Posted on 01/02/2018 9:27:21 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
The longest-serving Republican senator in U.S. history announced this week that he will finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally retire.
That's seven "finallys" -- one for each of the consecutive six-year terms Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, served. He begin his occupancy in 1976, when all phones were dumb, the 5.25-inch floppy disk was cutting-edge, the very first Apple computer went on sale for $666.66, the Concorde was flying high, O.J. Simpson was a hero, Blake Shelton was a newborn, the first MRI was still a blueprint, and I was a gap-toothed first-grader wearing corduroy bell-bottoms crushing on Davy Jones.
This encrusted longevity will be marketed by Hatch, 83, and his supporters as proof of his "statesmanship." Indeed, The Atlantic magazine described him this week as "an elder-statesman figure in the GOP." Newsweek likewise reported on the farewell announcement of the "elder statesman." And Hatch's own press minions have disseminated press releases quoting other entrenched politicians such as Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., hailing their boss's "reputation as a statesman."
But that word doesn't mean what Beltway barnacles think it means.
Merriam-Webster defines a "statesman" as a "wise, skillful, and respected political leader." Earning the approbation of other office-clinging politicians doesn't make you a "respected political leader." It makes you an echo-chamber chump.
Wise? Skillful? Hatch was a Big Government business-as-usual dealmaker. His wisdom was of the wet-finger-in-the-wind variety, claiming a Reagan conservative mantle during election cycles and then throwing constitutional conservatives under the bus once comfortably back in his well-worn Senate committee seats.
Hatch joined with his old pal Teddy Kennedy to create the $6 billion national service boondoggle and the $8 billion-a-year CHIP health insurance entitlement.
He preached about the "rule of law," but was an original sponsor of the open-borders DREAM Act illegal alien student bailout, and, despite claiming to oppose it, he voted to fully fund the unconstitutional Obama amnesty during the lame-duck session.
He crusaded for "fiscal conservatism," yet voted for massive Wall Street bailouts, 16 debt ceiling increases totaling $7.5 trillion, and scores of earmarks totaling hundreds of millions of dollars for porky projects. He ends his four-decade reign as the Senate's top recipient of lobbyist cash.
And for the past two years, Team Hatch allies have spearheaded a multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign, squeezing donations from corporate donors and pharma and tech lobbyists to subsidize a "Hatch Foundation" and "Hatch Center" to commemorate the Hatch legacy.
"Statesman" isn't a titled earned by mere length of service. It's not a cheap status conferred like an AARP card or IHOP senior discount. A politician who notches decades of frequent flyer miles back and forth between Washington and his "home" state, enjoying the endless perks of incumbency, does not acquire statesmanship by perpetual re-election and political self-aggrandizement.
The idea of amassing $4 million to $6 million campaign war chests, as Hatch did the past two election cycles, is antithetical to the ideal of statesmanship. In the days of Cincinnatus and George Washington, self-sacrifice and civic virtue marked true statesmen. Affability, which Hatch is credited with possessing by his backroom Democrat chums, was no substitute for the humility exhibited by statesmen who volunteered to relinquish power at the very height of it -- not in its waning twilight.
So: Call Hatch a clock-puncher. Time-bider. Log-roller. Deal-cutter. Back-slapper. Call him most anything else now that he's finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally, finally called it a day.
Just please don't call him "statesman."
LOL!
That's nothing. My Congressman has been in office since I was in high school. I go on Medicare next year.
If President Trump had a GOP Senate full of supporters like Orrin Hatch, his agenda would be moving forward at a lightspeed.
I despise all of these phony GOP obstructionists in the Senate...
“Orrin Hatch is committed to protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms guaranteed to all Americans,” said Chris W. Cox, chairman of NRA-PVF. “His strong dedication and voting record have earned him an “A+” rating from the NRA-PVF, and we proudly endorse him for re-election to the U.S. Senate.”
I don't think trading Hatch for Romney is a good deal.
I did appreciate Hatch’s comments, at the recent Tax Bill passage announcement.....
Here is a snippet of what he said.....
....I love this country. I came from very humble roots. And I have to say, that this is one of the great privileges of my life to stand here on the White House lawn with the President of the United States, who I love and appreciate so much, and with these wonderful colleagues and Cabinet members who stand behind us.
And to see all of you and realize that you care too. All I can say is that God loves this country. We all know it. We wouldn’t be where we are without Him. And we love all of you. And we’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to make this the greatest presidency that we’ve seen, not only in generations, but maybe ever.
If you are going out, it appears that is probably a good note to do it on.
...and about time. He was on the way out last election after Utah dumped Bennett, but Hatch had time knowing what happened to Bennett, to game the system, called the caucus system, and won the day for one more term.
May both of them find their way into line behind ObucketOshiite into the waste basket of history
I don’t particularly enjoy being misquoted, much less totally attached to someone else’s work.
“There is nothing wrong with Hatch. Why all this hatred?”, is a quote from post number 2. NOT ME! The fact that you may have read through the entire thread and then used me as your platform to scream doesn’t absolve you of the error. I would be inclined to say inexcusable considering you are a member of the class of ‘98.
Senator Hatch is indeed a RINO, as I made perfectly clear in my post. Knowing how he cheated a coming potential caucus loss by spending a ton of money to insure what happened to the late Senator Bennett, did not happen to him.
Before that, there were 8-inch floppy discs.
Sorry. didn’t mean to reply to your post. It just happened that yours was the one with the closest comment button on. I looked over your posts. You seem like a pretty stand up guy. Please don’t’ misunderstand, and accept my apologies.
that’s only 2 3/4 inches more but sounds YUGE for a disc.
I laughed all night at work thinking about that comment :)
Also the Utahan co-sponsored Ruth Bader Ginsberg.
I read somewhere that McPain and Orrin are jealous of each other’s longevity.
Dirksen, father-in-law of Howard Baker, often strayed from conservatism to delight the liberals in IL.
He has a bridge in Massachoosie that he offered to sell to Ted.
Said Anita was alligator
I think I completely agree (in retrospect for me) the “wet-finger-in-the-wind” characterization by Michell Malkin.
I am not one of his constituents, and over the years, I would occasionally hear Hatch say things that made me think “Wow, that is great to hear a Senator say that! That was Orrin Hatch? He sounds like a stand-up guy! I need to follow his doings more closely...”
Then, the next time I heard anything about him, it might be “Good God! Why on earth is he supporting that? WTF? Who is this guy? I need to follow his doings more closesly...”
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