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Friday, January 27, 2006Shaddeg for Majority Leader?That's what the mighty Instapundit says. I'm inclined to agree. But that's a negative judgement: The more I see of Blunt, the less impressed I am. Boehner never really wowed me to begin with. Shadegg also hasn't wowed me, but he has at least won some confidence from the right people. I suspect, though, that with everybody's pal, Denny Hastert, in the Speaker's slot, the House will plod along regardless, neither as brash nor as exciting or useful, as the House that Newt built. The problem, unfortunately, is that the GOP needs some time in the wilderness. They're too busy protecting the little empires they've built, instead of doing the job GOPers are sent to do. It's our time in the wilderness that brings the GOP back to the Reagans, the Ws, the Newts. Our time in power or even close to it tend to bring us the Doles, the George Herbert Walker Bushes, the Gerry Fords - good men, all, but not great leaders. More unfortunately, it is our time in or close to power that also brings the muck. For the real problem with the Doles and the HWs is not the men themselves but the impulse to get along and do business, which means that too much is overlooked. A few years back, when Trent Lott made an ass of himself, a principled - and agenda-focused - GOP tossed him out on his ear. A few years on, some were acting as though until Tom Delay was sentenced we should protect him, even at the expense of our credibility. My strongest cause for hope for Shadegg is that he's making the right people on the fringes hopeful while, more importantly, prompting skepticism from the right people in the business as usual crowd. Boehner has the right views, but no one is acting like he'd upset any applecarts. And we need some applecarts upset very badly, or in lieu of the Reagan-W agenda that this country needs, the GOP will spend most of its time making the case for the one thing we can least afford: a Democrat resurgence. 
posted by gbarto at 11:59 AM |
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