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Posted on 02/09/2004 1:50:14 AM PST by Elle Bee
Edited on 04/23/2004 12:06:27 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
One way you can tell that Republicans have become the dominant political party in Washington is to watch them cash in.
Rep. Billy Tauzin of Louisiana has announced that next Monday he will step down as chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee. Observers expect he will soon leave Congress to become the chief lobbyist for the pharmaceutical industry at an annual salary that's rumored to approach $2.5 million, a record for a trade association head. Mr. Tauzin isn't doing anything illegal, but what's good for him isn't good for the country or for the Republican Party. Their voters are already showing signs of concern that congressional Republicans are taking on the bad habits of the Democrats they ousted from power in 1994.
(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...
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I'm of the opinion that one's core principles are unshakeable and therefore uncorruptible--unless the core principles are wobbly to start with . . . making the notion of "starting out fine" a dubious notion . . . Genuine leaders have genuine core principles.Harsher and harsher opinions of these men and women in Congress come easier and easier as I get older and older and, I might add, sadder and sadder.
With best wishes,
Penny
Word.
Does anyone else notice that Rep. Billy Tauzin is the sole poster boy for the thesis of this riff? Does anyone else remember how Mr. Tauzin came to be a member of the Republican congressional leadership?Hint: He was "Rep. Billy Tauzin" before he became a Republican. And he became a Republican after the Republicans won control of the House in 1994 . . .
Isn't this guy relatively new?
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There are just two majorities that elect politicians. The Democrats majority, when they can win it, extends from the left to just right of center. The Republican majority, when they can win it, extends from the right to just left of center.
The right and left are always screaming that their party's elected officials don't serve their base. NO one ever got elected by their base. They get elected by winning more than half of the voters. Than means getting the votes of more than half the center. Unless you are in a three man race. The Arnold Governator did something new when he took his half out of the center.
People in the center and they are 30 percent of all voters, vote for the candidate they like, and for the candidate who will do the most for them.
The problem for the right is that most of the people on the right haven't a clue about what it takes to win their agenda. The right think what motivates them, will motivate the center. If the center believed what the right believes they would all be on the right.
Go to any town that is the benificary of a pork project. If the local congressman gets federal funds to build the National Mumbly Peg hall of fame in the town, the radio stations, newspapers, service clubs and churches will praise that congressman for bringing jobs and busisness to that community. When he speaks at the local Rotary Club he will be introduced as the man who through great effort and selfless sacrefice got the Mumbly Peg Hall of Fame located in our fine town. It matters not if the congressman is Democrat or Repubublican when the people who have the power to make him unemployed want the Mumbly Peg Hall of Fame he will do all he can to get it for them... Plus the funds to repave the street it is located on and more funds for a parking lot to hold 55,000 cars. It is the way our government was designed to work.
So candidates are going to do what it takes to win the center and get every Mumbly Peg Hall of Fame they can get.
If you want to control government spending first convince a solid marjority (that includes the center) that limited spending is good. Secondly sit back and watch government spending shrink.
If you want something done you have to get the approval of those running the joint....be it General motors or the United States of America. IT is real simple. If the customers want it.. GM will do it to sell cars. THE USA is run by its voters and if voters want it politicians will do it to get votes.
Until those on the right understand who is boss,and who really calls the shots, the right will only suffer massive defeat of its agenda.
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