The Savage Republican

Much has been said about this Lori Sturdevant column in Sunday's Star Tribune. However, none of the posts picked up on this:

"For Minnesotans, both books serve up some juicy passages. None tops Eilperin's account of Seventh District Rep. Collin Peterson's exchange with the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in late 2004 or early 2005.
It seems that the eight-termer's penchant for voting with Republicans called into question his Democratic caucus' willingness to make him the ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee.

Let me get this straight," Peterson is quoted as telling the caucus leaders who had summoned him for a grilling (not of the barbecue kind). "You're telling me I should vote against my conscience and vote against my constituents so I can become a marginal member, and you can spend two million bucks to save my ass? You guys have to understand, you're not in the majority ... . If you didn't have guys like me you're going to be in the minority for a long time." (emphasis mine)

That speaks volumes about the Democratic leadership. That explains why the DCCC is pushing forward candidates like Coleen Rowley and Patty Wetterling - candidates that do what the DCCC handlers tell them...that toe the party leadership line - no questions asked!

"It details how Republican leaders have denied a meaningful lawmaking role to minority Democrats and their own moderate members. "

Gee Lori - I must have slept through the portion of Poli-Sci that said that the majority was supposed to guarantee the minority a "meaningful" lawmaking role. I know I certainly did not see anything like that in the years that the Democrats controlled the House and the Senate.

And then there is this little gem:

"Both books argue for change in the way congressional districts are drawn. Gerrymandering -- the practice of drawing political maps for partisan advantage -- is out of control, and should be reined in, the authors argue. One possibility: Take the task out of state legislators' hands, and give it to independent commissions. "

Typical leftist - take the power away from the people and their elected representatives and hand it over to the Judiciary. Wait you say - she didn't say judges.....well yes she did:

"In Minnesota, legislative gridlock and/or lawsuits have given the state something akin to that, by default. Panels of judges have drawn this state's political lines for the past 40 years. That may be why Minnesota is still sending moderates to Congress while much of the rest of the nation is not."

Handing redistricting over to judges - just like they handed over drawing up legislation to judges (in Roe v Wade) and took away property owners rights (Kelo v New London). Just like they keep trying to hand over deciding election results (Gore v Bush) to judges. Judges are being handed more and more power at the behest of the elitist left - because they know better than the proletariat (that's you and me dear readers). It's time to resist the elitist push to hand our lives over to the judiciary.