Thanks to the news last night--coming in the midst of the Michigans/Arizona primaries, which must have some significance that's eluding me--that Olympia Snowe is choosing to step down from her Senate seat rather than run for re-election this year, I get to cheat a tiny bit and talk about real politics for a second.
I've had to explain to people a few times now why I'm rooting for Rick Santorum in the primaries. The thing is, the worse the eventual Republican candidate is, the lower the Republican turnout will be in November, which not only means a landfall for Obama, but better odds for Democratic candidates across the board. And with both the House and Senate potentially up for grabs this year, every little bit could help shift the balance between right and left.
So to Senator Olympia Snowe, who to be fair is one of the last remaining reasonable Republicans in Congress, I say thanks for your service, now take a hike.
A lot of people are focusing on what her timing suggests about the current climate of partisanship, in that it's hard to be a moderate anymore and be taken seriously (especially a moderate Republican). That's completely a fair point, and the broad strokes of Snowe's retirement are likely another signpost on the road to an even more paralyzed and impotent Congress than we have already.
But with that in mind, I'll never forgive her for holding health care reform hostage the way that she did--and ultimately voting against it anyway--so good riddance, I say.
(Side Note: for the next two weeks, I am conducting a survey of visitors to this blog. Whether you're a regular reader or this is your first time, I'd love to hear from you - just follow this link. This notice will accompany every post this month, with Saturday, March 3rd being the final day to participate. Thanks for reading!)
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