I SUSPECT THAT IF ONE OF THE PERSONS ON GEORGE W. BUSH’S REPORTED
short list of vice presidential candidates came out against, say, his plan to overhaul Social Security or to reform education, the media would have a field day.
How curious then that little has been made of the fact that California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was one of the handful of Democratic senators who joined the Republicans last week to vote in favor of repealing both the estate tax and the marriage penalty.
Maybe Feinstein’s break from her party’s orthodoxy has something to do with her having to run for re-election this fall in a state that has many working couples, family businesses and other enterprising people who would like to keep more of what they’ve been earning. Or maybe Feinstein is just a fat cat seeking tax breaks for the rich,the accusation that Bill Clinton, Tom Daschle, Ted Kennedy, et al. have leveled at Republicans who backed the bills.
In any case, Dianne Feinstein, the purported candidate to be Al Gore’s vice-presidential running mate, has now in one week twice defied the Clinton-Gore administration on a key campaign issue.
What does Al Gore have to say about this? Is Dianne now off his short list? Can Al Gore run with someone so fundamentally incompatible with his own political beliefs?
Maybe nobody else wants to make a big deal about this, but I do. Bravo, Dianne. Nice going. Use me as a reference, anytime.
