We do not need a resignation

We need revolution, not resignation
Democrats will be making a huge mistake if they allow themselves to get sucked into the emerging political vortex of making the Foley scandal all about whether Dennis Hastert (and perhaps other members of the GOP leadership) should resign, or more likely, step down from the leadership. Bringing down one, two or even five people isn’t the point:

We need revolution, not resignation.

An aside: So as to avoid the sort of confusion that might land me in Guantánamo Bay, let me emphasize I’m talking here about the, “a dramatic change in ideas or practice” meaning of the word revolution, not the violent overthrow one.

Although the way things are going, I suppose even advocating for that may soon be good enough to land me in Guantanoma.

But back on point: What have GOP leadership resignations ever bought us?

Newt Gingrich stepped down under pressure.

Tom DeLay stepped down under pressure.

Trent Lott stepped down under pressure.

So, do you think the Republican controlled House and Senate got better after these guys were forced out? Me neither. The problem here isn’t with a few powerful rogues; it’s in a culture of arrogance, deceit and corruption that extends all the way from the top dogs down to the back bench.

Don’t get me wrong: I’ll be as pleased as punch to see Hastert take a well deserved fall: But that won’t solve the problem. Even a Democratic victory in November, as critical as that is, won’t by itself get us to where we need to be. What’s needed is a fundamental change in the way Congress does business.

And that’s what Democratic candidates need to be talking about over the next few weeks: A promise of change — real change. When a reporter asks a Democratic congressman or congressional candidate whether Dennis Hastert should resign, the answer should be:

“Speaker Hastert should be held accountable for his actions in this disgrace and based upon what we already know, yes, of course, he should go. But that’s not going to solve the problem. As we keep seeing again and again, there is a culture of dishonesty and corruption entrenched in Washington today; and what’s needed is fundamental change. And that’s simply not going to happen while the current batch of Republicans are in charge.”

Keep your eye on the ball boys and girls. And Dennis Hastert, as big a low life as he is, isn’t the ball.

This entry was posted by Steve on Wednesday, October 4th, 2006 at 10:15 am and is filed under Comment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “We need revolution, not resignation”
Weirdharold Says:
October 4th, 2006 at 12:37 pm