Republicans Slap American Hero Bob Dole

Imagine Bob Dole yesterday. Having been in the hospital just a week ago, the eighty nine year old former Republican everything described as infirm and unwell, made his way with his wife Elizabeth Dole to the Senate Chamber yesterday to be present when the Senate voted on the ratification of a United Nations treaty to protect disabled people worldwide.

What did Mr. Dole witness from his wheelchair? He witnessed Republican after Republican making a vote against the ratification of the treaty. Particularly he watched moderates such as Bob Corker of Tennessee and whoever the clown is in Kansas that currently hold Dole's former seat vote against this treaty. It is interesting to note that several of the Republicans that did vote in favor of this bill were lame ducks, they either were retiring or had lost their recent elections.

What does this mean? It apparently means that if you wish to vote your conscience it is a good idea to be leaving office. The Tea Party has so radicalized the Republican party that the great fear of Republicans in office is not losing to a Democrat but in facing a primary challenge on the right. This happens because as we become so firmly red and blue in most states more and more of these states are becoming one party. Your fear then is only that you will not throw enough red meat to the base.

This is not only the case with the right, the same applies to the left, however the Democrats do seem to do a better job of being, in most cases, more moderate by nature.

Somehow the United Nations has become the great bugaboo of the right. The fear that we will lose our sovereignty. I am not always a proponent of the UN and all things internationalists. I spoke just the other day in a negative way about the Nobel Prize and think that the European Union is bad policy and will lead to bad things, but we are talking about a treaty that benefits disabled people. Who can find fault with that. If that is not enough it is the United States standards that are being placed in the treaty. That is this a chance for us to proselytize our values to the rest of the world, something one would think that everyone blue and red would be in favor of.

To show you how far off track we have gotten. One of this bills sponsor in Congress ended up voting against the treaty. I would think that this would be a symbol of how untrustworthy a candidate is, how few standards he has, but for the tea party right this tells them only that they own a politician lock stock and barrel.

Maybe what we need to do is dress our politicians like Nascar drivers. Everytime they issue a press release they can say " Well it was a good day out there, the Citibank, Exxon, Medical Insurance company team worked well today.

Does it seem so far off from where we are currently. At least it would be truth in advertising. When a hero like Bob Dole cannot get a bill for the disabled through the United States Senate, when a Republican legend is rebuked, for you can call it nothing less than that, is rebuked by his own party on the floor of the Senate, it is time to realize that these clowns are all bought and paid for. Bob Corker I expect you to be wearing your flame retardant suit the next time I see you on television.