Lorie Byrd
2007-06-12 07:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

My 6-year-old daughter has a “Drama Queen” T-shirt that was passed down to her from her older sister. The saying on the shirt accurately refers to the royal level of drama both kids bring to everything they do.

Unfortunately, some of the childish drama I am seeing these days in my political party is not nearly as cute or harmless as the soap opera theatrics I see from my kids.

The GOP drama was occasioned by the immigration debate in the Senate last week. The bill had many flaws and I am glad it did not succeed. I came to that conclusion by reading about the various provisions of the bill and arguments for and against it.

What repelled me from entering the debate, though, was the childish name-calling that bounced back and forth between many supporters and opponents of the bill, as well as some who even took quotes out of context to manipulate the statements and perceived intentions of their opponents.

There were powerful arguments to be made on the facts, and some did just that. Unfortunately, though, some in the GOP decided the way to succeed was to revert to the tactics they have criticized those on the other side of the aisle for engaging in for so many years. I wonder if they realize how many supporters they risk alienating if they continue down the road of trading accusations like “traitor” and “bigot” in future debates.

I was drawn to the Republican Party as a teenager, and have happily remained a Republican, in large measure due to the tendency among its advocates to argue facts and appeal to logic, rather than solely emotion.

In the case of the recent immigration debate, the public desperately needed facts about the bill and its possible ramifications. In addition to facts, emotion does play an important role in political debate. Passion is what moves the public to call and write their congressmen and to venture out on a rainy day to vote. What too often passed as passion and factual debate on this issue, however, were attacks hurled from those on both sides of the issue.

A blogger writing at the conservative blog Sister Toldjah wrote, “I think the Republican Party has lost its collective mind … I’m appalled at some of the rhetoric, tactics, blatant hypocrisy and pot-calling-the-kettle-black that has been on display on both sides of the conservative aisle on the immigration issue, and I say this as someone who isn’t in any side’s ‘camp’ but is just frustrated on the whole with how the debate was conducted.”

A blogger at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy wrote, “This issue has shown that stupidity really has nothing to do with political affiliation … you can see it on full display on all sides of this issue. Our own side has made me uncharacteristically apathetic about this issue — and it’s too bad for the hard-liners that they just don’t understand how repellent their rhetoric is, or the effect it’s having.”

Almost exactly a year ago I wrote about the immigration debate, “Disagree, dissent, march, e-mail, telephone the White House and the Congress … but it doesn’t make sense to completely destroy the man who will be leading the country for two more years, or to destroy the Republican Party unless you are ready to accept the agenda of Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and Majority Leader [Harry] Reid.”

Since then, some Republicans decided it was better to cast their fates with Pelosi and Reid by making Republicans “pay” in 2006 by deserting the party or actively working against it. The result was a Democrat-controlled House and Senate and a weakened Republican president and party.

As Dr. Phil (who annoys the heck out of me) likes to say, “How is that working for ya?” Some will say it worked just fine in this case, but there are many battles yet to be fought and I am not convinced that conservatives are better off with Democrats in control.

Being in the minority makes it difficult enough for conservative agenda items to be passed, but when Republicans seem more interested in punishing each other than they are in working together on common goals, the resulting drama is anything but good for the conservative agenda or for the Republican Party.

Lorie Byrd is a member of The Examiner’s Blog Board of Contributors and blogs at wizbang.blog.com.