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Potomac Crossings --By George Mason
The Honeymoon Is Over
Gore Concedes. In a gracious seven-minute speech presidential candidate Albert Gore sought to elevate the political discourse and depart on a higher plane that the one he has been pursuing for the past 36 days. His immediate fate is to endure moments of martyrdom created by the radical left. When he is no longer useful, Gore will slip into the twilight zone where Dukakis and Mondale dwell, a man who turned peace, prosperity and a 65 percent presidential job approval rating into a loss at the polls followed by a defeated attempt at a judicial coup. Gore’s remaining trophy – winning the popular vote – will become increasingly tarnished as he fades from public interest. It is, after all, rather like the Superbowl coach who loses the game 7-6 but spends the next year saying that his team ran up more yardage - true but irrelevant.
Bush Accepts. Speaking in the familiar setting of the Texas House of Representatives introduced by a leading Texas Democrat and quoting the founding father of the Democrat party, Thomas Jefferson, George W. Bush wrapped his presidential mandate in rhetoric that called for "common ground, common sense, common courtesy and common goals." Traveling to Washington as president-elect, Bush is expected to start naming his Cabinet and energize his time-handicapped transition team.
Exactly what did the U.S. Supreme Court Rule? It ruled 7-2 that the scheme approved by the Florida Supreme Court 4-3 with Chief Justice Charles Wells dissenting, violated the U.S. Constitution by permitting the recount of only some ballots, in largely Democrat-dominated precincts by mainly Democrat vote counters under standards of their own devising made up after the election and must be stopped. It ruled 5-4 that time was up. It left to the state court the option of invalidating the safe harbor provision of the U.S. Code in order to devise a fair standard and complete a fresh recount before the Constitutionally mandated deadline of December 18th. Since the Gore campaign’s hope for victory rested in a court-sanctioned recount only in the most Democrat counties supervised by Democrat-dominated canvassing boards subject to no descernible common standards, Gore declined to go further.
What happens in the Senate? The Senate is a 50-50 tie with Vice President Cheney available to break a tie. The situation is really not drastically different than a small Republican majority of a handful of votes. The power in the Senate rests with any individual member who can declare a filibuster without having to actually create one by speaking endlessly. It takes 60 votes to stop a filibuster. Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) has graciously offered to give his services as co-president of the United States but so far his generous offer has not been accepted. If his advances are spurned, Daschle has promised to bottle up appointments and legislation. The compromise organization that both sides finally accept will likely call for co-equal staff budgets, a voice in scheduling Senate business, nearly equal committee assignments but a tie-breaking vote for the Chair. Two senior Republican Senators have shaky health and are from states with Democrat Governors. The Senate could be dominated by Democrats at a moment’s notice. Some 26 Senators from both sides of the aisle have formed a centrist caucus to enhance the power of their votes.
What happens in the House? Under House rules, the majority dominates procedure regardless of how slim the margin. No significant legislation will pass that cannot attract 10-15 percent Democrat votes. Since the extremes will never agree on anything, power resides in the middle. Policy will be made by the center-right. The Old Guard Liberals who expected to gain Committee Chairs with a Democrat victory have been denied. Reapportionment looms. The best way for ambitious state politicians to get to the House is through contesting newly created open seats. That is an unattractive prospect for senior Representatives and retirements are expected to accelerate. Many have already sacrificed their own interests to Dick Gephardt’s unholy ambition to be Speaker and may not do so again.
Where Stands Bi-Partisanship? If President Bush is to succeed he must do three things. First, he must talk Bi-partisan and centrist talk. Second, he must go over the heads of the Democrat leadership to the people and beat them on some issues. Conservative results are needed to hold his base. Third, he must co-op some Democrat issues and pass Republican versions with Democrat help. Unlike his father, George W. must create respect. In Washington terms, "respect" means the same thing it does in the Mafia. It means "fear that someone can hurt you." For the Democrats, the word "Bi-Partisan" means getting Republicans to pass Democrat agendas. It does not mean cooperating in passing Republican agendas. At this point in history, the Left is Luddite and reactionary, fearful of losing their gains in an unfamiliar global economy. Gridlock suits its purposes, which is to block the advance of a conservative, pro-capitalist agenda at all costs.
LeftyThink and ClintonSpeak. It is imperative to understanding the day’s news that you understand how the Left thinks. LeftyThink begins with a single article of faith. As James Carville says, "We are Right and you are Wrong." There are only three explanations of why the Left has to experience opposition. One, their opponents are ignorant. That is to say, if they just had the same information the Left has, they would agree. This position allows opponents to "grow" and earn the respect of the Left by capitulation over time. Second, their opponents are stupid. If the opponent has been given the correct information and still doesn’t agree, they must be inadequate and unable to understand. Thus, people the Left doesn’t want to meet populate "fly-over" country. For example, Home Schoolers. Finally, if the Left’s opposition comes from people who are neither ignorant nor stupid, Bill Bennett comes to mind, then the opponent must be evil. If they are evil, then combating them is so important that the ends justify the means. As we have just seen in Florida, rules don’t count. The clever addition of ClintonSpeak is the permanent politics of personal destruction whereby anyone thinking of opposing you will know with a certainty that they will be personally attacked. There is one final tactical nuance. If you first accuse your opponent of the tactic you next intend to use yourself, you will inoculate yourself against criticism. Thus, if you plan to use the judicial activism of the Florida Supreme Court, first accuse your opponent of judicial activism in the federal court.
P.S. Hillary Clinton has asked her publisher to pay her a seven million dollar advance on her memoirs before the end of the year so that she will receive the money before she is subject to the rules of the Senate.
George Mason, 1725-92, was known as the Sage of Gunston Hall.
His Virginia declaration of rights, written in 1776, was the model for the first section of the Declaration of
Independence. A friend of Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, Mason was an original drafter of the Constitution
and the first ten amendments to the Bill of Rights. He refused, however, to sign the final version of the Constitution
because he thought it did too little for individuals and, without the Bill of Rights, gave too much power to the
government.This column honors his memory.
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