Posted on 05/16/2002 6:18:21 PM PDT by spald
Thank Sen. Jeffords for Having the Courage of His Convictions
Contributed by Working Assets
Just one year ago, the Republicans controlled Congress and the White House. Just one year ago, the leader of the Senate was Trent Lott, and Vice President Dick Cheney could always cast the decisive 51st vote when the chamber was evenly split along party lines. But thanks to an historic action taken by a man of conscience, American politics today is a very different place than it was just one year ago.
May 24, 2001, marks the one-year anniversary of the day Senator Jeffords took his historic ''walk across the aisle'' and won control of the Senate for the Democrats, ensuring a vital check on the worst excesses of the Bush administration. Citing the GOP's sharp shift to the right that left no room for moderate voices, Jeffords left the party and became an Independent. Indeed, while Bush campaigned as a ''compassionate conservative,'' he quickly began to implement a more extreme agenda once in office, including reinstating the global gag rule on abortion and renouncing the Kyoto treaty to stop global warming.
Jeffords' courageous move to become an Independent and partner with the Democrats, single-handedly forced the changeover of all committee chairmanships, installed Tom Daschle (D-SD) as Majority Leader and rocked the White House to its foundations. More significantly, the shift in power allowed the Democrats to set the agenda in the Senate and influence policy. The final outcomes of the economic stimulus and airline safety bills look very different from their original incarnation as a result of the Senate's intervention.
Democratic control of the Senate Judiciary Committee has also been key in thwarting the Bush administration's plan to stack the federal judiciary with ultra conservatives. No longer can right-wing nominees be ensured a free ride to the bench, as evidenced by the rejection of Judge Charles Pickering in March.
Sen. James Jeffords represented Vermont as a Republican for 27 years, but when he realized that the party was no longer inclusive of moderate views, he had the courage to leave it. Rarely has one man's actions made such a difference in contemporary American politics.
Call to action
Thank Sen. Jeffords for standing up for his beliefs and having the courage to alter the balance of power in the Senate, ensuring that the extreme right does not dictate American policy.
It'll never happen; ol' Zell probably promised his Great Grandpappy on his death bed that he would never even vote for, much less become a Republican. That ignorance is still rampant here in the hills of Tennessee, Georgia, and Kentucky.
It's a shame, 'cause for the most part they are decent folks with solid values that are often more conservative than many of ours. But they are people of honor whose word is their bond, and nothing is more sacred to them than a deathbed promise. Happily, with a little factual persuasion (and liberal use of the word 'communist'), I have been able to convince a few of 'em that their dearly departed kin would forgive them if they could see what the democrat party has become. But it is really a tough sell.
Of course the Senate rejected Kyoto 95-0 for basically the same reasons Bush did...which includes virtually all the Democrats.... in fact the resolution against Kyoto was authored by a Democrat.
The two-faced hypocrisy of these Democrats never ceases to amaze me.
To Senator Jumpin' Jim Judas Jeffords:
On the anniversary of your historic "walk across the aisle," I'm writing to rebuke you for selling out your constituents. Your move to become an Independent and partner with the Democrats single-handedly forced the changeover of control of the Senate and ensured that the Senate would become immobile as the impacted stool of an ******* [rhymes with Das***le] like yourself. Indeed, while you campaigned as a member of a party led by a "compassionate conservative," you quickly began to implement a more extreme agenda once in office, becoming the lapdog of interest groups intent on ensuring the rejection of all but the most radical judicial activists, voting to keep America dependent on terrorist funding regimes for energy, and helping to fund socialists subsidies for just about every farmer except those dairy farmers in, hey, Vermont, on whose behalf you supposedly found your independence chained to Tom Daschle.
After serving Vermont as a Republican for 27 years, elected by mostly conservatives who, resigned to your incumbency, allowed themselves to support you because you called yourself a loyal Republican who occasionally dissented. Funny coincidence that Benedict Arnold also sold out Vermonters like the courageous Ethan Allen. Rarely has one man's actions made such a difference in contemporary American politics. Fast fifteen minutes you had, eh?
In an era of cynicism and apathy about politics, you reminded the public that sometimes politics is about deceiving the minds and thwarting the wills of those who made the mistake of trusting you to overspend their federal tax dollars. I'll keep this short since I know you have to receive your next instructions from the Americans for Democratic Action and the National Abortion Rights Action League. Enjoy your "independence," and watch out for those strings attached to your limbs. Sincerely, A Friend Thankfully Not From Vermont
(((( Red Duke Bump ))))
Uh-huh, and Judas too.
Not sure of recent results, but according to an October 2001 poll by VPR Poll, the pulse of Vermont (I have found no more recent polling data),
From the article: "The poll also found that a strong majority of Vermonters support Senator James Jeffords' decision to leave the Republican Party and become an independent - a move that threw control of the U.S. Senate from the Republicans to the Democrats. Sixty-seven percent of those responding support Jeffords decision, 29 percent did not, and 4 percent were unsure."
So I guess in answer to your question, yes, his constituents seen to agree with the traitorous lieing scum named Jeffords. Long way from the Green Mountain Boys Days, I guess.
Bet you are just as proud as every other Judas Goat.
ST. LOUIS - The man who brought control of the U.S. Senate to the Democrats was in St. Louis Saturday night, helping to raise an expected $500,000 or more for Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan.
Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont was a Republican until last year, when he left the GOP to become an independent. That gave Democrats a one-seat edge and control of the Senate. Now he's stumping to help the Democrats keep control... (more)
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