Posted on 01/06/2003 2:04:58 PM PST by Jean S
Trent Lott last Thursday informed current, now former Senate Rules Committee chairman Rick Santorum that he indeed wanted this colleague's committee. This after turning down the Rules Committee prior to the New Year.
Santorum, who was one of the most loyal lieutenants Lott had in the leadership, offered his old boss his committee around the time that Lott stepped down as Republican leader. At that point, Lott turned him down. But over the holidays Lott apparently had a change of heart, and informed Santorum he would take the chairmanship.
Lott's decision should be alarming to conservatives everywhere. Not only does he now control a committee in which he will have to negotiate with Democrats on everything from staffing budgets for committees to office space, he has perhaps irreparably set back Republican leadership for a decade.
This is because Santorum, like Sen. Mitch McConnell, played the Senate game the best he could. Both McConnell and Santorum remained loyal to their leader Lott in a time of difficulty, while also moving their caucus forward with the nomination and election of Sen. Bill Frist. Now both men have been damaged by their support of Lott, and Santorum is out his committee chairmanship.
"Lott has been terrible at developing young talent for leadership positions, and this decision to basically knock one of his own people down a peg just shows how short sighted he really is," says a Senate leadership staffer. "Rick did the honorable thing, and we all admire him for it, but Lott should have been a big enough man to let a man who was loyal to him keep a committee he had earned."
If conservatives aren't outraged by Lott's ham-handed land grab, says another Republican leadership staffer, they should be alarmed that Lott now controls a potentially critical committee.
"When Rick was in charge of Rules, they were taking a hard line with Democrats, refusing to give them an equitable share of staffing levels, budgets, and the like," says the Senate aide. "I mean we were really acting like a majority party and not giving the Democrats a single thing. We were going to have an advantage."
Democrats had already gone moaning to the press, complaining that Republicans were acting unfairly, but Santorum had held fast. According to several leadership staffers, however, once Lott got deeper into his controversy, and it appeared he was in danger of losing his job, he attempted to give the Democrats everything they wanted out of the Rules Committee and more, even though some Republicans Senators and staffers asked him not to.
"He was so scared about losing his job he was willing to sell us down the river for a bunch of jobs, desks and computers," says a Budget Committee staffer. "It was embarrassing."
Now Lott controls the Rules Committee, and Republicans are concerned that Lott will simply cave once again. "This may be the first real challenge Majority Leader [Bill] Frist faces," says the Budget staffer. "If Frist knew what was best for the caucus, he'd tell Lott to step back and let Santorum back in."
Those who fail to remember history are resigned to repeat it.
And Frist better give Lott his marching orders running that committee and play hardball like Santorum did. And Lott better go along, or know that the caucus will take action. Everyone needs to know there is new leadership in place, and that they won't countenance weakness or disloyalty.
Hey, its the way the Rats played it when they ran the place. I don't think they have any moral standing to complain. This is politics, and when you're in the majority you run the place your way, and the minority has to get along as best it can. We'e played the go-along-to-get-along game too long with these Rats, and whenever we do they stab us in the back. I say to hell with that noise...
From what I have seen this past week (well, actually longer) the Rats are no longer stabbing us in the back...they've become "Chucky" dolls and like "Psyco" in the shower...they're just stabbing every-which-away. The liberal Dems have declared all-out-war right out in the open, so there can be no more "go-along-to-get-along"...they won't allow it. They will bite off an offered hand or spit right square in a conciliatory face.
Hey, the liberals have come right out and declared: "No More Misters Nice Guys", so it now seems obvious that there is a "you're either with us or against us" policy with them.
I'm glad we're against them and when our policies work and their's don't, guess who will be looking for work in 2004?
As for Senator Santorum, he is a total class act and PA would do well to find another just like him to replace that RINO Arlen Specter. What a beautiful fantasy: two Senators like Rick Santorum in PA and no more Specter....ah, I need to wake up now...
Ahhhh--that would be sooo nice -- Spector irritates me no end -- every time I hear that 3 or 4 republicans have voted differently than the rest, I just KNOW that ol' Arlen is gonna be on that short list -- grrrr !
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