GOP Rank and File Back Miers
The Washington Times’ Donald Lambro has written a great roundup of what the rank and file are telling state GOP chairmen across the country. Here’s what he found:
- Eileen Melvin, chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, said she had just come from a meeting with state committee members in conservative Lancaster County, where she asked them what they thought of the Miers nomination. “They said we trust the president,” she said.
- In Oregon, “the rank and file of the party are generally concerned that various conservatives are beating up on the president about the Miers appointment,” party Chairman Vance Day said.
- In Washington state, party Chairman Chris Vance said he e-mailed information about Miss Miers, provided by the Republican National Committee, to a statewide list of 10,000 Republican officials and grass-roots activists. “The next day, I got less than 10 e-mails out of 10,000 from people who were upset with the nomination,” Mr. Vance said.
- In Alabama, a state that gave Mr. Bush 62.5 percent of its vote last year, Republican Chairman Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh said, “People respect [Mr. Bush´s] choice. A lot of people would like to know more about her, but the president has had the most personal contact with her, knows her thoughts, abilities and beliefs, and we trust him to make the right decision. Overwhelmingly, that’s what I hear people saying.”
- In Vermont, Republican state Chairman Jim Barnett says he has “heard nothing but support” from the party’s base. “From my perspective, the skepticism and criticism [from conservative groups] is an inside-the-Beltway phenomenon,” Mr. Barnett said. “I don’t hear a lot of second-guessing. I have not received a single phone call on this. I think there’s an appreciation in the role she’s played in breaking the glass ceiling in her profession and the president’s personal history with Miss Miers. I think that goes a long way with our grass roots,” he said.
This proves, yet again, that inside-the-Beltway types don’t have a good reading on what people in flyover country think. People like Charles Krauthammer and Bill Kristol have a better understanding of European opinion of our foreign policy than they have of how the Heartland’s conservatives think.
It’s time now to dial down the decibels on this insane demand-and-accuse back and forth. It’s time to let her have her day in court. If she proves that she’s qualified, then confirm her. If she isn’t qualified, then vote her down. In the meantime, take a deep breath and move onto another topic.
Cross-posted at Confirmation Whoppers