P.S. Glad to see a response from someone who's interested in the subject, which is CRITICALLY important. Squabbling about whether this is a vanity thread is pointless. Just giving Illbay a little bit of what he's been dishing out lately.
Lott IS going to be the Majority Leader. What are WE going to do to push him into the correct positions and actions?
I think there's a really long string now that's attached from 1600 Pennsylania Ave to Lott. He is Majority Leader again solely because of Bush. There was a good analysis on the radio yesterday. Dems (and some Pubbies) were not afraid of Bush before this election, because he barely became president. They are scared of him now, because he has shown he can help you or hurt you. Bush is in the driver's seat now, and I think both the Dems and the GOP Senate members are willing to let him drive the process and take either the credit or the blame for the next two years.
So what should we do about Lott? I think we don't do much of anything for now, other than to send e-mails to his office encouraging him NOT to cave to the Dems - if this was reversed, Daschle would be cutting Lott off at the knees. I think a Freep would be counterproductive, and against Reagan's 11th Commandment.
As an aside, what does it tell you about the current makeup of the Senate that no one in the GOP is willing to challege Lott? Lott may be spineless, but he's probably partially that way because so many of his GOP cohorts are more weak-kneed than he is.
"I think there's a really long string now that's attached from 1600 Pennsylania Ave to Lott. He is Majority Leader again solely because of Bush. There was a good analysis on the radio yesterday. Dems (and some Pubbies) were not afraid of Bush before this election, because he barely became president. They are scared of him now, because he has shown he can help you or hurt you. Bush is in the driver's seat now, and I think both the Dems and the GOP Senate members are willing to let him drive the process and take either the credit or the blame for the next two years."
Yep... Lott is by nature spineless, and has made a career of leading the even more spineless. But people like him tend to fall into line once they find out that you hold the power to either protect them or destroy them. Bush will not push for his replacement unless he his 'not helpful'.
In the first two years Lott was not willing to risk anything for Bush since he plans still be in Washington long after Bush is gone. By now I think it is abundantly clear to Lott that his political future is now hitched to Bush's star and he had better get onboard.
Now that Bush has shown he has real power, he will have a lot more leverage with all of his own party. The best way to keep Lott and the others in line and moving is to make sure they know just how much support there is for the President.