| A little integrity in politics for a change |
 A little integrity in politics for a change | Sep. 14th, 2006 @ 12:18 pm  |
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I really don't have a problem with Senator Lincoln Chafee winning the Republican primary in Rhode Island this week. Yes, yes, I know that Bush & the Republican party wanted him to win as he is the only that stood a chance against former State Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse. In spite of this and the fact that now the Democrats may not win that particular seat in the Senate, the way I see it if a Republican is going to win a seat then I want that Senator to be as far from Bush and the right-wing agenda as possible. Senator Chafee's voting record clearly shows that he is.
I have a lot of respect for what Senator Chaffey said during his victory celebration, "Polarization, partisanship and strict party discipline must not prevail over the spirit of compromise that is so essential to our American democracy." We need a lot more of that in American politics these days. That's what it's supposed to be about, working together, compromising, and representing the will of the people not party agendas and political ideologies. We have strayed so far off course and clearly the GOP aims to keep it that way.
Bush and his supporters don't like the guy, of course, because he hasn't held up their {neo}conservative agendas, but I happen to think the senator may actually have some integrity. Not only do I agree with his stand on many issues — voting against the unilateral Iraq war, against appointing conservative Supreme Court Justice Alito, against Bush's tax cuts for the rich, against the discriminatory constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and not voting for Bush Jr. in the 2004 Presidential election — but I think he should be applauded for having convictions and doing his job. Apparently it hasn't occurred to the goose-stepping Republicans who expect compliance from their party members, but it seems quite obvious that Chafee voted as he did not only because he's a moderate Republican, but because he, as a duly elected representative, was upholding the values of his constituents who happen to be mostly moderate or even left-leaning. Voting their will and disregarding the wants of the national party is precisely what he is supposed to do!
Ah, but then what do national Republicans know about integrity anyway?
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