Blind squirrel syndrome

It has been said that even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. There must be a similar syndrome that causes me to find myself in agreement with Nancy Pelosi (hack, hack, gag, cough). In a news conference yesterday, Pelosi was asked if the party line split in the house over the stimulus plan represented a failure to achieve the bipartisanship that Obama desires. She responded as follows; “I didn’t come here to be partisan. I didn’t come here to be bipartisan. I came here, as did my colleagues, to be nonpartisan, to work for the American people, to do what is in their interest." This is a philosophy that I agree with and think that more elected officials should adhere to.

Pelosi has a clearly identifiable set of principles. Her constituents voted for her for a reason and they expect her actions in Washington to reflect her principles. Of course, I think that there is almost nothing worse for this country than Nancy Pelosi acting on her principles, but I'm not one the constituents that she is obligated to.

Democrat politicians believe that they are what's best for this country, that their dominance in Washington is in the best interest of the American people. This ideology of expedience is what enables them to adopt any cause that increases their hold on power without fear of contradiction. For Pelosi, the stimulus bill is in the best interest of the country because it expands government in the areas she thinks best and strengthens the democrat hold on power. Conservatives make a mistake of underestimating liberals when they ascribe positions or actions of democrat politicians to blind partisanship.

Principle is stronger than party loyalty. In the recent past we have seen republican politicians voting in ways that had more to do with job security than principle. It is pretty short sighted of republicans to focus on getting elected for the next term while the democrats are focusing on securing power for all of eternity. Relying on party loyalty to overcome the dilution of principles led to a republican disaster in the 2008 election cycle.

There is no virtue in loyalty to a party without principle, nor vice in partisanship based upon principle. Republicans found their principles when they voted against the house stimulus bill. Democrats did not abandon theirs by voting for it. Hopefully the object lesson will serve to show republican politicians how much more effective it is to act on principle when your party has the majority.