I don't care if you're a snapping turtle, don't be holding your breath on that.
These nincompoops rationalize their immoral votes to salve their conscience. Here are a few options they use every time the need to make a choice between caving and standing up for what is right:
1. Well, he would have been elected anyway.
2. Party unity.
3. If I don’t play along on this vote, others won’t play along on votes that are important to me.
4. I’ll trade this vote for something that is really important.
5. If I fight on this issue, I’ll look mean. I don’t want to look mean. I’m really a nice person.
6. I’ll get bad press if I vote conservative and then I won’t get re-elected. I need to get re-elected to keep a liberal from getting my seat.
7. If I go along, I’ll be one of the “in” group, so later I can retire and become a lobbyist where I can really help the American people.
8. I need to vote this way in order to work my way up to a committee appointment where I can really help the American people.
9. Everyone else does it. If I vote with the minority, I’ll look like a kook, or an obstructionist.
10. I didn’t have time to study this issue, so I’ll just vote with the majority because I’m sure they all understand this and have the interests of America at heart.
11. I’m not even sure what yes or no means on this vote. Does yes mean “yes I’m for it” or does yes mean “yes, we should not do this?” I’ll just go with the majority to be safe. I don’t want to look stupid.
12. I don’t know what the implications of my vote are, but the tv talkers are all for it, so I probably should be, too.