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November 03, 2003
Case Closed
This is my final Zell Miller entry. I can't speak for everyone here, but I can speak for Democrats regarding Zell. Even very partisan Democrats, like myself, know that not everything Democrats do (and not every Democrat) is great, and not everything Republicans do (and not every Republican) is terrible. It's not so black and white.
The fact that Zell can seemingly find nothing nice to say about Democrats while finding nothing unflattering to say about George W. Bush is the big beef. Maybe Zell has no problem with Bush at all, at which point he's become delusional, as even Saxby Chambliss votes against Bush's wishes and you could hardly find a bigger Republican supporter of Bush (or in Bush's case, a bigger supporter of Saxby's). But I suspect that Zell is still sane, and is overlooking the things he doesn't agree with Bush on as part of some sort of self-serving stunt to go out on top with Georgia voters.
Additionally, I don't like the current discourse in American politics, especially from supporters of the President, who insist that if you agree with George W. Bush on any measure, than surely you support him as President. On the one hand, this is ridiculous, of course I personally agree with some things the President does (like middle class tax cuts), but that doesn't mean I don't think a Democrat (or even another Republican) could continue doing these good things and also other things that I'd prefer over George W. Bush. The outcome of this disingenous attitude on the right has been a left that must vociferously be anti-Bush and any policy he's associated with, because they know that when a Hannity or O'Reilly type asks "but don't you agree with the war on terror" the next statement out of their mouth will be "well you must continue to support the President because Dean/Clark/Gephardt/Whomever is against the President and he must be against the war on terror."
This, along with a refusal of modern voters (on both sides of the aisle) to acknowledge the marginal costs they cost society and the government (think having your cake and eating it too) is the biggest problem in American politics. It's no surprise then, given the current political atmosphere, that someone like Zell Miller has stepped up to the plate to fill the role he's in now. Why point out the good things you're own party does (surely Russell Feingold's losing amendment to limit the pay of Congress, which Zell voted for and which the Republican majority was against, is a good example of a positive thing Democrats are doing) when it's so much easier to just go along with the positive chorus about the other party that dominates the media right now?
Posted by Chris at November 3, 2003 12:09 AM
Comments
Amen.
It's not so much Zell's views (though I have a problem with a lot of them) but his willingness to jump in on the one liner talk radio trashing of Dems like that crap about: "They are taking the worst of Mcgovern and combining it with the worst of Mondale, thats their platform. I doubt ANYONE is making conservative media hacks smile more these days than Senator Miller.
Yr point about marginal costs was another good one, and I agree it's a problem across the spectrum but GOP voters "leave me alone govenrment" rhetoric combined with the fact that at the local, state and national (hell, international if you ask the IMF) level conservative districts recieve more government dollars for less tax revenue AND in this country get disproportional representation make the problem on that side more of an issue. But maybe I need to get this beam out my eye.
Posted by: Wes at November 3, 2003 12:20 AM
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