Say Anything Blog

Olympia Snowe wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times complaining about how certain elements in the GOP base who want Republicans to actually promote limited government drove Arlen Specter to the Democrats.  She compares the situation to the GOP voting “moderate” Republicans “off the island” a la Survivor:

It is true that being a Republican moderate sometimes feels like being a cast member of “Survivor” — you are presented with multiple challenges, and you often get the distinct feeling that you’re no longer welcome in the tribe.

Snowe claims she wants Republicans to follow Ronald Reagan’s litmus test for being a Republican:

It is for this reason that we should heed the words of President Ronald Reagan, who urged, “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”

If this is really the litmus test Snowe wants to use for who does and does not get to be a Republican, then Specter failed it.  Specter voted for massive expansions in government spending that must inevitably lead to massive expansions in taxation.  He promoted anti-growth policies that heap the overwhelming burden of government upon the most productive members of societies.

And, frankly, Snowe herself fails this litmus test as well for the same reasons Specter does.

What the people bemoaning Specter’s party switch seem to be forgetting is that it was disillusionment with Republicans that led Americans to vote Democrats into power over the last several years.  Democrats haven’t been winning elections.  Republicans have been losing them.  And for good reason.  Between the scandals (DeLay, Cunningham, Ney, Foley, etc.) and the abandonment of fiscal conservatism (Republicans cut taxes, which increased federal revenues under Bush, but they let spending grow faster than those revenues) conservatives were fed up with Republicans.

Specter was a prime example of the problem.  Now he’s gone.  Snowe is a prime example of the problem too, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her go now.

In baseball, when a team stops being successful they enter a “rebuilding” period.  That usually means dumping old veterans who aren’t producing any more and bringing in younger talent.  I think that’s what the GOP is doing right now.  I don’t like thinking of politics as a team sport, because really I don’t see myself as being on any team but my own (I’d gladly vote for a Democrat if they’d do what I want in office), but I think this analogy works.

Hopefully, the age of people like Snowe and Specter in the GOP is over.  Let the Democrats have them while Republicans focus on electing better candidates.