We Still Love You Jeff
When the Democrats lost control of Congress in such dramatic fashion in 1992, many thought it would be a wake-up call for the party, forcing it to check some of its premises. In fact, the Democrats never really changed much after 1992 and really have only recovered power because the Republicans have done such a fine job of blowing their own foot off.
Likewise, the Republicans after losing power in 2006 are showing absolutely no hints of dealing with the issues that got them tossed out of office. In fact, they seem hell-bent on purging their brightest reformers, announcing recently that Jeff Flake will be stripped of his judiciary committee post. Sorry Jeff, but you are still Coyote Blog's favorite Congressman. Why? Here is a sample:
Reason: What policies could a GOP-run Congress enact that would appeal to libertarians?
Flake: At this late date? Adjournment.
You gotta love the reliably liberal Tucson Citizen, which bends over backwards to (almost) blame Flake for his own dismissal because, well, because his uncle Jake*, a prominent state politician, once did the same thing to someone else. Think about all your uncles and aunts -- would you want to be held accountable for all their actions?
*For an Arizonan, the elder Flake is best known as "Jake Flake from Snowflake" if you can believe it.
Dan:
For the record, the elder Flake's sonorous name is no coincidence. Snowflake, AZ is named after the Flake and Snow families that originally settled it. I suppose the town might just as easily have been called 'Flakesnow.'
January 15, 2007, 9:20 amRay G:
Jeff Flake is, or should be, the future of the Republican party. I've been fortunate enough to run into him a few times outside of poltical circles, and he's a very nice guy to boot.
Fortunately, everyone in his district loves him so he's safe for now. I've since moved to the West valley, but the in-laws live over there still, and I don't think there's any great demographi shifts coming soon.
January 15, 2007, 9:16 pm