Quote of the Day: A fairly mean place

by: Jason Springer

Tue Dec 30, 2008 at 08:04:00 PM EST

Congressman Jim Saxton is reflecting on his time in Congress for all of his exit interviews with the media. He talked about the biggest change in Washington:

"I think Washington could be rightly described as a fairly mean place these days," Saxton said. The partisan rancor has persisted since Republicans took the House of Representatives in 1994, he said, and it upended an established system of 40 years. "The Republicans didn't know their place anymore and the Democrats didn't like their place, and so both sides tried very hard to make the other look bad."

Saxton was always more of the moderate type Republican, so it doesn't surprise me he didn't like the rabidness of the 1994 GOP takeover. The question is, can this train return to the station?

Jason Springer :: Quote of the Day: A fairly mean place

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Quote of the Day: A fairly mean place | 2 comments

In 1857 (I think) ... (0.00 / 0)

a Senator Charles Sumner was almost beaten to death by House member Preston Brooks on the floor of the Senate while others watched and cheered.

If we can recover from that, from the Reconstruction, from the HUAC Red baiting ... we can bring this train in again.

by: nathanrudy @ Wed Dec 31, 2008 at 01:26:52 AM UTC

Saxton could have done more (0.00 / 0)

Well, Saxton hasn't exactly been breaking down doors to work with Democrats, and he could have done more to end the partisan rancor in Washington. Saxton is still mired in the culture wars of the Reagan era; not once in his decades of service did he take a remotely pro-choice position, he voted repeatedly to strip the rights of gays and lesbians (constitutional amendment, etc.), and he didn't vote in favor of SCHIP legislation in recent votes. I was hoping that he and Ferguson, once they were lame ducks, could at least take some Democratic positions or prove their so-called "moderate" records, but this wasn't the case.

His record is one that reveals a far right voting pattern that is barely counterbalanced by some pro-environmental votes and a few pro-labor or pro-education votes, but he has done precious little to dissolve the partisanship that he criticizes in the Press article. Thank you for your service, Congressman Saxton, but good riddance.

by: Martin @ Wed Dec 31, 2008 at 23:04:11 PM UTC