Republican Leadership Follies

by John Hawkins | November 9, 2006 11:26 am

After the sort of crushing loss that the GOP experienced on Tuesday, it seems to be very natural to reach out to new leadership in the House and Senate. However, I’m not sure that some of the “new faces” running for leadership positions would be much of an improvement.

For example, Mike Pence is going to be running for Minority Leader. While Pence has enormous credibility on spending issues, he has also been a huge advocate of amnesty for illegal aliens. Is putting someone who has been one of the biggest advocates of rewarding illegal aliens for breaking our laws into a position of leadership in the House really a step forward? I don’t think so.

In the Senate, Trent Lott is running for the Minority Whip position. Again, you have a guy who most conservatives thought was ineffective as Majority Leader, a guy who was run out of leadership under a cloud[1] over racism accusations, a guy who played a role in setting up the Gang of 14 compromise[2], and a guy who said[3], “I’ll just say this about the so-called porkbusters. I’m getting damn tired of hearing from them. They have been nothing but trouble ever since Katrina.”

If Lott and Pence turn out to be the “new leadership,” I’m not sure that the Republicans in Congress learned much from the failure of the “old leadership.”

Endnotes:
  1. under a cloud: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2002_12_08.PHP#000462
  2. Gang of 14 compromise: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2005_07_03.PHP#004072
  3. who said: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2006_04_02.PHP#005488

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