Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Don't cry for me Pennsylvania*
Rick Santorum is on the tube right now making his concession speech. He started out classy and then got smarmy and then I left the room, so I can't say what the full effect of his speech will be. He was the one Republican everyone gave the worst odds of survival to. As a partisan Democrat and a godless secularist I'm happy to see him gone. But as a liberal, I find myself tempted to share his pain over this loss. We liberals are like that. If you are a sensitive liberal, let me say, don't cry for Rick Santorum. From a financial point of view, this will probably amount to a promotion for him. With his knowledge of K Street and his connections with the Republican Party, he will probably roll over into a high-paying lobbyist job long before you or I even roll over our mattresses. If the GOP and its business allies choose to be vindictive and punish those who lost power by representing them too accurately, then Rick might still find an obscenely prosperous career as a televangelist. He might need to invest in some hair mousse to really fill the role, but his white-bread good looks and big teeth give him a step up on most competitors. His options are many; don't cry for him Pennsylvania.

* I know I won't be the only blogger to use this joke (because it's pretty obvious) and I won't be the best-trafficked to use it, but I thought I'd take a shot at being the first to use it. Or at least the first in my time zone. The first in the 7th congressional district of Washington?

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