Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) on the stimulus agreement….
"When I came back to the cloak room after coming to the agreement a week ago today," said Specter, "one of my colleagues said, 'Arlen, I'm proud of you.' My Republican colleague said, 'Arlen, I'm proud of you.' I said, 'Are you going to vote with me?' And he said, 'No, I might have a primary.' And I said, 'Well, you know very well I'm going to have a primary.'"
Why would a no-voting GOP senator be proud of Specter, who voted FOR Obama's stimulus package?
There are those cynical subjects out there who believe that the Republicans actually wanted Obama's stimulus bill to pass. Yeah, it's true. The theory goes like this: Republicans, fearful that they may be challenged by an even more conservative opponent in a GOP primary in 2010 or 2012, can't take the chance of voting for Obama's plan if they expect to get re-elected. But these scaredy-cats wanted Obama's bill to pass because they actually do realize the seriousness of our economic situation.
How to have it both ways?
Designate the few northern Republican senators (Snowe, Collins, Specter) still left in the senate, to vote with the Democrats, guaranteeing passage of the stimulus, while the rest of the senators stand back and throw verbal rocks at the bill, the Democrats and Obama.
When the stimulus helps the nation, then, Republicans can point to how if it wasn't for the 3 GOP votes in the senate, the stimulus never would have happened. If, by chance, the stimulus falls flat, which is what GOP'ers are hoping for, Republicans can point and mock the Democrats and Obama saying, I told you so.
Heads they win, tails we lose.
It's indisputable, after W. and 6 years of majority GOP Congressional rule, that Republicans can't govern. And, after all, their Father, Ronnie Reagan, handed down the stone tablets inscribed with "Guv'mint is the problem" on them,……so it's completely understandable why, when given the opportunity, they failed so miserably at running that "guv'mint". Hell, how can you manage something that you think needs eliminated, all except for one Tax Cutting Office?
Whatever the case may be….a no-voting GOP senator said he was "proud" of Arlen Specter for working with, and then voting alongside, Democrats and the President, ensuring the passage of the stimulus.
So much political theater. The nation's economy, if you analyze the numbers, is teetering towards an irreparable disaster, and what the Republican political party spends their time and energy doing is political theater…..make believe…..perception.
While all this theater, this make believe, this phony facade, was being played out by GOP'ers…..the hopelessly compromised corporate media squawked endlessly about the Seriousness and Wisdom of Republican objections to an urgently needed stimulus bill…..a stimulus bill that these same GOP theater actors guaranteed passage of by appointing just enough GOP senators to break the 60-vote barrier…..senators they could later, and behind closed doors, be "proud" of.
