Sunday, March 6, 2011

So Short-Sighted

Imagine the following scenario: In 2016, a Tea Party-backed candidate is elected US President. Not only is the Executive Branch in the hands of the Tea Party, but both houses of Congress are in the firm control of conservatives too. The Congress passes and the President signs a piece of legislation that warms the cockles of their fervent supporters and Corporate America too.

Out west, in the State of Arizona, the tide has turned the other direction. Gone are the Republican majorities in both sides of the legislature and a liberal Democrat now occupies the governor's mansion. The liberals are none to happy about the recently enacted federal legislation, so they decide to "nullify" the law within the boundaries of their state.

What do you think Arizona Tea Party supporters will say? They will be fit and tied. They will jump up and down screaming about the nullification decision.

And who will truly be to blame for this situation? Themselves. Why? Because they passed the nullification law in the first place.

Actually, the nullification law cited above hasn't been signed into law in Arizona...yet. It passed the Republican-controlled Senate last week and now goes to the Republican-controlled House. It will be interesting to see if House members have more sense than their Senate counterparts.

Other than the fact this bill is unconstitutional, it is extremely short-sighted. It may serve Arizona conservatives in the short-term, but as noted above, the political pendulum tends to swing back and forth. So, by trying to gain a short-term remedy for a perceived problem, the Arizona GOP is creating a potential thorn in their own side in the years to come.

Not only is that stupid, but it could amount at some point to political suicide.

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