I was happy to see that G.A. Harrison of Delmarva Dealings is paying attention and put together an excellent look into his crystal ball to see what would happen if Frank Kratovil were elected to represent the First District in November. He actually puts some of the points I’ve been making all along into a nicely tied set of paragraphs. Honestly, we really don’t know what Frank stands for, just who he stands against.
Actually, it gives me a chance to point out that I caught Frank in a case of doublespeak the other day and didn’t realize it until yesterday.
During his radio interview Friday Frank alluded that while he wouldn’t vote straight down the Democrat line on a number of issues, Andy Harris would vote strictly Republican. It was meant to imply that he would be anti-worker and pro-big business, contrary to the populist that Kratovil is attempting to portray himself as. But then Frank chastised Andy for voting against his Republican governor on the “flush tax”; meanwhile Andy has spoken of not voting for Governor Ehrlich’s final budget because it was too large. Obviously these are two examples where Harris voted more as a conservative than a Republican.
As I attempt to do, in his post G.A. is using his observations guided by years of experience to predict what may happen if Frank Kratovil is elected. Have you ever noticed that, while John McCain is a “maverick” Republican because he works with Democrats on some issues, there’s not really a “maverick” Democrat? Sure, you could cite Senator Lieberman as an example but remember the Democrats in Connecticut drummed him out of the party and he won his last election as an Independent. Former Senator Zell Miller from Georgia is another example.
The truth is that 99% of the time people are loyal to their party allegiance, so what elections tend to boil down to is whose party platform you favor. Given the Democrats’ tendency to tax more, spend more, restrict more, and stick up for America on foreign soil less, the better candidate is the conservative one.
The First District has a choice. They can vote for talking the conservative talk or for walking the conservative walk. As some conservative commentators have warned Republicans, given a choice between liberal and faux-liberal those on the left of center will go for the real thing. Those of us in our conservative area should also go for the real thing, not just one who talks about it.
By the way, I notice that G.A. didn’t crosspost this to Salisbury News. Wonder whose decision that was?
Your assumptions and DD’s crystal ball do nothing but promote typical partisan rhetoric. Andy is much more likely, based on past history, to be a right wing lackey who will ignore the views of the citizens in his district that are not consistent with his. Republicans currently have no legs to stand on regarding fiscal responsibility. We have reached ridiculous levels of spending and earmarks under a President who never met a spending bill that he didn’t like.
ShoreThings,
I made the point before and you declined to respond. What defense do you have for the idea that a representative’s job is to simply be a mouthpiece for his constituents?
Under your approach, if the majority of the district happened to think it was a great idea to re-institute state-sponsored racial segregation it would become the elected officials responsibility to support that. Majoritarian rule may be democratic, but it is most certainly not American.
A trustee model of representation is infinitely more fitting for a society built around the idea of Republic and protection of minorities and minority viewpoints.
Michael,
I cross-posted on Red Maryland. I try not to put the same post in more than two places.
Take care,
Have a great holiday.