Harry can’t seem to catch a break. Under fire from members of his own party for pandering to the right on the Iraq war, tax cuts and the Bush Administration’s illegal wiretapping of Americans, Harry’s now catching hell from those same Republicans he’s trying to court over an overtime switch of his vote on a farm subsidy bill amendment that was punitive toward undocumented immigrants.
Poor Harry. This is what comes of not being sure what team you really want to play for; both sides end up despising you. And there is no worse position for a politician to be in that to forget who his base is. Just ask Joe Lieberman. Bush, for all his faults, knows what side his bread is buttered on, and so remains politically viable (though mainly due to the lack of sturdy Democratic spines) even though everybody outside his base is spitting on his shadow.
Harry switched his vote from Yea to Nay in order to kill the amendment and the GOP caucus exploded. Say what you want about the GOP, they know how to be a minority: cantankerous, obstreperous, obstructionist, annoying, sanctimonious, with the long-term memory of a gnat and the capacity for shame of a two-dollar Patpong whore. It wasn’t too long ago that they were holding floor votes open for hours and bribing and threatening folks on the floor, yet here they are chanting "Shame!" because a few guys change their vote, which is their perfect right, a few seconds outside the alloted 15 minute vote window. That’s nerve.
The topper is John Shadegg’s reaction. If you understand the context of the absolute power-mad depravity and disrespect of the GOP majority for the rules and traditions, not to mention the minority members, of Congress, his comment is absolutely stunning. His words are 24-karat gold plated bullshit, but they are delivered as if butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth:
"I have been here almost 13 years and I thought I had seen it all, but
tonight’s display of corrupt, raw, partisan political power was
stunning. I honestly didn’t think this could happen in America. This is
a sad day for the U.S. House and a tragic day for our nation.”
Wow. Thirteen years, most of under a GOP majority who traduced American political traditions more times that I can count to get their way, and Shadegg was stunned by a few guys changing their votes? Really? Really!?
Here’s the reaction on the floor (God, I am filled with admiration for these guys who are willing to break into a yuppie riot at the drop of a hat by their caucus leaders. If only we Democrats could have such discipline):
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