would an ex-Marine know?), voted for McCain-Feingold,
and even sponsored legislation to (gasp!) grant full voting rights to
residents of the District of Columbia. He actually believes in global
warming and has been a strong protector of the environment generally, which
might seem a no-brainer to one whose district includes national treasures
like the Assateague Island seashore and the fragile bay, but which makes him
a tree-hugger to most Republicans. Why, he probably even opposes drilling
for oil off Ocean City.
But what really put him in the cross-hairs of the right were his two votes
last spring to impose timelines for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The
only other Republican to do so twice -- "Freedom Fries" Walter Jones of
North Carolina -- has also drawn a pro-war primary opponent, and while
Gilchrest has faced primary challenges before, this one is by far the most
serious.
His main opponent is Andy Harris, a state senator and physician who, judging
from his website and campaign finance reports, has the three most important
qualifications for a Republican candidate -- a photogenic family, some
wealthy friends (his donor list seems to consist mostly of old buddies from
med school), and the brains of a termite. He supports legislating our
sexuality, gun rights (also a matter of legislating our sexuality, come to
think of it), and on the economic front, any regulation-slashing,
government-cutting proposal that will allow the looting to continue.
But the most important issue, judging from the length and hysterical tone of
his website entry, is illegal immigration, which makes sense in a district
where the census bureau says the Hispanic population is about half the
national average. And the war? Funny. You won't even find the word "Iraq" on
his website. But be assured he will support the troops and wants to fight
them over there so we don't have to over here.
The Harris campaign is being spearheaded by the notorious Club for Growth,
keeper of the "RINO Watch" list and saboteur of the careers of erstwhile
Republican independent thinkers Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Rep.
Joe Schwarz of Michigan. The Club was founded by Stephen Moore, a
supply-side true believer whose most recent tome is Bullish On Bush: How
George Bush's Ownership Society Will Make America Stronger (I wonder how
that's selling). The Club has reportedly dumped a quarter-million dollars
into the effort to unseat Gilchrest. Overall, Harris has outraised Gilchrest
2-1.
The Maryland primary is Feb. 12, and the latest polls show Harris with a
lead, but not an overwhelming one. Gilchrest's best hope may reside in the
late entry of E.J. Pipkin, another state senator and millionaire self-funder
who has some environmental credentials of his own, but otherwise is running
a far-right campaign. The hope is Pipkin and Harris will split the rabid dog
vote, allowing Gilchrest to slip through. Then again, Gilchrest may have
received the kiss of death a couple weeks ago, when he received the
endorsement of President Bush.
Democrats, meanwhile, see themselves in a no-lose situation. Either they'll
have a Republican they can have a conversation with without resorting to
grunts and hand signals, or a Harris victory will put a previously safe GOP
district into play, a possible pickup. You have to love the smell of burning
Republicans in the morning. It smells like victory.
But a good many Republicans will be safe from a fate like Gilchrest's after
today, and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid should put their
feet to the fire -- no more excuses. Do they want to stand on their
convictions, or do they want to save their skins? Are there any Republicans
you can talk sense to anymore? Most Americans now agree George Bush is a
moron. Is "sensible Republican" an oxymoron?
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
By Gregg Gordon
Created Feb 5 2008 - 7:06am
Super Tuesday. The day we've all been waiting for. A month's worth of
breathless punditocracy analysis all culminating in a night of breathless
punditocracy analysis that will actually be about more than 30 or 40
delegates. Indeed, before the night is over, we're likely to have a much
better idea of which two candidates will face each other for the presidency
in the fall.
But there's one group that's been waiting this day with a little more
anticipation than most: Republican Congress critters. Ever since they lost
their majority in the 2006 elections, Republicans in Congress have faced a
true Hobbesian dilemma. Stick with their president and his mind-blowing
record of failure and risk being skinned alive in 2008, or begin to act like
rational human beings and face the near-certainty of being savaged by their
own party. But now in about half the states, that bad dream is almost over,
so the question becomes, if the truth has not set them free, will the
primaries?
After 2006, many of us assumed we would start to see some breaks in the
near-unanimous party discipline that had prevailed among the GOP in the
first six years of President Bush's term. But now Bush's numbers were in the
toilet and had been for some time, and the election showed that was no
illusion. The country had stopped listening to him and found the experience
a pleasant one. They weren't coming back. And the main Congressional
enforcer of that discipline -- The Hammer, Tom Delay -- was gone, under
indictment, grinning all the way to a seat in front of a Texas jury.
Things looked bleak if they kept this up. And indeed, some 28 of them --
nearly 15% of their number -- simply decided to cash in their chips. Their
families suddenly became much more important to them, and they decided not
to run again. But while most of us are happy to accumulate a few frequent
flyer miles, Congressmen get free plane rides, no humiliating Homeland
Security screening necessary, and some decent college will take their kids,
no matter how delinquent. It's a tough job to walk away from.
But 2007 came, and nothing seemed to change. On the war in Iraq, health
insurance for children, more tax breaks for millionaires, wiretapping,
torture, they stood with their president. No position was too un-American
for them. Are these people intent on committing suicide? What gives?
What gives are the pathological billionaires who fund groups like Freedom's
Watch, the White House front group led mostly by former Bush-Cheney
officials, including former official liar and CIA agent outer Ari Fleischer.
Its chief funder is the third richest man in America, casino tycoon Sheldon
Adelson, jet plane provider to the Rudy Giuliani campaign.
Freedom's Watch was founded last year to shore up support for the Bush
foreign policy (if "policy" it can be called) and has reportedly amassed
$250 million to that end. But while it made a fairly significant $15 million
ad buy last summer, and a smaller one around the holidays, for the most part
the troops have remained unloved. But that bank account, and those of other
"independent" conservative groups, have hung like the Sword of Damocles over
any Republican Congressman who might dare to leave the Rez.
Take the case of Wayne Gilchrest, a moderate Republican who has served nine
terms representing Maryland's First District, which encompasses the Eastern
Shore and curves around the top of Chesapeake Bay to reach into the northern
suburbs of Baltimore. It's Republican-leaning, though not greatly so, and
it's nearly a third African-American, but in recent years, Gilchrest has won
in a walk.
But as the "moderate" modifier would suggest, the GOP base has many problems
with him. A Marine platoon leader and Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam, he
is now portrayed within his party as a traitor and a coward. (Sound
familiar?) His sins are many. He's pro-choice, supports a repeal of don't
ask-don't tell (what would an ex-Marine know?), voted for McCain-Feingold,
and even sponsored legislation to (gasp!) grant full voting rights to
residents of the District of Columbia. He actually believes in global
warming and has been a strong protector of the environment generally, which
might seem a no-brainer to one whose district includes national treasures
like the Assateague Island seashore and the fragile bay, but which makes him
a tree-hugger to most Republicans. Why, he probably even opposes drilling
for oil off Ocean City.
But what really put him in the cross-hairs of the right were his two votes
last spring to impose timelines for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The
only other Republican to do so twice -- "Freedom Fries" Walter Jones of
North Carolina -- has also drawn a pro-war primary opponent, and while
Gilchrest has faced primary challenges before, this one is by far the most
serious.
His main opponent is Andy Harris, a state senator and physician who, judging
from his website and campaign finance reports, has the three most important
qualifications for a Republican candidate -- a photogenic family, some
wealthy friends (his donor list seems to consist mostly of old buddies from
med school), and the brains of a termite. He supports legislating our
sexuality, gun rights (also a matter of legislating our sexuality, come to
think of it), and on the economic front, any regulation-slashing,
government-cutting proposal that will allow the looting to continue.
But the most important issue, judging from the length and hysterical tone of
his website entry, is illegal immigration, which makes sense in a district
where the census bureau says the Hispanic population is about half the
national average. And the war? Funny. You won't even find the word "Iraq" on
his website. But be assured he will support the troops and wants to fight
them over there so we don't have to over here.
The Harris campaign is being spearheaded by the notorious Club for Growth,
keeper of the "RINO Watch" list and saboteur of the careers of erstwhile
Republican independent thinkers Sen. Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and Rep.
Joe Schwarz of Michigan. The Club was founded by Stephen Moore, a
supply-side true believer whose most recent tome is Bullish On Bush: How
George Bush's Ownership Society Will Make America Stronger (I wonder how
that's selling). The Club has reportedly dumped a quarter-million dollars
into the effort to unseat Gilchrest. Overall, Harris has outraised Gilchrest
2-1.
The Maryland primary is Feb. 12, and the latest polls show Harris with a
lead, but not an overwhelming one. Gilchrest's best hope may reside in the
late entry of E.J. Pipkin, another state senator and millionaire self-funder
who has some environmental credentials of his own, but otherwise is running
a far-right campaign. The hope is Pipkin and Harris will split the rabid dog
vote, allowing Gilchrest to slip through. Then again, Gilchrest may have
received the kiss of death a couple weeks ago, when he received the
endorsement of President Bush.
Democrats, meanwhile, see themselves in a no-lose situation. Either they'll
have a Republican they can have a conversation with without resorting to
grunts and hand signals, or a Harris victory will put a previously safe GOP
district into play, a possible pickup. You have to love the smell of burning
Republicans in the morning. It smells like victory.
But a good many Republicans will be safe from a fate like Gilchrest's after
today, and Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid should put their
feet to the fire -- no more excuses. Do they want to stand on their
convictions, or do they want to save their skins? Are there any Republicans
you can talk sense to anymore? Most Americans now agree George Bush is a
moron. Is "sensible Republican" an oxymoron?
_______
--
NOTICE: This post contains copyrighted material the use of which has not
always been authorized by the copyright owner. I am making such material
available to advance understanding of
political, human rights, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues. I
believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of such copyrighted material as
provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright
Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107
"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson