Saturday, February 16, 2013

Meet the "moderate" Rob Portman

Remember Rob Portman?  Ohio senator.  Republican. Former Bush budget director. The guy who was always hanging out with Mitt Romney in the presidential campaign while some pundits were sure he would be the perfect complement to Mitt in Ohio as his running mate.

Oh.  That Rob Portman?  Right.

I know it's hard to keep track of him unless you're a political junkie.  As an un-showy Mr. Plain, he prefers  to remain below the radar. Ohio's doting newspapers seldom report his votes  on major issues, which is doubtless why even the national media have described him as a political moderate, or a "center-rightest''.  All of which gives the senator cover to act while he's still locked in to his days as a congressman representing his conservative district in Southwestern Ohio.

Whether it's gun control, abortion rights, a constitutional amendment barring  same-sex marriage  and a host of other way-over  issues, you'll find him voting with the extreme right.  Just this week he voted to hold up  Chuck Hagel's  nomination.  Portman says he wants more facts on Benghazi.  That, of course,  joins the Republican fishing expedition that merely delays an up-or-down vote.

Moderate?  Centrist,  when the Party of No needs to pull away from the fringe?  Show me.  












2 comments:

KasichFan84 said...

Since when is opposing abortion and gay marriage considered a fringe stance? The country is actually pretty split on both issues according to most polls.

Just because somebody holds an opinion that is different from liberals doesn't make them an extremist. We need to stop demonizing everybody who disagrees with us.

Rob Portman is not a radical extremist. He is a fine, well respected public servant.

David Hess said...

Portman and his "moderate" Republican ilk in the Senate are so paralyzed with fear of a Tea Party challenge in the next GOP primary election that their consciences and better judgment are frozen. As the hapless protagonist in "Damn Yankees" sold his soul to win a pennant, so have the dwindling band of Senate "moderates" sold theirs to win an election.