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Jewish World Review Sept 23, 2005 / 19 Elul, 5765 Campaign reform causes ‘normal’ politicians to go crazy By Tony Snow
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Harry Reid was a famously nice guy before he
became the Senate Democratic leader. Although reliably partisan, he built a
well-earned reputation for playing the role of nice guy, the man of genial
calm.
No more: The senator this week made official his descent into
the Moonbat Grotto by issuing a lame rebuke of John Roberts, the president's
choice to become the next chief justice of the Supreme Court.
Reid said he couldn't vote for Roberts because the nominee as a
young attorney once used the phrase "illegal amigos" in a memorandum
prepared for the Department of Justice. Reid considered this an insensitive
way of describing people who steal over our borders, often bearing drugs,
guns and contraband.
Note that Reid and his colleagues had access to 80,000 pages of
documents dating back to Roberts' first federal employment as a
twentysomething staff attorney at Justice, along with 50 or so opinions
written as a federal judge. Despite having access to the largest-ever trove
of nominee information, the "illegal amigo" quip was the worst Reid and his
phalanx of opposition researchers could find. This could make Roberts the
cleanest nominee in American history — but not good enough for the New
Harry.
Reid's performance raises an interesting and vital question:
What on earth would persuade a naturally nice man to behave in such an inane
manner — and why would a majority of Democrats join him in voting against
John Roberts, who may be the strongest high-court nominee in a century?
Here is the two-word answer: McCain-Feingold. The
McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform bill, designed grandly to "take
money out of politics," predictably produced the opposite effect. It sucked
in a flood of cash, gutted the major political parties and made poseurs more
unaccountable than ever before.
The old villain, "soft money," merely changed names under
McCain-Feingold. Lawyers now call it "527 money." Wealthy activists can
spend like crazy through 527s, but with one significant difference from the
old days: Before "reform," political parties could marginalize lunatics.
Now, plutocrats rule without restraint from political pros.
Democrats find themselves beholden to a batch of petulant
billionaires, led by George Soros, Peter Lewis and Steven Bing. That trio
alone contributed nearly $65 million to Democratic candidates and causes
during the 2004 election cycle.
All told, Democrats raised more than $318 million in 527 money
between 2002 and 2004, while Republicans lagged far behind at $206 million.
These figures don't include presidential expenditures, which
again show a huge advantage for the Plutocrat Party — $182 million for
Democrats; $64 million for Republicans.
Much of this cash went to such organizations as MoveOn.org, the
Joint Victory Campaign 2004, the Media Fund and the now-defunct America
Coming Together — all of which spent tens of millions of dollars on such
losing causes as John Kerry's candidacy, opposition to the Iraq war and
attempts to crush John Roberts' original nomination to the Supreme Court.
Their efforts failed because they offended people. As Americans
shelled out millions of dollars to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, for
instance, MoveOn broadcast ads that made George Bush the Satanic heavy for
bad weather and poorly constructed levees. The spots reflected George Soros'
apparent belief that his spite was more compelling than Katrina victims'
plight.
Similarly, the raging plutocrats are underwriting the likes of
Cindy Sheehan, who showed solidarity with hurricane victims by demanding the
removal of all federal troops from New Orleans, and Michael Moore, who plans
to produce a crockumentary on Hurricane Katrina.
Thus, the solution to our conundrum: Harry Reid has to act like
a nut in public because money talks. As Senate leader, Reid has to tilt at
every windmill, charge into every fusillade and dip his head into every
wood-chipper just to please his billionaire bosses.
He's not alone. While the Senate approved Justice Antonin Scalia
by a vote of 98-0 and Ruth Bader Ginsburg (with arguably the dottiest paper
record of any recent court nominee) sailed through by a 96-3 tally, Roberts
will be lucky to break 70 votes. Worse, Democrats have all but promised to
subject the president's next high-court nominee to an exuberant character
assassination, likely culminating in a filibuster.
This is what McCain-Feingold has wrought: Nasty commercials,
incoherent attack politics and ill will on Capitol Hill. The eccentric rich
call the shots. Mild-mannered politicians behave like Batman villains — and
none of it will improve until Congress finally declares that it's time to
un-reform the reform before someone really gets hurt.
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Comment on JWR contributor, and syndicated talk show host, Tony Snow's column by clicking here. © 2005, Creators Syndicate, Inc |
Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
