There are news reports that the Nebraska Democratic senator and former governor has finally caved on partisan pressure necessary to achieve the 60-vote threshold needed for Democrats to ensure they don't have to negotiate with Republicans on a legitimate, bipartisan basis. Nelson, a rare pro-life national Democrat, had been holding out to negotiate a compromise on taxpayer-funded/mandated abortions (as if the fees charged to kill an unborn child are a legitimate application of insurance in concept); he apparently won an agreement that states should be able to decide the abortion mandate, with at least one plan in each state not providing abortion coverage. (As a pro-life conservative, I say that's not good enough.)
I find it disturbing how a sham justification for health care reform to cover the uninsured and rein in costs (a Trojan horse for myopic progressive attempts to micromanage the health care sector) has evolved to the point we are discussing turf battles between state and national government on specific mandates beyond basic health care. As Tea Party participants have noted, this is not really about health care: it's about power.
Senator Lieberman: I Think the Liberals Doth Protest Too Much
I have an aunt (one of my mom's best friends) and uncle (my father's older brother by about 18 months) whom met at my folks' wedding. I hold great affection for them and my Connecticut cousins. But we've had a couple of minor annoyances in our relationship.
First, my uncle, for some reason, uses an anglicized version of our surname (probably an uncaught clerical error on his birth certificate):
When individuals came to the U.S., many names were anglicized. They were shortened. For example, Guillemette became Gilmet, Guilmette, etc.I was really quite insulted when one of my cousins misspelled my last name her way. Of course, many people can't figure out how to pronounce a Franco-American name (e.g., "gwill-ee-met-tee"). My dad had dealt with it all his life; when we would check in at a restaurant, Dad would simply write our name down as "Gill met". It's rare to hear someone guess right (most hesitantly start out, hoping I'll bail them out); that's why I was stunned when this black guy I met in passing pronounced it perfectly on first try. When I expressed surprise, he explained that he was from Louisiana (there are a lot of Cajuns, our cultural cousins, in Louisiana).
Second, my paternal relatives tend to be typical New England liberal Democrats and probably still remember the time I worked as a volunteer in the first Jimmy Carter campaign. (I even motivated my late grandmother to go vote; I pray she has forgiven me....) I figure that young people had the same right to make and learn from a stupid, embarrassing mistake in supporting Obama last fall as I had years earlier. My aunt and I don't really discuss politics, but she'll sometimes hint surprise at my evolved views. I sometimes like to tease her; I'm fairly certain she is not a Lieberman fan and the thought crossed my mind I might annoy her by choosing Lieberman as my 2009 Man of the Year. In fact, I do admire his independent streak, his political courage in backing John McCain last year, his principled support of the War on Terror, and his ability to stand up to the progressive groupthink and Harry Reid's back room sausage making. But no, not my Man of the Year Award (which, plus $5, will get you a cup of Starbucks coffee).
I don't think the Democrats have reason to complain. They denied their former Vice Presidential candidate his own renomination to the Senate 6 years later, to a one-issue (anti-Iraq liberation) candidate, largely funded from out-of-state supporters, and even after he won election as an independent and agreed to caucus with the Democrats, there were retaliatory attempts to strip him of more prestigious posts, and whatever power Lieberman exercises as an independent largely reflects the Democrats' deliberate attempt to avoid bipartisan compromise and pass a partisan bill, strictly based on their 60-seat caucus to defeat a filibuster.
But regardless of whatever amusement we conservatives may feel seeing Democrats' squabbling over the design of their legislative Titanic's, the fact is that Joe Lieberman is much more a progressive than a conservative, and he has consistently voted against conservative interests (including the infamous stimulus bill). Lieberman's lifetime voting record, according to the American Conservative Union, is 16% (meaning Lieberman only votes 1 time in 10 contrary to the typical liberal Democratic senator); in contrast, even the liberal Republican Maine senators score near 50%.
Jerk of the Week: The Dishonorable "Senator in Name Only" Al Franken
I still haven't forgotten the suspicious circumstances under which Al Franken "won" his Senate seat, reversing a few hundred vote election night lead by incumbent Norm Coleman. (Coleman simply got outlawyered and had to face a hostile partisan Secretary of State whom ignored the fact that counties used disparate standards in dealing with disputed ballots, which on its face is unconstitutional. The Minnesota Supreme Court did not argue that Franken won but that Coleman's attorneys failed to make their case. Not to mention the fact that the Coleman campaign would have been better served by insisting on no recount of illegal ballots, period.)
But I'm not writing this post to rehash the election story. Al Franken has, in fact, validated a variation of the Peter Principle--a mediocre comedian can rise through the ranks to become a national joke, a man lacking class, common sense and decency. What Al Franken did in cutting off Senator Lieberman in mid-sentence, refusing to let him finish is an unconscionable breach of protocol, worthy of Senate censure. Not allowing the senator a common courtesy using the sham defense of holding to the schedule was not only arbitrary and counterproductive (it's not exactly smart politics to alienate a swing voter on a key issue) but created an unnecessary, embarrassing kerfuffle that simply wasn't worth his time, effort, and professional reputation. The exchange and McCain's defense of his friend and colleague are included in this clip:
Political Cartoon
Well, personally, I take John Cole's chimney as a metaphor for Obama shoving this toxic waste down the nation's throat.
Christmas Music Interlude: Andy Williams' "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
I'm a huge fan of Andy Williams; one of the first albums I ever bought was an Andy Williams record. I faithfully watched his annual Christmas specials, and his then French-born wife, Claudine Longet, was one of my first crushes. His signature Christmas single perfectly captures the hustle and bustle of Christmas events and late holiday shopping in crowds...
