Trading on Tragedy
By Joe Mariani (12/15/06)
It seems as though the first reaction of many people on both sides of the political fence to the news of Senator Tim Johnson's (D-SD) sudden illness was, "How will this affect the balance of power in the Senate? Oh, and I hope he's alright." The mainstream media ghouls injected the question of Democratic control into every other sentence when covering the story. On one popular Left-wing web site, for instance, "well-wishers" posted such sentiments as, "Nothing is going to take away our victory. Period," and "sd has a repug gov ... the thought of majority leader mcconnell would be a damper on ... our holidays" Frankly, I hope Senator Johnson's soon up and about, and back on duty when the Senate goes into session.
First and foremost, it's immoral to hope a person suffers in order for one's "team" to make gains, whether we're discussing sports or politics. The Left may see people as pawns in a political game, but we should not sink to their level. Whatever his politics, Tim Johnson is a very sick man with a very worried family. Suffering a stroke, or whatever incapacitating event may have happened to him, is nothing short of a tragedy. I, for one, would not want Republicans gaining control of the Senate at such a price, even if that were to happen.
If Senator Johnson is unable to fulfill his duties, the Republican governor of South Dakota would likely appoint a Republican Senator to take Johnson's place for the remainder of his term. This would change the Senate from a Democratic majority to a 50-50 split, with all ties decided by Vice President Dick Cheney, who is also President of the Senate. All the ardent speculation, however, would be for nothing in the end anyway. Not only would Johnson's stepping down change nothing in reality, but hoping for it is demeaning and detrimental to everyone.
There would be no real gain for Republicans or Conservatives should the Senate be split evenly. The so-called "balance of power" would probably not shift an inch even if Governor Mike Rounds appointed the most fire-breathing Conservative in America (whoever the reader might think would fill that bill) to take Johnson's place. Democrats nearly always vote in lockstep, while too many Republicans vote with them all too often. The term RINO (Republican in Name Only) is familiar to those who follow politics, but there is no corresponding widely-used term like "DINO."
With 55 Republicans, the Senate still passed bills granting de facto amnesty to illegal immigrants, huge Medicare entitlements and massive pork-laden spending bills of all kinds. They failed to make the Bush tax cuts permanent, had trouble confirming Federal judges at every level and were unable to even confirm John Bolton as Ambassador to the United Nations. What makes anyone think that 50 Republicans can do what 55 could not? It would only take one Republican siding with the Democrats to pass (or kill) nearly any bill. The problem is not the number of Republicans in the Senate (and the House, and the White House), it's the number of Conservatives, which is woefully inadequate.
For the next two years, Democratic politicians will be unable to hide behind the myth of "Republican control" when explaining their failures to their far-Left base. The Democrats are now in the open, in control of both Houses, with nowhere to run. They have to switch from the party of obstruction to the party of action... and there are so few actions that will satisfy all the members of the fractured coalitions that vote Democrats into office.
I'll be damned, to make a bad pun, before I sell my soul for mere politics, especially when any gain would be a purely nominal one. I wish Senator Johnson a speedy and full recovery, for human as well as political reasons, and hope you all do the same.
Hat tip to Wuzzadem for the comments from Daily Kos and other sites.
http://guardian.blogdrive.com/archive/cm-12_cy-2006_m-12_d-15_y-2006_o-0.html
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