Pat Roberts is dancing like a fool with right-wing ideologues who want to elect one of their own to the Senate.
By
In The
Wizard of Oz, Dorothy assessed the odd things she was experiencing and said to
her little dog, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Lately,
Sen. Pat Roberts has gained a new understanding of what Dorothy meant.
The
Kansas Republican has been in the Senate for 18 years and was in the House for
16 years before that.
So he’s
been away for a long time, and now that he’s running for another six-year
senate term, Roberts has learned that the Kansas he thought he was from — a
state of relatively moderate, Eisenhower-style Republicans — has become the
Political Land of Right-Wing Oz.
A
rabidly extremist, Koch-headed, tea party Republicanism has taken hold of the
GOP’s primary process and blown out the moderates.
And
they’ve put up one of their own to run against him in the August primary.
But, by
golly, the senator is fighting back. Unfortunately, he’s not doing it by
standing up for his principles and refusing to be intimidated by crazies.
Instead, Roberts has put on his own crazy pants, altered his beliefs, and is
dancing like a fool with the ideologues.
He
recently opposed the Farm Bill he helped write, he joined the certifiably goofy
Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the silly political stunt that shut down the U.S. government
last October, and he even became a member of the tinfoil hat club by voting
against a United Nations treaty to ban discrimination against people with
disabilities.
Come on
Pat, you’ve been in Congress for 34 years, you’re 77 years old, and you’re
getting a gold-plated pension for the rest of your life. Is six more years in
the Senate really worth selling out people with disabilities — along with your
own integrity?
OtherWords columnist Jim Hightower is a radio commentator,
writer, and public speaker. He’s also editor of the populist newsletter, The
Hightower Lowdown. OtherWords.org