If you haven't noticed, the Republican Party is in disarray. They've had trouble generating a cogent message for American voters and now many of them are jumping ship.
First came Sarah Palin and her decision to step down from the governorship of Alaska. Next came Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas who, at least, has a somewhat bona fide reason: to challenge incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in next year's primary. Today Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida announced that he too will step down before the end of his first term.
While I have no love for Republicans and the conservative agenda, this spate of resignations is troubling. It's like, now that the GOP is no longer the major power broker across the nation, many Republicans have decided to take their ball and go home! It's tantamount to adopting the attitude that "If I can't control things the way I want them, then I don't want to play at all".
The resignations of the two Republican senators must be particularly galling to their supporters. People invested a great amount of their time and money to get these individuals elected and neither is going to see things through.
It also spreads a very negative message throughout our society. It sets the example that the only thing in life that matters is winning. When you win, then you get to call the shots and lord your power over others. However, when you come out on the short end of the stick, then all bets are off. You don't have to shoulder any responsibility for upholding any commitments you may have made. If the temperature gets too hot in the kitchen, you can simply throw in the towel and walk away.
For a political party that stands on the mantra of family values, these resignations give such a stance a black eye. How does it promote such values if, at the first sign of trouble, you skedaddle out of town?
First came Sarah Palin and her decision to step down from the governorship of Alaska. Next came Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas who, at least, has a somewhat bona fide reason: to challenge incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in next year's primary. Today Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida announced that he too will step down before the end of his first term.
While I have no love for Republicans and the conservative agenda, this spate of resignations is troubling. It's like, now that the GOP is no longer the major power broker across the nation, many Republicans have decided to take their ball and go home! It's tantamount to adopting the attitude that "If I can't control things the way I want them, then I don't want to play at all".
The resignations of the two Republican senators must be particularly galling to their supporters. People invested a great amount of their time and money to get these individuals elected and neither is going to see things through.
It also spreads a very negative message throughout our society. It sets the example that the only thing in life that matters is winning. When you win, then you get to call the shots and lord your power over others. However, when you come out on the short end of the stick, then all bets are off. You don't have to shoulder any responsibility for upholding any commitments you may have made. If the temperature gets too hot in the kitchen, you can simply throw in the towel and walk away.
For a political party that stands on the mantra of family values, these resignations give such a stance a black eye. How does it promote such values if, at the first sign of trouble, you skedaddle out of town?
I am sorry that I am not capable of commenting on this entree since I live outside US.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for listing my site in your very interesting blog.
It is a pity that I am leaving for Japan and temporarily abandon my blog for three months.
I will re-visit your blog when I am back.
Nice to meet you, really.
Naoto Matsumoto