Nice to know ya, Steve Driehaus

Voted for the health care bill before he voted against it.? And Driehaus thinks this will save him his congressional seat.? Pathetic.? I have been in politics for a long time in this state, and I have had it up to here with the epic cowardice of elected officials in Ohio, specifically members of Congress, who pander to the basest, most marginal issues of their electorate as if it will help them win elections.

Driehaus will claim his district is pro-life, and this issue is so damn important that it should be allowed to derail the most important health care bill since the creation of Medicare.? Never mind that the Stupak amendment he will certainly cite is redundant, that the bill as it exists does not fund abortion in the slightest, that the amendment itself is a legislative impossibility, and thus everything Driehaus panders to is a total fiction.? No, Steve Driehaus must demonstrate that he is so concerned with the whereabouts of sperms, eggs, vaginal juices and fallopian tubes, that he will sacrifice the well being of tens of millions of Americans on the altar of letting his voters continue to believe a lie.

I understand abortion is a big issue to some people.? In the context of health care reform, it is the size of a hangnail.? And yet, we pray to its altar.? It is thus because people like Steve Driehaus stake their political fortune on milking it, telling their voters that yes, it’s totally o.k. to be a single issue voter, it’s perfectly acceptable to flush every single piece of major legislation down the toilet if it so much as touches on abortion, even if these voters merely perceive a falsehood claiming it touches on abortion.? If Driehaus were a congressman in 1940, and the lend lease act had abortion language attached to it by some opportunistic Stupakian culture warrior, Britain would be speaking German right now, which of course would be fine with Driehaus if he took a poll that told him Britain speaking German would get him re-elected among pro-lifers.

Here’s the best part.? IT NEVER WORKS.? Driehaus is dreaming if he thinks the teabaggers he’s trying to placate will somehow become big supporters and save his job while Democrats decide his seat isn’t worth holding so long as he’s in it.? Without fail, people like Steve Driehaus play this game, refusing to lead their voters to a place where their pet issues get litigated reasonably, rather than incessantly at the cost of all else.? And without fail, they are one termers.? You know why they are one-termers?

Because voters respect a leader who leads, who doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator, who votes in the best interests of his voters, not his voters’ hangnails.? Onto the dustbin of history Steve Driehaus’ single term in Congress will now be tossed, losing a seat that has been a target of Democrats in Ohio since as long as I’ve been in Ohio politics.

The sad part is that no one ever learns from this utterly predictable cycle.? Better get Eric Fingerhut on speed dial, Steve.? Ask him how long Steve LaTourette has been in his seat.