"Prudence is the virtue by which we discern what is proper to do under various circumstances in time and place."
- John Milton (1608-1674), British poet
Last October I wrote about Georgia Democratic Senator Zell Miller and his disenchantment with his party. From the tenor of his recent speech at the Democrats for Bush rollout, his opinions haven't changed, and perhaps have grown stronger:
"I am honored to stand squarely with President George W. Bush as he leads America at this defining moment in our history. The road that brought me here today is paved with a lot of frustration, but also a lot of hope. I was born a Democrat and I expect I'll be a Democrat until the day I leave this earth. But I have grown mighty frustrated with the direction my party has taken over the last few years. National Democratic leaders today are moving further and further away from the principles that made our party great."
There you have it. Senator Miller plans to campaign for the president because he believes he more closely fulfills the traditional principles of the Democratic party than does its candidate for president, John F. Kerry.
"On tax cuts, on education reform, on adding a prescription drug benefit to Medicare, and most importantly on the war against terror, some national Democratic leaders are so eager to defeat George Bush that they don't realize he's acting on the ideals we have supported for years: promoting prosperity and equal opportunity, giving help to Americans who need it most, defending America's security and promoting freedom."
If you're a Republican who plans to vote for Bush come November, you've got to love ol' Zell. If you're a Democrat, or a voter of the "Anybody But Bush" ilk, however, he's got to be driving you crazy.
2 comments:
As a member of the ABBA crowd, Miller drives me crazy, esp. because he is one of my two senators. The other is a Republican, Saxby Chambliss. Their voting records are almost identical, except that Miller votes for some of the Bush initiatives that even Saxby can't stomach.
He may call himself a Democrat, but if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.
Zell Miller's press secretary prefers to stick with the Democratic Party rather than his boss:
http://www.gwinnettdailyonline.com/GDP/archive/article00570598B0CF414CB23FAEB16393D805.asp
It's hard to see how a sitting Democratic Senator who endorses the Republican Presidential candidate before his own party's nominee has been decided can be called a Democrat in anything but name only. - Bruce
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