Posted on 03/28/2005 7:44:28 PM PST by Theodore R.
Polls Determined Actions in Schiavo Case Al Rantel Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Little wonder that so many Americans are cynical of their elected officials in every position and branch of their government. The Terri Schiavo case has once again demonstrated how many of our political leaders are leaders in name only and that their first instinct is to follow the polls for political self-preservation.
Right after the Congress and President Bush got involved in the Terri Schiavo case in Florida by passing a law aimed at getting a complete review in the federal court system, several polls were taken as the public became highly charged about the life-and-death issue. All the polls indicated that the public did not support our elected officials wading into this matter. Further, they showed that a huge majority thought politicians were getting involved for personal political gain.
Suddenly, silence befell the crowd of politicians never at a loss for words. President Bush meekly proclaimed that he hadn't talked to "my brother, the governor of Florida" about the case any more. Jeb Bush meekly proclaimed that he couldn't do any more because a big, bad circuit court judge told him not to. Congressional Republicans, who issued a subpoena for Terri and others, thus keeping anyone from ending her life, postponed their hearing, thus staying their own subpoenas that they never enforced anyway. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, last week said that Terri was sent by God to awaken the American people. But DeLay was nowhere to be seen or heard after the polls came out and he was on the wrong side of over three-quarters of the public.
That's how it is in politics. One day you are sent by God, the next day you are damaged goods whose electoral viability is threatened.
Even Senator Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., those most vocal about this case in the U.S. Senate, have fallen silent. This leaves the public with people like Randall Terry of Operation Rescue and the Rev. Pat Mahoney of the Christian Defense Coalition outside the hospice with their megaphones as they take a break from calling doctors murderers who perform abortions.
The only people left taking the stand begun by Republican leaders in Florida and in Washington are 10-year-olds getting arrested after being sent to the hospice front door with water for Terri.
There is a lesson in all of this. Politicians are by instinct spineless jellyfish who rarely lead but rather line up to take the people where they think they want to go. Can there be any doubt that had the polls shown the reverse, Congress would have been up all night with new legislation and Governor Jeb Bush would be taking on the lowly circuit court judge in the name of the Sovereign People of Florida as it states in the Florida Constitution?
Ironic, too, that five years ago Attorney General Janet Reno sent in federal marshals to seize Elian Gonzalez even though there was a Florida court order preserving him with his Miami family. Reno had the young boy whisked out of the Miami home and sent back to Fidel Castro's outdoor prison known as Cuba. In that case most Americans said in polls that Elian belonged with his dad, even if it meant living in one of the world's most oppressive dictatorships.
So, for all of those who often say they don't believe in polls, well, maybe you don't, but the politicians sure do. Had the polls gone the other way, Elian would now be a high school student in Miami Dade County and Terri Schiavo's parents would still be visiting her with her feeding tube in place. Someone believes in polls, and they happen to be our elected officials at every level of our government.
This article is spot on. The Bushes and the GOP turned out to be fairweather friends of Terri Schiavo. I don't blame them for her death, but there is no doubt they lacked the will to fight for her life in the face of media polls.
The (R)'s have been the ones in power for a while now. They are probably relying on polls to shape their actions moreso than the Dems.
WOW, great article!!!!!! Totally agree! Thing is the polls are going to show them going down and down and down for doing nothing for Terri! What a bunch of wimps!
Just a point of clarification...now we on FR BELIEVE Newsmax?
bttt
This is why officers led the charge into battle.
Without leadership, there is no battle or victory.
Couldn't agree more... we need a true conservative leader for 2008... I am feeling some nostalgia for the era of Newt Gingrich lately. That being said, we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that GW Bush has been more willing to buck polls than the Clintons ever were (although that's obviously a low hurdle to clear.)
Now if only our politicians would follow the polls on border security, sovereignty, and illegal immigration...
Yup, worth repeating.
What the he*% are you asking me?
It's most certainly not the President or Governor who caused this, but their lack of resolve is disheartening. Someone today suggested this could have been done 'legally" by investigating the collusion and conflict of interest issues. The hard part of this for me is that I have a great deal of respect for President Bush, but this shakes me to the core. To just sit by and let her die of thirst when you have the power to stop it.
When all is said and done, God will not ask these people if they rigorously defended the division of powers in the three branches of our government, but instead they (and we) will hear the question "Did you give a cold cup of water to one of these little ones in My name?"
And rumor has it that pools of pros are paid pollsters by ABC at least. See, you can randomly call 1000 out of 2000 paid people whom you know will vote the way you want, right? Or get the moveon.org database to select the column for athiests or likely democrats, aka Sunday morning not going to church folk, to give you just the answer you desire........Profiling. Ain't it grand?
When you are sent by God, you'd better do as God commands, they are worst things then losing election.
And the spinelessness got worse after Dr. George Gallup conducted his first poll in 1932.
That's the problem: they only follow polls when the polls agree with their REAL positions.
Some here in FR have asked me why I would want George "W" to intervene the way Clinton did with Elian Gonzales. The answer is a simple one. The Clinton move set the precedent for such an action, (yes, Janet Reno DID act against the ruling of a Federal Court). Though this midnight "snacth" of Elian Gonzales was rotten to the core because it sent an innocent child back to a tyrant, at least Clinton had the guts to take the action that in his mind twisted mind was the right one. Would that our "conservative leaders" had the same gaul as the liberals do. We find ourselves in this current position of impotence because the other side is bold and we are not. When I see a photo of Jeb Bush I see the "Tin Man" shaking in his boots and moaning that he's too impotent to help Terri Schiavo.
Very much agree with the article. It didn't help that Jeb Bush also went back and requested GREER's PERMISSION to RESCUE Terri. Additionally, the FEDERAL courts ignoring CONGRESSIONAL LAW and handing down RESOUNDING NO's to the SCHINDLERS was also harmful!
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