Flipping through today’s Spartanburg Herald-Journal I noticed this picture with the headline, "Lawmakers roll up sleeves to fight stimulus plan." For those of you not from the Upstate, the men pictured are, from left, Sens. Lee Bright, Shane Martin, Kevin Bryant, David Thomas and Rep. Joey Millwood. Isn’t it good to know that Republican political posturing isn’t limited to Washington, D.C.? It’s literally in our own backyards.
What are these state senators and representatives doing? Why, they're standing "on principle" with Governor Mark Sanford. Who can blame them? Why, this newfound darling of Republicans has only presided over the state with double-digit unemployment numbers, the second highest in the country. Clearly, Governor Sanford knows a thing or two about economic problems.
During this local event, Sen. David Thomas requested that the lawmakers "roll up their" sleeves to prove their commitment to fighting against spending the $700 million, which the others willingly did, and the SHJ was oh so willing to provide a picture of. You have to hand it to Republicans of all levels: they know silly empty gestures, and they know how to look silly doing it.
So what's this principle that they're relying so heavily on? According to the Herald-Journal,
Bright recalled a recent debate on the Senate floor and said, "The folks that were wanting the stimulus package were talking about how this was going to affect individuals and people and how we were fighting for ideals, and the governor was fighting for ideals, and ideals didn't feed people. And our argument then, and it will be for the next coming weeks, is that freedom is an ideal. Our way of life that we have now is because of ideals. And we're going to stand firm."
Ah. That's right. For the Republicans, freedom's just another word for when you don't have a brain to use. Yes, the federal government trying to provide jobs to South Carolinians is somehow an encroachment on freedom. The President trying to do what the Governor can't, which is improve the lives of everyday South Carolinians, is somehow an encroachment on freedom.
Well, I suppose there's some comfort in knowing that no matter where you are, the Republicans try the same tricks.
Cross-posted at http://filibusted.net