Ironies

[libertango]

Did you know the stimulus bill had $870 million dollars of pandemic preparedness funding in it? Did you also know it was negotiated away as a bargaining chip with the Republicans?

No?

GOP party chair Michael Steele knows. And now he's sounding like some teenager who got in a car crash just after canceling his insurance policy.

*^*^*

Olympia Snowe, Republican Senator from Maine, has a piece in today's New York Times about Arlen Specter's switch of parties. Just about every point she makes strikes me as valid -- which is why her fellow Republicans will ignore them. But what stood out in sharp relief for me was a quote she uses from Reagan:

"“We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.” {emphasis added}

Why is that a big deal? Because just like in the past two election cycles, it means the Democrats continue to be the party of Reagan conservatism. (Whether Regan himself was, I'll leave for the reader.)

My point, though, is that if Arlen Specter believes in those things, then of course he went to the Democrats.

And Olympia Snowe should, too.

Comments

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I'm beginning to think/hope she'll be the next to switch.

Or maybe all the RINOs/DINOs will form a centrist party, and the Democrats can become genuinely progressive.

[farmgirl1146.livejournal.com]

Me too. Ironically, Orin Hatch could be a candidate to switch, too. But, with Specter's vote against the budget, I am not excited, yet. The changes in the bankruptcy laws are not so good for anyone except the banks. I don't see how it can be going doing to defeat.