Before you say, “Oh GOD NOT ANOTHER POLITICAL BLOG”, you need to take a moment to read on. What I am going to relate may be old news for some but will be a real eye opener for others.

As most of you know I ran for the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006 and I can assure you that it was a very eye opening experience. Have you ever attended a Caucus? I have and you learn a lot just by observing how the two parties handle their Caucuses. Here it is in a nut shell:

The Republican Leadership tells their membership how they want them to vote on motions and bills. There is little or no discussion.
The Democratic Leadership suggests to their membership how they want them to vote on motions and bills. There is sometimes heated discussion.
However despite this slight difference they both have one thing in common; The membership always votes the way their leadership directs them to vote. So what? you ask, isn’t that why we elected them, because they share our ideals? They’ll vote the way the majority of the people want them to vote, right? WRONG! They will vote the way the leadership wants them to vote… Big difference!

I have seen a lot of Hoopla over the past couple of days about the Brown Victory in Massachusetts and I am absolutely amazed. The people of Massachusetts were not casting a vote against Democratic leadership they cast a vote against the Kennedy Dynasty. The majority of voters in Massachusetts are Democrat’s but they have become tired of the Kennedy’s. Brown’s Opponent was no more than a Kennedy flunky and the people of Massachusetts knew this. What they don’t know is that Brown, like every other member of the Senate and the House will be a flunky of his parties leadership.

When a bill hits the floor it’s life or death depends on how much support it can gain or at least that is what we have been led to believe. The truth is much more complicated than that. Let’s look at a couple of hypothetical situations to see how it really works;

A Democrat puts forth a Bill, let’s say on Health Care. The Republicans publicly denounce the Bill because that is what their constituents say they want them to do. While denouncing the Bill they add 137 amendments to it. This is a compromise that the Republicans have come to with the Democrats to get the Bill passed. You see privately the Republican leadership wants the Bill passed because they will benefit from it over the long term. Now in the public eye they continue to denounce the bill but privately they have instructed certain members of their party to vote on the bill so that it will have just enough yeas to carry. Publicly the Republican Leadership can still proclaim that they opposed the Health Care Bill while privately they rejoice that they got their pork added to it. Publicly they can come back later and denounce the Health Care Bill yet still vote for more funding. As long as they denounce the Health Care Bill their constituents believe they are doing their job and working for the people.

If you still don’t get it try this on for size;

Let’s say that The President wants to allocate funds that we don’t have for a war that is based on unsubstantiated reports. The Republican Leadership is behind it 100%. Publicly the Democrats are opposed and express their misgivings. Privately the Leadership knows that their is a way to profit from a war. Defense contracts in their districts is one way that they know they can benefit from a war. They instruct their membership to reluctantly vote in favor of the war. They tell a small handful to loudly object to it so that they look like they have true concern but do not look Un-American. Privately they are pleased when the funds are allocated because now they, along with the Republicans, will profit. Publicly they can come back later and denounce the war yet still vote for more funding. As long as they denounce the War their constituents believe they are doing their job and working for the people.

I learned these things when I ran for office and it sickened and saddened me. Please, be happy that Brown won in Massachusetts yet remember this; Mr. Brown is not a White Knight riding in to slay the Dragon. He, like the rest of his party and the members of the opposing party, is nothing more than an expendable Chess piece to be moved around a checkered board, used as the Leaders of his party want him used and sacrificed when and if needed. The rest of us are just Pawns in a game played and won by a select few.

You can disagree with me and argue the point all day long because as an American that is your right to do so… for now.

-The GYPSY-