Apparently, Dissenting Justice has a soft spot for underdogs. While other Democrats rushed to condemn Sarah Palin (even before she imploded on the national stage), I argued that they should treat her seriously and hear what she had to say. When Michael Steele was chosen to head the RNC, I also parted from liberals who raced to skewer him. After President Obama and the New York Times went after New York Governor David Paterson, I supported him (until the latest news emerged about possible undue influence in an assault case). I even pleaded with liberals to extend due process to Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich, who absolutely deserved the benefit of a rational process like any other accused individual. And I argued, rightfully, that in the absence of a showing of improper conduct, Roland Burriss deserved his Senate seat.
Supporting the underdogs, however, comes with risks. Palin turned out to be an intellectual lightweight. Burriss might have actually purchased his Senate seat. Paterson might have used the weight of his name to convince a complainant to withdraw charges against an aide.
Meanwhile, Michael Steele has certainly failed to bring a sophisticated voice to the RNC. Instead, he has provided much comic relief. In the latest round, Steele argues that President Obama should have held a healthcare summit last year. Great -- but there is a major problem with this argument: President Obama held a healthcare summit last year! Caught in the embarrassing moment, Steele says that last year's summit "didn't count." Interesting.
This is not the first time that Steele has been caught in the headlights. Last August, for example, Steele stuttered while trying to defend his blatantly contradictory positions supporting Medicare and demonizing public-sponsored health plans as "socialized medicine."
Nevertheless, I will continue supporting underdogs -- when it is the right thing to do!
Here is video footage of Steele on the healthcare summit.
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