Courting Snowe
While the passage of a healthcare reform bill through Max Baucus' Senate Finance Committee is the big news today, the even bigger news is that Republican Senator Olympia Snowe voted for it, the only Republican so far to cross the aisle in support of Democratic efforts to pass a bill this year. While Snowe warned today that just because she's voting "yea" today, she might not do so on the final bill, depending on what it looks like. While this may not even matter in terms of getting a bill through, Snowe will now be known as Senator Bipartisan, since with her vote the claim can be made that it is "bipartisan legislation," but if Democrats lose her they won't be able to make this claim. But while courting Snowe for her vote on the Senate floor is the only way to accomplish this, Democrats should also consider courting Snowe on an even more important front: switching parties.
Republican reaction to Snowe's vote is going to be nasty. They don't take kindly to folks crossing the aisle over in Republicanland. No, indeedy. Rumors are already circulating that a movement is afoot to deny Snowe a powerful committee leadership position she would otherwise be entitled to on seniority grounds. Kay Bailey Hutchison is stepping down from being the senior Republican senator on the Senate Commerce Committee, and Snowe is next in line for the job. If the Republicans ever wound up taking control of the Senate again, Snowe would become chairman of the committee. But some Republicans are already considering denying her the spot, to punish her for her healthcare vote today.
Now, to be fair, this isn't likely to actually happen. Senate Republicans may make some noise about it, but Republicans virtually always follow seniority rules in these matters. Democrats hew to these rules as well, for the most part. Over in the House, other considerations sometimes come into play (where the Speaker has much more of a say in the process), but in the Senate seniority reigns supreme. Especially in the Republican Party.
Plus, even if Republicans were so inclined, the next person in the seniority line for the post is flawed and damaged goods right now -- John Ensign, who is currently in the midst of a sex scandal. Which would make it even less likely that Snowe will be passed over.
But whether Senate Republicans boot her or just threaten to do so, you can bet that rank-and-file GOP voters all over the country are going to demonize Snowe. Of course, Snowe may not care much. She is wildly popular in Maine, and has absolutely no fears of some ultra-conservative Republican primary challenger unseating her in 2012. She's a shoo-in for re-election, in other words.
But she would also be a shoo-in as a Democrat. Mainers vote for her, not her party. And they would likely do so even if she decided to switch parties. Well, realistically, she would probably change to "Independent" instead of jumping both feet into the Democratic Party. But if she announced she was caucusing with the Democrats, that would be enough to give them a 61-vote majority. Going on the theory that more is better, this would be a good thing for the Democrats and a giant black eye to Republicans (remember Arlen Specter's switch?).
Now, I realize that this is not exactly a likely scenario. It's admittedly a long shot, at best. It probably won't happen. But if Democrats see Snowe being attacked from within the Republican Party as some sort of traitor, they should drop by her office to commiserate. And to let her know, of course, that if she gets tired of the abuse flying from the more radical parts of her party (which includes just about every Republican not named "Olympia Snowe") and tired of being a Republican punching bag, that she would be more than welcome over on the other side of the aisle.
Who knows? It's worth a shot, at any rate.
-- Chris Weigant
But if Democrats see Snowe being attacked from within the Republican Party as some sort of traitor, they should drop by her office to commiserate. And to let her know, of course, that if she gets tired of the abuse flying from the more radical parts of her party (which includes just about every Republican not named "Olympia Snowe") and tired of being a Republican punching bag, that she would be more than welcome over on the other side of the aisle.
Two words....
Joe Lieberman :D
Michale.....
Whew! Now that the Senate Finance Committee is finally DONE, we can start working on the other ten dimensions of this chess game...
Chris,
I think Biden may already be on it! Heh heh
Chris,
Sorry to use your site as a post office, but I have a question for Matt (still can't figure out how to leave comments on your site).
Matt, re. your Limbaugh-Hindenburg joke, where did you pick that up? I heard it about a decade ago in a Doonesbury strip; I was just curious if you'd heard it from another source.
Thanks, Kevin.
Kevin -
That's OK, no problem. I'm still wondering when someone's going to realize Doonesbury was the first to make fun of the "czar" title in DC. Way back in the 1970s, with the "energy czar"...
-CW
Chris,
Don't get me started on the Doonesbury "firsts". I've got every book Trudeau has ever released, and confess to being heavily influenced by him..and Hunter S. Thompson of course.
Kevin
Kevin -
I've got two cut-from-the-newspaper Doonesburys on my fridge: the one where BD finally took off his helmet (and incidentally, lost part of his leg), and the one where HST died.
"It's like some nasty karmic shift."
-Uncle Duke
-CW
Chris,
You've got me thinking...which strips would I "desert isle" like put on my fridge in a pinch. It's tough. The series that truly hooked me was the adventures of BD and Phred in Vietnam. Off the top of my head, the Duke as governor(?) of Samoa with his long suffering aide MacArthur story was hilarious ("I'm a reasonable man,Mac, so I know this isn't snow"..."Pay it no mind, sir, it never sticks.")
The two you've cut out are also standouts.
Kevin.
OK, I better never, EVER, get my wee-wee whacked for going off on a tangent by ANYONE!! :D
Michale.....
Hush, Michale. It's like science fiction -- you're either into it, or you're not.
Kevin -
A relative of mine had in his dorm room one of the funniest ever, for anyone who's written a college paper. Very early - Zonker typing. The punchline is: "What class is this paper for?" "I dunno, I haven't decided yet."
Yeah, I liked Duke with the Washington Redskins, too. Also the one of Rick Redfern, where he is asked "what is the Post up to these days, after overthrowing the government?" to which Redfern replies "I dunno... sports, I think."
There's a million of 'em, when you start to think about them! All the early Boopsies, for instance...
-CW
Hush, Michale. It's like science fiction — you're either into it, or you're not.
hehehehehehehe Touche'
Michale.....
Chris,
OK, one last classic...BD's father is sitting in front of the TV with a beer in his hand. His wife is freaking out about him being unemployed, the bills, etc., and what is he going to do? The father smiles and thinks "fortunately I'm too drunk to answer that question". That was one of my favorite lines at university for years. Michale, as a beer lover surely you can appreciate that one!
I beg to differ about the really early Boopsie strips where she was a giggling, clueless cheerleader stereotype, but I've warmed to her as she evolved towards her current persona.
Kevin
*eyes snap open*
did somebody say beer?
Kevinem2,
You had me at "beer"..... :D
Michale.....
Kevin -
Or Duke, on his boat, which is sinking underneath him, saying almost exactly the same line: "It's a good thing I'm stoned."
Boopsie was such a caricature at the beginning, she was funny! "Ooo, that sounds sexy, what do I have to do to be 'exploited'?!?"
I didn't much care for her "channeling" years, although as a suburban mom she is much more sympathetic a character.
You're right though, the Phred ones in Vietnam were hilarious. I especially remember two, after BD is rescued by a Sgt -- where both BD and Phred are drunk after they saved themselves by finding a cache of Schlitz. "I'm sorry, but I have an overwhelming urge to shoot him" the Sgt says, to which Phred bursts into tears.
The most memorable one, to me, began "they say it was a nice day in Ohio," after the report came in on the Kent State killings ("have a nice day...").
Like I said, there's millions to choose from...
:-)
-CW