John McCormack of the Weekly Standard posted a story highlighting the fact that Clint Didier, a Tea Party candidate in the Washington State Senate primary, backed by Sarah Palin, says he wants to support the GOP candidate who beat him, Dino Rossi. But Didier will only do it if Rossi meets three conditions:
First:
We ask Dino to promise to introduce in the Senate the same bill that Ron Paul introduced in the House “The Sanctity of Life Act.”
This simple bill restores the authority of elected officials to pass laws regarding abortion without interference from the federal judicial branch.
For example, federal courts have overturned state laws regarding parental consent and adult informed consent.
Second:
We ask Dino to sign the pledge that I signed — It’s very simple and straightforward:
“I will not vote for any new taxes, or increases in existing taxes.”
Third:
I want Dino to pledge to vote no on any bill that increases over all federal spending.
Rossi’s communications director responded by saying that Rossi “will continue to campaign on the things he believes, and will not submit to a list of demands made by anyone, even people with whom he agrees, in Washington State or Washington, DC.”
Good for Rossi. I understand the appeal and the logic of insisting that candidates sign pledges. It is a way to try to ensure that politicians don’t “go native” once they become a Member of Congress — and, if they do, to make them pay a high price.
Still, trying to force candidates to sign pledges — especially as simplistic as the ones Didier has proposed — strikes me as a bad idea. The fact is that circumstances can change when a candidate enters office and wise leaders adjust to changing circumstances. We want public servants who are guided by a set of core convictions — but who are also open to empirical evidence and shifting events. Even as conservative a figure as Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels raised taxes early on in his tenure — and Daniels is widely and rightly viewed as among the finest and most effective (and conservative) governors in America.
George W. Bush started his presidency opposed to nation building; he rightly ended up endorsing it.
Beyond all that, though, is the belief that we should elect candidates whose judgment we trust, whom we deem to be wise, principled, and trustworthy. If a public official fails the public trust, there is always recourse to elections. But to twist arms in an effort to get a candidate to sign simplistic pledges is counterproductive.
Rossi should hold his ground; and Didier should cede his.
