A True Dinosaur

There is one Democrat who cannot claim with any credibility to hold this standard. He is a Democrat who I hope to win re-election soley because without him our chances of retaking the Senate are slim. I want his vote to make Harry Reid Majority Leader and thats all. This Democrat predictably is Ben Nelson.
For me the jump the shark moment from Nelson is his nay vote on steam cell research. I've tolerated his stances on tax cuts, on abortion, on traditional marriage, and on ethanol. But voting against stem cell research is aligning with a view of radical conservatism that is misinformed and outright wrong. It may be the only issue in which I can't find any gray area. Its a with us or against us moment.

There are many Republicans I can't stand who voted in favor of this proposal. Whether they did it out of principle or their own political gain doesn't matter to me, because the yes vote means that much to me. I'll say outright its incredibly selfish, because the only memories I have of my maternal grandmother are her being sticken by the horrors of Alzheimers. Republicans like Richard Burr, Orrin Hatch, Bill Frist, Kay Hutchison, Trent Lott, even Ted Stevens voted in favor of this bill. On the flipside, Republicans that I hold in high esteem for their independence such as Lindsay Graham and Chuch Hagel now are permanently tainted in my view for voting against this bill.

On a quick sidenote, those of you who read Bill Clinton's "My Life" may remember a particularly hilarious story of his time as Arkansas Attorney General. A rightwing nutjob had proposed a law declaring any sex other than missionary would be considered a felony. The legislator had no intention of enforcing the law, but he wanted it as a symbolic gesture to his right wing base. In response, three liberal allies of Clinton offered an amendment that the bill was flawed, but only because it did not go far enough. They proposed that every member of the legislature caught in an act of adultery while serving in public office be sentenced to life in prison. The Republicans in the legislature were so incensed that they threatened to do everything in their power to destroy these three legislators if they did not withdraw their amendment. They did so, but their point had been made. Right wing fanatics were hypocrites who could walk the walk but not talk the talk.

In the spirit of those three, I think I might write Senator Nelson demanding that he hasn't done enough to promote a culture of life. I will demand that any sex without the sole and explicit purpose of reproduction will be considered a felony for wasting sperm that contains potential life. No one will be spared, as married couples past childbearing age, married couples unable to reproduce, married couples on their honeymoon, and those who engage in sex before marriage or with other partners will be subject to federal prosecution. I would never in all good faith promote the values of a a promiscuious lifestyle, but this is getting ridiculous. I think the only problem of informing Senator Nelson of my idea is that he and the Jerry Fallwells of the World would probably take it as a good idea.

Bottom Line, if you think protecting embryos is equivalent with protecting living human, you have a twisted and absurd worldview in my mind. Senator Nelson has no place in the Democratic Party.

If someone can in good faith and sincere intentions convince me of Senator Nelson's worth as a Democrat, I will listen. I'd love to be convinced of his value to the Party other than voting for party leadership, but I can't find anything. I'm almost begging to be proven wrong. Can anyone find anything?

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