Shock To The System
The recent special election in Georgia to fill the seat in the House of Representatives left vacant when Charlie Norwood died is the subject of John Fund's column this week in the Opinion Journal. Fund quotes Robert Novak's take on the results: The shocking upset victory of Paul Broun, Jr. "terrified those incumbent Republican House members who had thought themselves safe for re-election in 2008" primaries.
Special elections to fill vacant House seats are usually fought over local concerns, but often they have national overtones. The stunning result of a Georgia race last week is a case in point.
Because no Democrat finished among the top two candidates in last month's primary, the runoff pitted two Republicans against each other to succeed Rep. Charlie Norwood, who died in February. Poorly funded physician Paul Broun Jr. scored a shocking 50.4% victory over former state Sen. Jim Whitehead, the establishment's consensus favorite. Columnist Robert Novak says Dr. Broun's victory has "terrified those incumbent Republican House members who had thought themselves safe for re-election in 2008" primaries. The pro-free market Club for Growth, which helped knock off at least one pro-spending GOP House incumbent in a 2006 primary, should feel encouraged by Dr. Broun's victory.
In last month's primary, Mr. Whitehead won 44% of the vote, to just 21% for Dr. Broun. But the front-runner made stumble after stumble, allowing the 61-year-old Dr. Broun to assemble a coalition that included not only conservative Republicans but liberal Democrats from his hometown of Athens. Mr. Whitehead told a crowd in his own hometown of Augusta that he would focus mainly on that city's concerns as congressman, and he refused to attend campaign events in Athens. Worse, he jokingly suggested that liberals at the University of Georgia ought to be bombed.
As a result, Dr. Broun won 90% of the vote in the county that includes Athens, including the votes of some Democrats who fondly recalled his late father, who served as a Democrat in the state Senate from Athens for 38 years. Many voters were impressed that he appears to be the only physician in the state whose practice consists entirely of house calls.
This should actually send a message to all incumbents, I suspect. People who will actually stand for change are going to be able to knock off those that promised change but didn't deliver (*cough* Democrats *cough). Broun won by repeating a constant and consistent message:
……a pledge that, once in Congress, he would apply a four-way test before voting on any bill: Is it constitutional and a proper function of government? Is it morally correct? Is it something we really need? Is it something we can afford?
He closed nearly every speech with this line:
"Today's federal government is too big, too powerful, and too expensive because it is doing things beyond the scope of what our Founders envisioned the national government should be doing. This is foolish and it is dangerous."
Keep in mind that his opponent was favored by the establishment politicians. This is not a good sign for incumbents from either party. There is a "throw the bums out" mindset building as a direct consequence of the behavior of the Democratic leadership in Congress. This time, there are a lot of Democratic bums in the line of fire, too. Republicans or Democrats - both are looking at trouble in 2008.
By feeblemind, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 10:33 am
Wonderful! Maybe there is hope after all?
By juan in a million, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 11:56 am
Thats all well and good but once he gets to DC he is going to find out what its like to have no friends and no committees and get nothing done if he won’t play ball. Happens to the best of them.
By Rusty Austin, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 2:08 pm
“There is a “throw the bums out” mindset building as a direct consequence of the behavior of the Democratic leadership in Congress.”
Actaully it’s the Republicans and Independents that are driving the dissatisfaction numbers, a majority of Democrats approve of the way the leadership is doing their job. Figure the Independents will split or go 60/40 one way or the other, and it’s the Republicans that are going the way of the Dinosaurs…
By Purple Avenger, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Maybe not in 08′, but by the time 10′ elections roll around, there’s going to be a bunch of irate Iraq vets running for congress — with the (ahem) “moral authority” of having been in the military.
Today’s military is a lot smarter, politically aware, and more cognizant of the current threats we face than the Vietnam generation was. If guys like Teflon Don decide to run, and I were the democrats, I’d be terrified of them.
By juan in a million, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 2:34 pm
vets ran in the last election and the “moral authority” did nothing for them. The Swift Boat crew can be thanked for destroying any moral authority a vet brings. Campaigns are not afraid to attack the strength as Karl would phrase it.
By FedUp, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 3:02 pm
Congratulations to Dr. Broun!! Now, if he can stand fast and deliver, it should pave the way and be a beacon for others to follow. I like his 4-way test. But, I thought that that’s what congress should have been doing all along… silly me!
A signal for the rest of our congress to GET REAL or GET OUT!
By Ted, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 3:37 pm
The reason the Democrats aren’t delivering is that the Republicans in the Senate filibuster everything of consequence so that people like you can say that the Democrats aren’t delivering. They are on a pace to have *triple* the previous highest number of filibusters over a two year period.
By masaccio, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 4:56 pm
Yep, one slightly less crazy right winger beats a crazy right winger, and it spells trouble for democrats. Nice dream world ya got there.
By Gaius, Monday, 23 July , 2007 @ 5:24 pm
I see the patrolls are out.
By patrick, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 11:01 am
What I don’t understand..as a foreigner (but having lived in the USA) is this: the traditional Republicans: small business owners in particular, can NOT be happy with how things are run now: with all power (just recently with invoking executive privilege) concentrated into the hands of the top 3-5 %. What about the other.. say 45 % Republicans ? Are your needs served by this type government ? Do you really believe you can win Iraq ? Do you really think it’s their fault, and your overthrowing a government had nothing to do with the mess it is now ?
Is Global Warming a left or right issue, or are drought and forest fires in Utah, Arizona, etc etc affecting you all ?
I just don’t get it how people can be so blind and needlessly partisan, when even your own needs are not being served at all. A Small business owner, living in some town, having to fight for decent health care, schools, pensions (that the BIG Republicans have taken away when the company went bankrupt).. is this YOUR party ??
Oh.. and then of course it’s all Al-Qaeda’s fault or the leftist Europeans.. or China.. or.. basically the rest of the world ?
By Quilly Mammoth, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 12:38 pm
Let’s see:
Vet’s in ‘06. They did have an effect, particularly those who ran as “centrist” democrats.
You know, the ones who _actually_ tipped teh balance and _not_ the nutzroots candidates?
Broun having no effect:
Perhaps the people saying this have missed the Pork Busters. It is having an effect on the Republican Leadership. As for DC changing people perhaps people should pick up Tom Coburn’s book.
Who is _also_ a physician who has made and kept similar promises. As both a Congressman and as a Senator.
There are going to be Democrats haunted by the label “Tax-and-spend-cut-and-run” Candidates.
Can any of the
trollsLeft of Center commenters recall the six points the DNC ran on in ‘08 and then report on (un)successful they have been?By DJ in KC, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 8:25 pm
Republicans or Democrats - both are looking at trouble in 2008.
BWAH_HAA_HAA. Yeah, right. Keep repeating that line, if it helps you to sleep at night. 2008 will likely see the Democrats take a super majority in both houses, and the White House to boot. You had your shot, unfortunately the neocons of your party wasted all of your political capital on an illegal war in Iraq. Strange how we Americans take offense to our fine men and women in uniform being thrown into a 3,000 year-old quagmire.
This is for Mammoth. Just because your Faux News hasn’t fed you the information, doesn’t mean you can’t find it on your own. The six points of the DNC:
1. Honest Government & Open Government
2. Energy Independence
3. A Healthcare System that Works for Everyone
4. Real Security
5. Economic Prosperity and Educational Excellence
6. Secure Retirement
One more thing, Mammoth. Answer me this, if you care. Is it better to tax-n-spend, or borrow-n-spend? Hmmmmmm?
BTW, do you think McConnell will let any of the Democrats points to come up for a vote? Sorry, but Ted was right when he said they’re on track to triple the previous filibuster record. Outstanding. Even halting ethics legislation with the line item veto trick that was already ruler unconstitutional. What a sad display by the Republican “leadership.”
To quote Patrick, “I just don’t get it how people can be so blind and needlessly partisan, when even (Republicans) own needs are not being served at all. A Small business owner, living in some town, having to fight for decent health care, schools, pensions (that the BIG Republicans have taken away when the company went bankrupt).. is this YOUR party ??”
I’ll answer that. YES. It is the Republican party. Take your party back from the neocons. Those fools make Gingrich look good.
By DJ in KC, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 8:26 pm
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BWAH_HAA_HAA. I should have known. Typical.
By chaos_engineer, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 8:40 pm
Patrick, things have changed a lot since the last time you were here.
The Republican party has never been monolithic, and the business owners have always been the smallest part of the alliance. They’re not all that happy with the party right now, but they are glad that they got some tax cuts a while back and that they have access to cheap immigrant labor…so they’re staying loyal, at least for now. If the economy tanks they’ll probably start voting for Democrats.
They’re greatly outnumbered by the “family values” Republicans. That faction isn’t interested in the economy…they’re happy to live in the most abject sort of misery, as long as gay people aren’t allowed to get married. I’ve got to confess that I don’t understand them at all, but I guess the world would be a much duller place if everybody understood everybody else. They’re fiercely loyal and form the backbone of the modern Republican party.
The third leg of the tripod are the jingoists. They’re really unhappy with immigration policy, but they understand the Democrats are even friendlier towards immigrants. “Winning” in Iraq is obviously not on the table, but it’s certainly possible for the US to “not lose”, by maintaining bases there, and that’s enough to keep them happy. Their loyalty is a little shaky…the Republican party needs the current immigration policy to hold on to the businessmen, and the Iraq war was supposed to keep the jingoists distracted. But that’s not working out so well, and they could easily bolt to a populist third party if somebody (Pat Buchanan?) sets one up.
Obviously this is an oversimplification but I do think it works as a quick-and-dirty summary of how the alliance is held together.
Global Warming isn’t on the radar. If Global Warming was happening, then we’d have to do something about it. That would upset the businessmen because they’d be regulated. It would also take world-wide cooperation…but the jingoists don’t trust other countries, and the family values crowd thinks that a world regulatory body would be a tool of the Antichrist. Since the consequences are so terrible, we have to assume that global warming doesn’t exist.
By Gaius, Tuesday, 24 July , 2007 @ 9:09 pm
And the Democrats are propped up by: small but vocal special interest groups, unions and hypocrites who preach global warming while using 30 times the national average for energy and flying all over in private jets.