In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process. It is vital that we restore the respect of the American people in our system of government and in our leaders. To that end, I believe it would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated.
A Statement from Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia)
18 comments on “A Statement from Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia)”
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This is very classy and impressive.
Good man. (When they elected him, the Virginia voters once again proved they knew what they were doing.)
Amen, Dr. Harmon!!!!
even more classy: Webb’s views on prison reform.
Webb probably knows that the senate bill drives a wedge between the middle class and the poor.
While he has voted reliably Democrat on most things, Sen. Webb has shown an independent streak at times. He voted against confirming Cass Sunstein as Obama’s regulatory czar. I wrote both Va. senators to express my views on health care legislation and only Sen. Webb’s office bothered to reply. It will be an interesting few weeks ahead and even more interesting to watch how things develop in the run up to Novemeber. Brown’s campaign seemed similar to Va. governor Bob McDonnell’s campaign – stick to issues, keep it positive, and don’t get bogged down in personality contests and negative campaigning.
Jim Webb is simply trying to save his backside from the health care mess and this gives him the perfect excuse to bolt from the corral..If the press hadn’t ramped up Maccaca (what ever that meant) Webb would have lost..
Dave B has it exactly right. Webb was AWOL on bringing sanity to his party until the political wind shift was so obvious that even the blind could see the lightning and the deaf could hear the thunder. Webb is cravenly attempting to save his political hide in what likely will be a very hostile political environment for Democrats in Virginia when he is up for reelection in 2012.
Webb (and a rapidly growing number of other freightened Dems) aside, Obama had better start working real, real hard to lose his very deeply ingrained overly pink ideology and get very much more politically pragmatic unless he is looking to relieve ‘Peanuts’ Carter of the distinction of owning the very bottom tier of Presidential reputation thus enshrining himself as a permanent national joke.
The ‘State of the Union’ address will be a clarion indication of Obama’s decision. I’m betting pink ideology wins over political pragmatism.
Dilbertnomore, the health care program is actually quite politically pragmatic. It comes after several decades of negotiation. It is essentially a liberal Republican health care bill, even more liberal than Nixon’s.
However, we are living in partisan times. In the 1960’s, 90% of the people believed that the government was right 90% of the time. We don’t have that kind of consensus. Furthermore, why would the Republicans support a bill, even if it were sensible? It would not benefit them politically. It is in their interest to oppose ANYTHING.
#6. Dave B. Wrote: If the press hadn’t ramped up Maccaca (what ever that meant) Webb would have lost…
#7. Dilbertnomore wrote: Webb is cravenly attempting to save his political hide…
Fellows, I do not agree with these two observations. My perspective is that of a Virginia Republican who was fed up with Allen as a “pretty-boy with an empty brain” machine senator — quite the social butterfly. Allen ran a stupid and negative campaign. Webb whipped him fair and square. Even without the Maccaca business, no one can say for sure that Allen would have won. People have to cast their votes before an election is over.
Anyone who thinks Webb has any fear for his political hide misjudges the man. You may write him off as arrogant, but he is the least political animal in the Senate. He may even be doomed politically for his view that a senator should seek the best path rather than the machine-ordained one. He is one of those few people who would rather be right than be senator, president, or whatever. I think he puts God first, Country second, family third, himself fourth, and other political hacks are not given a place on his list.
Even as a Republican, I do not wince when Webb appears as our senator. That was not true for Allen.
No. 9: That’s my impression as well.
No. 8: “However, we are living in partisan times. In the 1960’s, 90% of the people believed that the government was right 90% of the time.”
Those data must be from the early 1960s: before the later traumas, foreign and domestic, we’re all familiar with. Anyway, is that–“90% … 90%”–a good thing? Those people sound delusional.
And as for partisan times: As a student–and occasional scholar–of American history, I have to scratch my head and ask, When were the times not partisan? The early republic? No. The Civil War? Hardly. Etc.
“Furthermore, why would the Republicans support a bill, even if it were sensible?”
Umm–because they put country and the best interests of the citizenry first? Look at what Republicans have supported re health care. Look at what Lieberman has said he supported. You can go down the list. There’s a lot of agreement between the parties. That agreement could have been built on by the Democrat leadership and by Obama. We could have had prudent, incremental change. Btw, politically it has to be observed that, absent Obama’s and the Democrats’ dithering on this issue, they would not be in the fix they’re in today, threatening to ram a bill thru while there’s yet time.
I didn’t vote for Senator Webb because of his party’s idiocy, but he has my respect for telling them the truth and seeking the common good. Like many successful politicians in Virginia Mr. Webb knows what respectful compromise should look like. He follows the truly great Senator Warner.
Well, JW and CA, we’ll just have to see, won’t we.
What seems clear from the results of yesterday’s election in MA is that the Congressional seat of every Dem Senator and Representative just came into play. Even Barny Frank’s district voted for Brown over Coakley – thus Frank’s statement this morning that he wants Congress to back off on healthcare for a while. Just like Webb, Frank is trying to save his political tender parts. These Congresscritters are now acting in their own interest. This represents a fascinating transformation from the positions these pathetic poseurs held last week praising the holy virtue of sacrifice by the masses (themselves excepted, of course) for the good of the whole. Seems now that selective sacrifice is not a strong selling concept since the great unwashed bitter clingers of God and guns seem to have discovered the salons have feet of clay. Kind of like when the neighborhood bully gets found out for the coward he is and is transformed into the neighborhood punching bag.
535 members of the House and the Senate now know the ugly fact that if a Democrat can lose an election in MA that she should have won in a walk and Barney Frank’s district went for Brown, every single one of those political elites now knows they are up close and very personally at professional risk, as well. And they know they can’t look for Obama to throw them a life line in their next reelection campaign. Any life line Obama throws has a big, heavy blacksmith’s anvil tied securely to the other end and it will surly take them down thoroughly and quickly.
The only standing feature that will continue to play is Obama’s hubris. His very pink ideology won’t allow him to do other than press on. It will get ugly in a very pretty way.
Dilbertnomore, I totally agree the Dems are on the run — and for good cause! I simply think Webb will not waste a lot of time worrying about his political hide. Few real pols know the meaning of integrity (no, not that one), but I really do not think Webb views himself as a politician. He is an Annapolis grad, Marine hero in Vietnam, former Sec. of the Navy, and author of 10 books and movies. He is tough enough to go head-to-head with politicians, either Rep. or Dem.
As you say, we will see. If he runs again it will be in 2012.
9. CanaAnglican If Webb had done this out of ethical convection he would have done it two days ago when the race was tight before Brown won with 5% and there was no doubt about the winner! Webb won by 1% in the election against Allen and the hammering about maccaca and casting Allen as a racist hurt Allen….
One other note, Jack Murtha WAS a combat decorated Marine and Duke Cunningham was a war hero..
CA I’ve known Web since ~1966. He graduated from USNA the year before I did. He certainly was a person of integrity. I’m not persuaded he still is. Tough to keep your soul intact in the halls of Congress or in the window sider of the Pentagon’s E-Ring. One thing I am absolutely certain of. He is a politician and he has a politician’s ego to keep fed. He’ll do what he has to do to stay in the lime light. He learned as SecNav how nice it is to be a senior bureaucrat/politician. Wonderful to have a few personal aides, access to special recreational cottages on selected Navy and Marine bases, the ability to whistle up a private executive jet or executive helicopter avoiding the messiness of scheduled flights and the hassle of lines (you should see the DV Lounge at Andrews AFB – quite nice). Moving on the the Senate after decades in the wilderness – Webb is certainly well off thanks to his books and such, but is by no means rich enough for SecNav/Senator-sized perks – he welcomed the chance to get back to the world of getting his backside kissed regularly by a legion of fawning lessers. Trust me.
Darn fat fingers – Webb not Web
Dave B, These days beating an incumbent senator by even 1% is remarkable. How many incumbent senators have lost their seats in the last half century? I do not know the answer, but I doubt it is more than a hand full. Didn’t Clinton serve 8 years as president with no majority at all?
Dilbertnomore, I hear what you are saying about becoming political. I do not know Webb, so it could have happened to him. I do know other people who serve in elected office not for the perks but because they are sure they can make a great contribution. They feel they are the best person for the job. Mike Bloomberg was a classmate at Hopkins and while I do not really know him either, I know he has enough money to buy perks 100-fold better than those found in being mayor of any city. He may be on a power trip — but I think he is on it in an effort to bring benefits to NYC. My guess about Webb is the same. I think he really desires to do some good for our country. Allen was in it for the perks.