Posted on 12/07/2001 9:32:16 AM PST by Straight Vermonter
Who could possibly agree to a title ripped off from one of the most courageous documents in the world, the Declaration of Independence? Only our Jim. Many of the signers of that document suffered pain and loss because of their deed. Not so our junior senator. He reaps rewards. Not so for Simon and Schuster, publishers of "My Declaration of Independence." The book has climbed up the Barnes and Noble charts to 17,644th from 24,607th last week. Simon and Schuster might as well consider it all a campaign contribution. Surely Jeffords will take their call should they need help from Washington.
The book, easily confused with the same sized but longer and more informative TV Guide, lays out Jeffords's march to immortality. It begins with Jeffords intensely resisting and challenging the President's budget and tax cut, telling the President in the Oval Office that he will be a "one termer." Given such a bold rebelliousness, it was no secret that Jeffords was in for a rough ride of increased and more intense ridicule over an extended period. Jeffords comments in his book that, "...hints had emerged from the White House and elsewhere that I would be forced to pay a political price for bucking the President on the budget bill."
The first significant signal came with Jeffords not getting an invitation to the Teacher of the Year Award that was to honor a Vermonter. Jeffords was not upset, it was simply, as he writes in his book, due to "the inexperience of the New White House."
Jeffords had great pressure to vote for Republican bills in the past but President George W. Bush was applying the principle of party loyalty of an intensity Jeffords had not experienced. Jeffords was being pressured as never before to do as one Vermonter quipped "start voting like a Republican." That comment came election night 2000 in Montpelier after his staff had to remove every Ruth Dwyer sign before he would come into the room to claim victory. Jim Jeffords quelled the growing fray by saying, "Now, now ... this is a great Republican victory." Right.
The President and Dick Cheney were asking Jim Jeffords to start voting like a Republican." Jim knew he could not calm their growing frustration with words but only with loyal party voting. The pressure was too great and Jeffords finally understood that with the "talk" he would now have to "walk the walk." Jeffords revealed himself; "I was not elected to this office to be something I am not."
Jeffords decided to bolt the Party as he could not be loyal to its principles, nor to his colleagues, nor to his party label, nor to his constituents, and not to his staff and family who urged him fight on as a voice of moderation. The heat was up and Jeffords left the kitchen into the welcoming arms of the Democrats who had padded his fall from Republican grace with promises of a chairmanship, his seniority, and reassigning his staff. Hardly a candidate "Profiles in Courage."
My Declaration of Independence, a quick and easy read plowing almost no new ground, has little value to the historian or the political junkie. Bet you can't guess: two thumbs down.
Well, given that he claimed to be a Republican, perhaps his party members kinda thought it would be neat if he voted with them once in a while.
And the realization settled in after Phil Gramm gave him a power-wedgie and Jesse Helms stole his milk money.
No thanks, I'll stick with the Dingell-Norwood Report.
Leahy, on the other hand, is slime!
Too bad Libby Sternberg is leaving. She runs a pretty good site called VermonterS for Better Education that has a conservative approach.
About Jim the Jackal......I assume all northern New England Freepers will be attending his booksigning tomorrow at the Book Rack in Essex.
It is soaring on the Amazon.com rating now listed as the 17,246th most popular book in the nation. Harry Potter is #2.
But, hey....ya gotta admit....it's a real Vahmontah bargin.
Amazon will sell you the hard cover for less than $12.00 or 12 cent A PAGE. But the real cheapo way to go is to get the paperback at E-Bay. 7 CENTS A PAGE!
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