Poll Sitters
Here is
my favorite Flytrap nugget from this morning's papers. The Washington
Post writes:
Neither House Speaker Newt
Gingrich (R), at home in Georgia, nor Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(R-Miss.), in Florida for a vacation, commented on the speech. Also unavailable
was House Judiciary Chairman Henry J. Hyde (R-Ill.), the pivotal figure in an
impeachment inquiry. ... Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) was
traveling in rural areas of South Dakota and unreachable throughout the day
yesterday, his office said. House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.)
was in Europe.
Now even
politicians are entitled to a private life, as President Clinton noted last
night, and (as he didn't note) that includes the right to vacation in August.
But does anyone else find it suspicious that on what will undoubtedly be one of
the most important political days of their lives, so many of them were
unreachable? (Daschle's "rural areas of South Dakota"--that's a good one! Don't
they have phones in rural South Dakota? Didn't the New Deal take care of
that?)
Contrast this with the pundits, who set new records
yesterday for quantity and speedy delivery of blather. Clinton spoke for four
minutes. Four minutes after he finished, dozens had already rendered judgment
on the various networks. But pundits are paid to be interesting, not to be
right. All they make is opinions. Politicians, by contrast, make decisions--in
this case, their opinion on Clinton may turn into a decision about impeachment.
So yesterday's silence from Gingrich, Lott, et al. reflected an admirable
desire to think through the weighty issues that ...
No, I
don't believe that. The Republican reticence can be partly attributed to the
ancient rule of politics: Don't kill your enemy when he's committing suicide.
(Gingrich even warned his GOP underlings to keep quiet.) But the main reason
for silence from congressional leaders of both parties was the modern political
practice of poll sitting. Don't express an opinion until you're sure it's
shared by at least 51 percent of one of Mr. Gallup's random samples.
Until 10:06 p.m. last night, Flytrap was a
complicated issue. The most basic facts were in dispute, and a political leader
could plausibly decline to express an opinion. Now the basic facts are clear,
and there are very few opinions to choose from. You believe that 1) adultery
with a 22-year-old intern and lying both publicly and under oath about it are
sufficient grounds for impeachment; or 2) these are insufficient, but evidence
yet to come out about obstruction of justice might be sufficient; or (3) the
whole thing should go away right now. You are permitted to weave variations on
a few side issues--for example, was his apology groveling enough? But you are
no longer permitted to say the basic question is unclear or you need more time
to think. You've had seven months to think.
Say what
you want about an impeachment zealot such as Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., but at least
he had the courage to go on national television last night and argue for
continuing investigation. A few bold Democrats such as Rep. Barney Frank of
Massachusetts also rose quickly to Clinton's defense last night. But among
Congress' leaders, it seems, there was no reason to get ahead of the polls.
Today, Gingrich, Lott, Gephardt, and Hyde broke their
silence with some of the most mealy-mouthed statements you could ever hope to
hear. But suppose that a week or a month from now it becomes clear that the
voters have turned against Bill Clinton and impeachment is a salable
proposition. At that point you can expect to hear ringing moral judgments from
Gingrich and Lott, which they could just as easily assert today if they 1)
really believed this stuff and 2) had the guts. And if it becomes clear that
voters side with Clinton, Gephardt and the congressional Democrats will turn up
the self-righteous anger.
And if the polls are
ambiguous, the assertion of timeless values by both sides will just have to
wait.
The
White House Web site's theme of the week: "Supporting America's Families in
Times of Distress."
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