Americans Are Growing Tired of the Theatrical Hypocrisy

The cable news channels quickly cut away to the Senate floor last Saturday as Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) announced that she would vote for the motion to proceed on debate on the Reid healthcare bill, but that she would oppose the bill “in its current form”. It was a moment of high political theatre as Sen. Lincoln appeared to single-handedly keep alive the future of the Obama Administration’s hallmark project.

In what other deliberative or legislative body on the planet can one vote for something while saying they’re voting against it?

Arkansans are much more politically savvy than Sen. Lincoln seems to give them credit.

We understand that her dramatic vote on Saturday evening was much more than a procedural vote, but that it was the vote for the federal bureaucracy’s takeover of our everyday personal and private medical decisions, an incalculable further erosion of the basic liberties and freedoms of the American people.

The fact is – and this is what Arkansans do understand – is that the motion to proceed for which Sen. Lincoln voted on Saturday was necessary for the Senate to ultimately need only 51 votes to pass legislation for the government’s takeover of our personal healthcare decisions. When only 51 votes are needed to pass the legislation, Sen. Lincoln can “safely” vote against the bill when her vote won’t be needed to guarantee passage.

Tragically, Sen. Lincoln’s vote was a clear and unmitigated betrayal of Arkansans – reflecting her disturbing disconnection from and her distressing disrespect for her employers. A recent credible poll showed that almost 70% of Arkansans opposed the healthcare bill for which Sen. Lincoln voted. Reportedly, calls coming into her office late last week were 15-1 against her voting as she did.

Clearly the wishes of her employers made little difference. Why? Because – as we have long witnessed – Sen. Lincoln is not working for us. And we are growing very tired of her theatrical hypocrisy.