Bait and Switch Politics

[Eagler]

How can an elected official elected while running under one party (and funded by), switch parties once he has been elected or drop out and become an independent? Speaking about Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont. Seems like the old bait and switch to me. Seems party switching should be permitted during campaigning/elections to be fair to the voting public.

Major blow to the conservative mindset in the Capital as the Republicans will lose control of the Senate, huge step backwards IMO.

Eagler

[Ripsnort]

I wonder how the Repub voters that changed their votes in the state of WA for Slade Gordon (who lost by 2200 votes) are feeling these days?  They changed their vote due to a couple issues that Gordon voted against in the senate.

Also, there was a NM senator(Congressman?) who was indian, who changed from Dem to Repub back in Clintons reign, wonder if this is payback time for the Dems?  

[Dinger]

Ok folks, here's how it works:
politician plays the role of "moderate Republican".  The Bush presidency -- sorry folks -- is not moderate.  HAving a closed-door meeting to discuss the upcoming energy policy with representatives of oil companies, and no other groups (I mean, come on, there are some rubber-stamp environmental groups you could invite just to appear moderate) present is pretty severe.
Jeffords' role in the tax cut discussions has not gone unnoticed, and, until he let this news surface, there was talk of retribrution among Republicans.  If he goes to the Democratic party, he won't have to change his political views much (guys: coke and pepsi), and he'll be handsomely rewarded for his defection.  His constituency will be very happy with the switch: he'll chair the Environment and Public Works committee (Public Works?! does anything say _pork barrel_ like Public Works?);
If he goes to the Democratic party, the Republicans already have a Democratic defector in mind (Zell Miller), so don't expect a revolution, just politics as usual.

[jihad]

so don't expect a revolution, just politics as usual.

That sums it up nicely.

Republican or Democrat doesn't matter - those are only labels.

Both are only interested in maintaining the status quo - mainly lining their own pockets along with their corporate sponors and to hell with the American public.

Politicians are just like attorneys - parasites feeding off others hard work.

[Fatty]

Well, he would likely have been elected regardless if he had switched to Ind. or Dem prior to the election.  The problem is with an even Senate even outside of politics you're going to have a bunch of wasted time doing all over again the committee seatings that were done several months ago.

In the big picture though, I think all of us outside of Vermont don't have a whole lot to say about it.  It upsets (or elates) us and we'll have our opinions on it, but ultimately it's up to Vermont voters to decide if they're sufficiently upset about the swap to unseat him next election, or happy enough with the swap to elect him by an even greater margin (I think he was like 3:1 leader in last election?  Hardly a party line split).

It bothers me some that he would decide so soon after his election that oops he's in the wrong party, but not enough to be calling for his head.  As far as either party's money being squandered, nothing could elate me more.  Ideally they'd decide it wasn't worth it and stop funding local elections from the national level.

[Karnak]

Its hardly the first time its happened.  Last time it was a Dem that went Repub in 1995.

Next time, who knows.

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[Sandman_SBM]

Vermont? Hell, we have larger COUNTIES in California than the state of Vermont...

How much pork can there be?

[miko2d]

 

Originally posted by Dinger:
HAving a closed-door meeting to discuss the upcoming energy policy with representatives of oil companies, and no other groups (I mean, come on, there are some rubber-stamp environmental groups you could invite just to appear moderate) present is pretty severe.

 What's the big deal, the country needs more oil, so he is discussing with the people that make oil how to help them make more oil. The public is voting for it - every extra barell of oil/gas/disel produced will be bought.

 I am pro-Bush and pro-oil but my 5-year old Honda Civic gives me 32 miles per gallon and my thermostat was set to 60 degrees all the winter, so my actions are anti-oil.
 I wonder what cars you guys are driving? How many of you bleeding-heart democrats and environmentalists are driving SUV that never leave the road?

 miko

[Yoj]

Some of the problem here is that the parties are split Republican/Democrat but the ideologies split Conservative/Liberal, and they don't match up.  There would be fewer of these switches in sides if the parties were organised along ideological lines (as in Canada and England).  As it is, there are some Republicans who are to the left of some Democrats, and the voting public often looks less at ideology than at the party name ("my Grand-dad and my dad were (fill in the blank) and that's good enough for me").

- Yoj

[Eagler]

 

Originally posted by Yoj:
Some of the problem here is that the parties are split Republican/Democrat but the ideologies split Conservative/Liberal, and they don't match up.  There would be fewer of these switches in sides if the parties were organised along ideological lines (as in Canada and England).  As it is, there are some Republicans who are to the left of some Democrats, and the voting public often looks less at ideology than at the party name ("my Grand-dad and my dad were (fill in the blank) and that's good enough for me").

- Yoj

It's becoming more separate by ideologies everyday/election. Yep you can't say my granddad was a demo so I'll be one as the Dem's of old or not the dems of today.

Eagler



[This message has been edited by Eagler (edited 05-24-2001).]

[DocFalconer1]

So what difference does it make??!! The tax cut still would have passed by roughly 10 votes...so what!

[Eagler]

 

Originally posted by DocFalconer1:
So what difference does it make??!! The tax cut still would have passed by roughly 10 votes...so what!

Huge difference. The democrats are now in control of the judicial committee, and the other committees, which will now butt heads with GW's conservative choices of the next Supreme Court Justices. It will also have a negative effect on wallstreet as historically with a Republican pres and a dem controlled senate, the market suffers.

hope I'm wrong but don't think so

Eagler
 


[This message has been edited by Eagler (edited 05-24-2001).]

[StSanta]

This is an interesting development  

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