Here is One Big Reason American Politics are Totally Screwed Up

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le of Trump (and MTG and others) that you can be totally ignorant of these things, be pretty fringey, be conspiracy-theory laden, and even be sanity-challenged, and still get elected — but the Chairman of a County party, who is essentially selected by the rest of the party? He or she ought to know something about these subjects, right? Experience, ability, qualifications?So, let’s see if we can figure out where he went wrong. First, Sen. Toomey was elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — not by Washington County, or the Republican Party, or the Washington County Republican Party. The People of Pennsylvania sent him to the Senate.I’m pretty sure that there are non-Trumpers (i.e. Democrats, Independents, sane Republicans) in Pennsylvania, seeing that Trump lost the state to Biden by some 45,657 votes last November. Said another way: 3,371,700 Pennsylvanians voted for Biden. Sen. Toomey’s constituents from Pennsylvania include all the voters — not just Trumpers, and not even just Republicans.This is a pretty basic concept, yet Mr. Ball seems to have forgotten it, assuming he actually knew it in the first place. Get it, Mr. Ball? Sen. Toomey does not just represent you, or Washington County, or Republicans, or Trumpers. Jeez, Chairman, figure it out.<figure id="f599"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*PPuTnoZKT30agDPt"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@brett_jordan?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Brett Jordan</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>Next, as a Senator what’s wrong with voting your conscience? Not that I place much stock in what Mitch McConnell says (how the Mock Turtle can change direction that fast would make eve

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n Lewis Carroll dizzy), but before the Impeachment Trial it was made clear that Senators were not being “whipped,” and that they could vote their conscience.Perhaps Mr. Ball is confused about the concept of a “conscience.” Let’s see what a dictionary has to say (Compact Oxford English Dictionary, Third Ed. 2005):Conscience — noun a person’s moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects their own behavior…. ORIGIN Latin conscienta ‘knowledge within oneself’, from scire ‘to know.’That definition killed two birds with one stone; ”conscience” and doing the right thing. Well, that all seems fairly clear to me. Why Mr. Ball (and the other 43 Republican Senators who knew what was right but refused to do it), don’t seem to get it, I don’t know. Stay a moment, though: I do. They are so drunk with the cult of Trump whence they believe all power flows, that the “right” thing can no longer count on the “far right” to be done: the right hand doesn’t know what the far right hand is doing, and if it knew would both cringe and — evidently — look for something (say a Golden image of Trump?) to caress.<figure id="c57e"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/0*DOKgSxzzo4AzBGiG"><figcaption>Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@gcowie?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Gordon Cowie</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com?utm_source=medium&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a></figcaption></figure>I’m not sure when having a backbone was replaced by being able to fold like a lawn chair, but I for one am sick of it, and of effete ignorance; and as Tears for Fears sang, I can’t stand this indecision, married with a lack of vision, by everybody who wants to rule the world.Whew. I feel a little better now — you?</article></body>

Here is One Big Reason American Politics are Totally Screwed Up

There’s a fellow in Washington County, Pennsylvania. His name is Dave Ball, and he’s the Chairman of the Washington County Republican Party. On February 16th he opened his mouth and spewed the following about Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who had (with six other Patriots) voted to convict Donald Trump in his Second Impeachment Trial:

We did not send him there to vote his conscience. We did not send him there to do the right thing or whatever he said he was doing. We sent him there to represent us, and we feel strongly that he did not represent us.

The Ball is a voice in the darkness. Before I lay out all the problems with this, it must be said, idiotic statement, let me say that I don’t know the guy. I have connections to Washington County, however, and it was this which caused me to take notice of Mr. Ball and his nonsense.

Now, presumably, having been made Chairman of the Republican Party in Washington County, Mr. Ball has gained some basic knowledge of how politics, governance, elections you know, stuff like that are supposed to work. Sadly, if he did, he seems to have forgotten it. Don’t just take my word for it — some fairly explicit comments followed his misguided statements. NB-I wonder how many of the commenters are Trumpers? Duh.

We know from the example of Trump (and MTG and others) that you can be totally ignorant of these things, be pretty fringey, be conspiracy-theory laden, and even be sanity-challenged, and still get elected — but the Chairman of a County party, who is essentially selected by the rest of the party? He or she ought to know something about these subjects, right? Experience, ability, qualifications?

So, let’s see if we can figure out where he went wrong. First, Sen. Toomey was elected by the voters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania — not by Washington County, or the Republican Party, or the Washington County Republican Party. The People of Pennsylvania sent him to the Senate.

I’m pretty sure that there are non-Trumpers (i.e. Democrats, Independents, sane Republicans) in Pennsylvania, seeing that Trump lost the state to Biden by some 45,657 votes last November. Said another way: 3,371,700 Pennsylvanians voted for Biden. Sen. Toomey’s constituents from Pennsylvania include all the voters — not just Trumpers, and not even just Republicans.

This is a pretty basic concept, yet Mr. Ball seems to have forgotten it, assuming he actually knew it in the first place. Get it, Mr. Ball? Sen. Toomey does not just represent you, or Washington County, or Republicans, or Trumpers. Jeez, Chairman, figure it out.

Next, as a Senator what’s wrong with voting your conscience? Not that I place much stock in what Mitch McConnell says (how the Mock Turtle can change direction that fast would make even Lewis Carroll dizzy), but before the Impeachment Trial it was made clear that Senators were not being “whipped,” and that they could vote their conscience.

Perhaps Mr. Ball is confused about the concept of a “conscience.” Let’s see what a dictionary has to say (Compact Oxford English Dictionary, Third Ed. 2005):

Conscience — noun a person’s moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects their own behavior…. ORIGIN Latin conscienta ‘knowledge within oneself’, from scire ‘to know.’

That definition killed two birds with one stone; ”conscience” and doing the right thing. Well, that all seems fairly clear to me. Why Mr. Ball (and the other 43 Republican Senators who knew what was right but refused to do it), don’t seem to get it, I don’t know. Stay a moment, though: I do. They are so drunk with the cult of Trump whence they believe all power flows, that the “right” thing can no longer count on the “far right” to be done: the right hand doesn’t know what the far right hand is doing, and if it knew would both cringe and — evidently — look for something (say a Golden image of Trump?) to caress.

I’m not sure when having a backbone was replaced by being able to fold like a lawn chair, but I for one am sick of it, and of effete ignorance; and as Tears for Fears sang, I can’t stand this indecision, married with a lack of vision, by everybody who wants to rule the world.

Whew. I feel a little better now — you?