How Do You Solve a Problem Like Olympia?
The Republicans' famed discipline is cracking. As Politico's Lisa Lerer and Manu Raju reported this week, Lindsey Graham's wheeling and dealing on global warming. And, of course, Olympia Snowe is the lady of the hour, week and month on health care (as much as Nancy Pelosi downplays her importance).
How does the GOP prevent defections? Well, with Senator Grassley it was widely rumored that the leadership threatened his ranking status on Judiciary Committee when his time as top Republican on the Finance Committee expires at the end of this cycle. Other Republicans get threats of being primaried – as Utah Senator Bob Bennett is now facing for signing on to Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden's bipartisan health care bill.
But there's really nothing much they can do with Snowe. Rumors swirl that she risks her ranking status on the Commerce Committee – but any real moves against her could result in her bolting the party. Maine loves her enough to keep electing her no matter what letter is next to her name: R, D, or I. And we know she's been approached and courted heavily by Majority Leader Harry Reid. So, how does the GOP solve a problem like Olympia? The answer is: they don't.
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1
The GOP will solve this problem the same way they solve any other problem:
.
They'll bring their guns...-
1.1
Option B: Rush will lob another verbal grenade from his glass house.
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1.2
They'll shoot her?
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2
Snowe has to ask herself why she hasn't bolted already. She is apparently in a wing of the party, the "moderate" wing, that currently has a grand total of 1 member. Her only saving grace is the MSM keeps calling her situation, bipartisan. If she is thinking of bolting I don't know if I'd want to be the one who killed the public option, once she's a liberal?
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2.1
because she'd lose all of her power and influence as a dem as opposed to a repub. Case in point: Arlen Specter.
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3
If Snowe supports a Republican filibuster of health reform, it doesn't matter that she voted with the majority on the Baucus bill. That act of fealty will restore her fortunes with the GOP, and it will provide her with the bipartisan cover she will need to claim she wasn't totally in the obstructionist camp.
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4
They should hang her in effigy. I have heard that is an angry Republican sort of response.
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5
No, I don't think she'll leave, she enjoys being in the moderate part (yes, there are more besides her), because she makes decisions based on ideology, not opportunism and survival (i.e.- Arlen Specter).
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5.1
Hahahahaha! She is currently arguing that the health care proposals don't help people afford insurance enough (i.e. the government isn't spending enough on the subsidies that go to low income workers) while at the same time whining that she wants it to cost less.
She also is the chief proponent of a trigger. The only reason anyone could support a trigger is if they admit a public option would act to decrease health care costs but they don't want such a decrease to occur (and again I point you out to her claims that she want more affordability for working people).
None of the above positions is rooted in any sort of consistent "ideology", rather it is more in line with opportunistically "making sh*t up as you go along".
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6
Actually the trigger offers the benefit of being able to extort insurers without any of the costs of actual implementation.
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7
I hope Snowe is worth this courting and pursuit.
Hmmmm... my concern is that she appears to be in the middle (aka lukewarm) to everything.
Emm...she has not declared herself a big fan of the Obama bill (hence the unending courting of her by the WH) but is not standing on the hard line drawn by the Republican party either.
I think rather than what to do with Snowe, the Democrats should be concerned with “What Snowe will do” because who really knows?
LM
http://theblindspotsofgod.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/i-fully-support-gun-ownership/
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8
...maybe Reid just has a crush on her.
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9
Why would I want Snowe to defect? As we all know, 51 votes don't matter. Hell, 60 votes don't matter. The only thing that matters to Villagers is "bipartisanship." So, why would Dems want to destroy their most reliable GOP defector?
Every time a so-called moderate Republican switches parties, it just makes it that much harder to gain bipartisan support for anything. As lupercal noted, Spector's support is worthless now that he is in the Democratic caucus.
- jnsmall There's a healthcare deal but no one can dish pre-CBO. Included: coops, trigger, public plan & expanding Medicare. Why not the kitchen sink? - 27 minutes ago
- jnsmall At BLT waiting for @lizzieohreally to buy her a drink. So far everyone, including the bday girl, is late! - 5 hours ago
- jnsmall Had to feed my dog rice this morning after I got to the store to buy dog food and realized I'd left my wallet @ work. It's one of those days - 14 hours ago
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