So rare to see wisdom from any elected people these days. He deserves recognition but knows he will only get disdain, from his own party leaders. Pretty Brave.
He also said, most solemnly and repeatedly, that he wouldn't support any bill that didn't have support from "his friends across the aisle." Then he voted--twice--for reconciliation passage of the Wuhan Virus "relief" bill, which had zero support from his friends across the aisle.
His word is worthless. We need to see his deeds. And we have.
I had both thoughts as I read about this. Good for him. Let's see if he follows through this time. There was speculation that he would switch parties in January because of the dynamic Christopher mentioned. The thought was he would never be able to negotiate a better deal with the Republicans. Now we can only wonder if the Republican base would have been forgiving of times he stuck it to use, grateful that at least he wasn't a Democrat, or would quickly turn on him as a RINO and opportunist. He is liberal populist, as Trump was conservative populist, and that's one more ball to keep juggling in the air.
He was a governor, after all, and those are seldom pure ideologues but can be good balancers. Governing is not the same as advocating, nor should it be. Governors realise "I have to work with these guys tomorrow. What can I give them that doesn't cost that much?" Cost being defined as some mashup of financially, morally, ideologically, politically, culturally. Not easy.
I 2/3 agree with his instincts, and I can be dragged a long way with that, through territory I don't much like. But that 1/3 I don't much like is that he isn't intellectually thoughtful. I think he is too calculating. He may be staking out a position against the other Democrats now in order to drive up the price of what will change him. My first hope is that is not true, but may fallback hope is that the price is something I can shrug off, secretly congratulating the clever bastard for a good deal for all of us. My fear is that his price is purely political in order to falsely impress the less-alert voters of WV.
He is up for re-election in 2022. If re-elected he remains a valuable Senate vote for both sides, regardless of whether the overall is a landslide either way. He is a good enough politician to know that most WV voters of 2028 will only vaguely, inaccurately, and with fluctuating sentiment remember what he did in 2021.
5 comments:
So rare to see wisdom from any elected people these days. He deserves recognition but knows he will only get disdain, from his own party leaders. Pretty Brave.
In 2010, all but one of the state-wide elective offices in West Virginia were occupied by Democrats.
In 2020, all but one of the state-wide elective offices in West Virginia are held by Republicans.
He hasn't done it yet.
He also said, most solemnly and repeatedly, that he wouldn't support any bill that didn't have support from "his friends across the aisle." Then he voted--twice--for reconciliation passage of the Wuhan Virus "relief" bill, which had zero support from his friends across the aisle.
His word is worthless. We need to see his deeds. And we have.
Eric Hines
Facta non verba, but even wise words aren't that common these days (and are at least a good start).
In any case, prudence from elected officials is very much in short supply. It's good to see. I hope he sticks through.
I had both thoughts as I read about this. Good for him. Let's see if he follows through this time. There was speculation that he would switch parties in January because of the dynamic Christopher mentioned. The thought was he would never be able to negotiate a better deal with the Republicans. Now we can only wonder if the Republican base would have been forgiving of times he stuck it to use, grateful that at least he wasn't a Democrat, or would quickly turn on him as a RINO and opportunist. He is liberal populist, as Trump was conservative populist, and that's one more ball to keep juggling in the air.
He was a governor, after all, and those are seldom pure ideologues but can be good balancers. Governing is not the same as advocating, nor should it be. Governors realise "I have to work with these guys tomorrow. What can I give them that doesn't cost that much?" Cost being defined as some mashup of financially, morally, ideologically, politically, culturally. Not easy.
I 2/3 agree with his instincts, and I can be dragged a long way with that, through territory I don't much like. But that 1/3 I don't much like is that he isn't intellectually thoughtful. I think he is too calculating. He may be staking out a position against the other Democrats now in order to drive up the price of what will change him. My first hope is that is not true, but may fallback hope is that the price is something I can shrug off, secretly congratulating the clever bastard for a good deal for all of us. My fear is that his price is purely political in order to falsely impress the less-alert voters of WV.
He is up for re-election in 2022. If re-elected he remains a valuable Senate vote for both sides, regardless of whether the overall is a landslide either way. He is a good enough politician to know that most WV voters of 2028 will only vaguely, inaccurately, and with fluctuating sentiment remember what he did in 2021.
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