Posted on 05/21/2005 4:42:36 PM PDT by neverdem
Here's an example of why moderates never accomplish anything in Washington.
Twelve independent and moderate senators - six Democrats and six Republicans - spent much of last week trying to work out a deal to head off a nuclear showdown over judges.
They agreed on the basic approach. The Democrats would allow votes on a few of the blocked judicial nominees (Priscilla Owen, William Pryor and Janice Rogers Brown, I'm told). In exchange the Republicans would drop a couple of the nominees (probably Henry Saad and William Myers).
The Democrats would promise not to use the filibuster, except under extreme circumstances. The Republicans would promise not to exercise the nuclear option except under extreme circumstances.
That was the deal, and a very fair one, too. But of course these are moderates. They can't just shove something through on the rough and dirty the way the partisans do. They can't lock themselves in the room until they reach a deal and then march out and announce it to the press.
They have to shop it around. Some of the 12 felt compelled to check with their leaders and others in their parties, so nobody would feel offended or left out. Some of the 12 had to quibble, fiddle, worry and adjust. One Democrat asked the Republicans if they could move a judge from the D.C. Circuit to the Ninth Circuit. (Huh?) Senator Robert Byrd joined the proceedings with a complicated proposal that threw everybody into confusion.
Then they had these arcane discussions about exactly which words to use. Since even moderates don't really trust one another, they were looking for language that would codify every possible contingency. A few gutless wonders were hoping they could find the words that would protect them when the attacks started coming from the pressure groups...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
I'm always amazed that so many "ordinary folk" use their native intelligence to draw inferenced, logical conclusions such as your observation, and then we never hear the talking heads bring up what seem so obvious points when they interview people. After this past week now, I'd just love to see an on-air demonstration of how someone would go about flushing a book down the toilet, and how much time it would take since the toilet needs time to fill up the tank between each flush.
That's just it though. The weasels in the middle probably don't despise the 'rats. They most likely are just fine going out to dinner, schmoozing on junkets, engaging in deal making under the facade of "lawmaking," and counting their blessings that they don't have to work for a living.
If you're an unprincipled "moderate," life in Washington is good...very very good.
DO so agree-- but only an idiot would want to be buried with splinters up his crack from all the fence sitting.
My daddy was a firm believer stand for somehting or fall for anything.
Absolutely! And .. as Rush predicted last week .. the dems are going to get more weird and more vengeful as the days go by.
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