Posted on 09/09/2001 9:24:28 PM PDT by Georgia_JimD
Senator Phil Gramm of Texas has decided to tell President Bush he will not seek reelection. This comes on the heels of Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina deciding to retire. Are these retirements related? I actually think they may be. I think that the Jim Jeffords act of political expediency and dishonor - handing majority control of the Senate over to Tom Daschle almost immediately after winning reelection as a Republican - has created a ripple effect.
I know the Democrats have a mere one-vote majority, but they were, and they remain, emboldened. They're trying to destroy the Bush presidency. They make no bones about that being their goal. If you saw any of the Sunday shows, you saw John Kerry and Dick Gephardt and a number of others telegraphing what they intend to do here. They are out to destroy Bush, to see to it that the nation is in as bad a shape as possible by 2004. They refuse to let him have any victories, and will do all they can to undermine any policy initative he puts forward.
These Democrats will stop at nothing - as demonstrated by their recent demagoguery over Social Security, the surplus, tax cuts, you name it. They're unified on their side. Meanwhile, conservative Republicans, who fought Clinton for eight years, also have to fight their own Republican moderate and liberal colleagues. You don't see this kind of disunity on the Democratic side, other than occasionally when it comes to tax cuts.
These conservative Republicans like Gramm and Helms, who have to fight their own Republican moderates and liberals, who are constantly exercising their muscle by joining with the Democrats, face daunting prospects for regaining Senate control in the next election. They spent a great deal of their lives in public office leading the good fight, and they're now ready to step aside. It's exhausting fighting the lies and smears for so long.
I'm troubled by this. I think that one of the signs that we can associate with the Gramm move - and I think there may be a university presidency involved here - is a desire just to not be part of a struggling minority anymore. It's sort of a reverse of what it was back in 1994 when the Republicans took over the House of Representatives and all these Democrats retired. I hope I'm wrong about that, but only time will tell.
The democrats never retire. They have to dragged kicking and screaming from Washington. Look at Condit, a typical democrat.
. . .there can be no doubt. . .that from the very beginning of the Bush Presidency, the forces required to destroy it were put in motion. . .
Think Rush is right about the 'Jefford's effect' as well; and of course, it is no longer just the fight. . .or even the fair fight. Doing battle against the Democrats is like fighting a kind of terrorism. . .no boundaries, conventions - rules to abide by - they offer no respect, civility and surely no loyalty to a truth of any kind, save the utilitarian.
That kind 'fight' is totally dispiriting for good, honest people who become totally battle weary by the Democrats MO.
Hope Jeffords is enjoying the quality people he now associates with. . .wish it were difficult for him, but most likely he has more in common with the 'qualitative' aspects of the Democrats, so he probably does not even notice.
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