The American Spectator

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Victory Laps

11.8.02 @ 12:01AM

(Page 2 of 3)

It would appear that Tim Johnson has inherited his namesake's habits. You will recall that former President LBJ won his first Senate race in exactly the same way -- by seeing what the final tally would be and then manufacturing votes enough to give him the necessary edge. He won and even dared to refer openly to his criminal act in the presence of congressional colleagues and to anyone else who would listen. (See Robert Caro's biography, the second of his trilogy on Johnson.)

I sincerely hope that you will urge anyone in the Republican Party who will listen, to pursue a legal and proper investigation of what went on in South Dakota on Tuesday.

Here's hoping,
-- Maryalice S. Wilkens

VILLAGE CHIEFTAIN
Re: George Neumayr's The California Dead:

Neumayer is spot on. California conservatives have never been so isolated as we are now, and we have the state (alleged) Republicans to thank. I think it even gets worse. Say Neumayer's electoral backlash happens out here in four years. Who will carry the standard? Kindergarten Cop-cum-Hillary, with his new half billion per annum entitlement for neglectful parents, a before- and after-school "Village" to cement the damage done all day?
-- Lee A. Tichenor

BIG SCAREDIES
Re: Lawrence Henry's What Big Business Is Really Like:

Lawrence Henry's piece is right-on. Corporate America's conservatism (in the sense of risk aversion and self preservation)is quite distinct from political conservatism. Although corporations differ from government in being run on the profit motive, their institutional structures often create similar cultural priorities. Ultimately, both cultures tend toward collectivism, which we now call by the name of...diversity!

Like Mr. Henry, I've worked in Corporate America and have seen many examples of corporate spinelessness. Allow me to cite two. First, the reference to office Christmas parties as "holiday" parties. This is done for the sake of "inclusion," even though everyone knows that the holiday in question is, in fact, Christmas, and that non-Christmas observers are never unwelcome at such parties anyway. (Try asking a Muslim observing Ramadan or a Jew observing Yom Kippur to label those occasions with this generic term.) Second, the almost unanimous usage of non-judgmental language to describe the September 11th attacks in corporate condolence messages. With few exceptions, companies chose words like "tragedy," "disaster," etc.

As the culture goes, so goes Corporate America -- unfortunately.
-- Paul Beston

BOOB'S WIN
Re: The Washington Prowler's A Rocky Republican Finish:

I was not offended by your unnamed pundit's recent opinion that Colorado Senator Wayne Allard was a "boob," I was simply surprised that you would publish the remarks of someone who is so obviously out of touch with Colorado politics.

As you can see by Allard's decisive win in Colorado, I was right and your pundit was wrong. I'm sure you're as delighted as I am! Allard is a principled, smart conservative and a very nice man.

Your pundit could eat some crow. Or, better yet, how about a nice sticker on his chest today. It could simply say: BOOB.
-- Bonnie Ramthun
Erie, CO

The Prowler replies: The Prowler loves crow, and eats it often. Allard may be a winner, but he remains a boob. Any ranking member of the U.S. Senate who cannot quote the price of a stamp or the name of the leader of North Korea, and in an election year besides, deserved to lose. That an incumbent Republican running against a Clinton administration lackey could run so poor a race and win says more about the devoted conservatives in Colorado than about the man they elected.

GETTING DOWN TO SERIES BUSINESS
Re: K. E. Grubbs Jr.'s The Triumph of the West II:

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Trade, Business, Law, Russia, NATO, North Korea, Conservatism