Bill Frist can’t make anyone happy

April 26, 2005

Bill Frist is so turned around, he’s under fire from left, right, and center — and he’s not even entirely sure why.

Let’s take the Senate Majority Leader’s role in “Justice Sunday” as an example. By agreeing to participate in an event that exploited faith for partisan ends and condemned his rivals as anti-religion bigots, Frist was roundly criticized by Dems, Republicans, newspaper editorial boards, and the religious community.

So Frist thought he’d be clever and strike a reasonable, moderate tone at the event, preemptively dealing with the criticism that came with the appearance. The right would be receptive to his showing face and committing himself to the nuclear option, while everyone else would be impressed by his rhetoric about an “independent” judiciary and his opposition to “retaliation” against judges.

Except it really hasn’t worked out that way for him. The left is still outraged by First’s role in the extremists’ event and now the right is livid that Frist was distancing himself from Tom DeLay’s hatred for the federal judiciary.

“I hope [Mr. Frist’s] address was written by an intern, but I fear that it was written by his legal staff,” said Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican.

“What Bill Frist said shows where his heart really is — he is not a part of our conservative movement,” Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, North Carolina Republican, said in reaction to Mr. Frist’s speech. “Frist would like to have the loyalty Tom DeLay has from the conservative movement, including Christian conservatives, but he can’t get it because Tom DeLay is a true conservative who came out of the movement to lead the House,” Mr. McHenry said. […]

“We won’t continue to build this conservative movement if we have one leader attacking another leader,” said Free Congress Foundation President Paul M. Weyrich. “I really would like to know Senator Frist’s version of a fair and independent judiciary.”

Frist is still rather new to this game. He hasn’t yet served two terms in the Senate and he didn’t even vote in any election until 10 years ago. Now he’s running for president and wooing a far-right constituency with whom he has very little experience. It’s showing.

Who knew this guy would make Trent Lott look adept and competent?

Who knew this guy would make Trent Lott look adept and competent?

Ain’t that a scary thought?

  • after lott became damaged goods, wasn’t frist the white house’s choice for majority leader? if so, this explains the incompetence…

  • This is what happens when you whore yourself out to competing interests.

    It is sort of like lying – you have to be able to keep them straight or the bite you on the a** and becomes a wasted effort.

  • Now he’s running for president

    He’s going to have a very difficult time in the GOP primaries if he doesn’t start doing a better job finessing this.

    Any early word on who Rove is backing for 2008 (aside from Hillary, that is)?

  • Also, the radical theocratic right is a little harder to deal with these days. They used to be easier to appease with symbolic gestures but these days they want it all– big promises and big deliveries.

    It’s sort of a perfect storm waiting to happen. The right has overreached, puffed themselves out to be much bigger than they are, they demand everything of the people *they* elected and turn their back on people easily, but eventually their existence as a “base” will likely fade. Which is good for all, since ultimately it should mean the GOP will swing back from the far right.

  • In a sense, this whole scenario involving Frist and the Religious Zealots on the right is an inevitable consequence of Nixon’s “Southern Strategy”.

    Yes, a political party can build a numerical base of voters by catering to the prejudices of an uninformed and opinionated group whose members are tribally and simplistically religious (and many of whom believe that race cars never do anything but turn left.) (Anti-NASCAR snark there.)

    In the end, the strategy crashes when old-time intellectual conservatives (some of whom have…gasp!…actually been to college and visited other countries) bang head-on into those pickup trucks flying the Confederate flags.

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