Censure of the Century
March 16, 2006

Successful against Jackson in 1834, unsuccessful against McCarthy in 1954, PurpleThink proudly brings you the censure of the 21st century.

Censure (sehnshur)

v. To express official disapproval of:

“The senator couldn’t do anything productive, so he chose to censure the president.”

n. An official rebuke, as by a legislature of another authority.

“This sentence is about as useful as a censure.”

Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) has called for a censure of President Bush – a rather meaningless act that was last enacted against President Jackson by Senate Whigs in 1834. In denouncing illegal eavesdropping on American citizens on American soil, the senator’s purpose is unclear. Successful or not, four things are self-evident.

1) It’s given Feingold some publicity. That said, we PurpleThinkers believe The Boston Herald was on the money with this one -- “Maybe this will do for Feingold’s political career what it did for the Whigs, when they were consigned to history’s dustbin.”

2) It’s diverted attention, once again, from what’s really important. Feingold said, "There can be debate about whether the law should be changed. There can be debate about how best to fight terrorism. We all believe that there should be wiretapping in appropriate cases -- but the idea that the president can just make up a law, in violation of his oath of office, has to be answered." Really, Russ? Then how about proposing some changes that will actually make a difference? That’s an answer to Bush that has real teeth. PurpleThink commented on this issue here and here.

3) It’s unlikely to work. With a majority Republican House and Senate and luke-warm receptivity from Democrats, this is dead on arrival.

4) It’s put the Democratic Party in a hissy. CaptainsQuarters.com commented on the outright “retreat” of normal media sycophants Clinton, Obama, and Kerry. “To describe the Democrats as ‘in retreat’ underestimates the backtracking going on in DC.” We agree. The universal statement from Democrat party leadership is “no comment.”

Given these facts, why should we care? Until now, political maneuvering pointed towards the 2006 mid-term elections. Not any more. This effort undermines the Democrat Party in their attempts to regain congressional seats this fall. Bush is strengthened by further divisiveness on the issue. This plays right into the Republican mantra of Democrats being soft on security and hard on politics. If not this year’s elections, then what?

Dear Senator,

Let us be the first to welcome you to the presidential race of 2008. Congratulations! Nobody else stands to gain anything from censure but you. This selfish act weakens your party, diverts attention from real issues, further polarizes debate, and oh, by the way – does nothing to curb illegal wiretapping. Thanks Russ, and have a nice day!

- Love, PurpleThink

 

Home|epinion|Purple People Eater|Comment

Feedback@PurpleThink.com

©2006 PurpleThink.com