While scrounging around for links and news this morning, one of the items that popped up and caught my attention was a piece in the Boston Herald written by Kimberly Atkins titled, “C’mon Scott! Nobody likes a party pooper”. Atkins writes:
Scott Brown and the Republican Party need to make it official and just break up already. Watching Brown continue his awkward dance around his party’s positions is as uncomfortable as watching that convention kiss between Al and Tipper Gore.
Except we’re talking about Massachusetts. And Brown isn’t exactly an enigma. Atkins goes on:
Here’s the problem with Brown’s arms-length relationship with the GOP: As long as Brown has an R after his name — and accepts the funds and other support from the GOP party machine — he is a Republican. As such, not only does he have a responsibility to that party to support it, he also can’t run away from it any time it’s politically expedient for him to do so.
At the very least, he has a duty to help the party’s presidential candidate — who happens to be from Brown’s home state. When I asked about Brown’s support for Romney, spokesman Colin Reed told me: “It’s always a proud moment for Massachusetts when one of its own is nominated for president of the United States, whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican.”
So there you have it: Brown is about as excited for Romney as he was for John Kerry and Michael Dukakis. Now that’s support!
Wow. She tortured that out into a Kerry/Dukakis association. Nice.
Kimberly Atkins is right about one thing: Brown isn’t a lock-step Republican. But neither am I. And neither are a lot of other Republicans. The idea is that we have a two-party system and every one of us must analyze our own positions and those of the respective parties and make a choice, usually to support the platform that most accurately reflects our own views.
But Atkins applies a litmus test and because Brown is lacking, he should get out. That’s not just retarded, it’s deliberately stupid. And that attitude of required lock-step compliance with party planks is the reason we could lose. Americans don’t like that shit. Nobody tells us how to think or what to believe. And the very suggestion that party money accepted requires unquestioning fealty of an elected leader, a State Senator no less, really boils our collective blood.
I don’t give a damn if you agree with me on everything. I only want to know one thing: Will you join me in the trenches to defeat Barack Obama or will you give him your support. That’s what I’d like to hear from Brown (But I’d like a lot of things I don’t get). The rest is unimportant at this time. As Andrew Breitbart said:
I will march behind whoever our candidate is because if we don’t we lose.
There are two paths. There are two paths. One is America. And the other one is Occupy. One is America. The other one is Occupy. And I don’t care…
-snip-
Black, white, gay, and straight, anyone that’s willing to stand next to me to fight the progressive left, I will be in that bunker. And if you’re not in that bunker because you’re not satisfied with this candidate? More than shame on you. You’re on the other side.
I’d like Brown to be a more enthusiastic Romney supporter, too. But even the article points out that Brown votes GOP only 54% of the time. He’s the moderate we already knew he was. I can be upset that he’s not working to swing more Massachusetts votes. But it’s Massachusetts, ffs. Besides, the last thing we want to do is alienate the guy into putting a (D) after his name. How many disenchanted (R)’s would he take with him?
The other aspect of this is that many Democrats will be voting for Romney based on hope for the economy. I don’t want to dissuade them. I know how I would feel if someone suggested that unless I agree with all of the party’s planks, that I should stay home and not vote. Screw that. We need to focus. We need to be inclusive.
But more important than anything else, I want leaders and representatives with integrity. Men and women who think for themselves, are true to their own belief systems, own their politics, and can explain themselves and share their vision. I can respect that, even when we disagree.