Let me finish tonight with a Grade B horror story. If we still had drive-in movies, this one would headlining the midnight spook show. It's called "Return of the Body Snatchers."
It's the story of how regular, somewhat intelligent people are being transformed into zombies right on the floor of the U.S. Senate, how regular Republican senators, some of them distinguished members, are having their bodies taken over by the right.
You know the plot: One minute the guy or woman seems normal, a person who thinks, lives, acts for themselves; the next second, you meet them and realize from the blankness in their eyes they've been transformed, their bodies "snatched" by this weird force taking over. Remember Arlen Specter, proud modern Republican, he of the "Scottish verdict" in the Clinton impeachment trial?
"Snatched!" One day he awoke a Democrat, said it was a matter of survival. A lot of this has to do with fear, fear of defeat, fear of losing careers, fear of the power of the Tea Party people and whatever candidate they can throw up against you.
Remember John McCain, the maverick, a guy with enough guts to got out there and back immigration reform, campaign reform. He was ready to take on the haters and big right-wing fundraisers and still managed to win the Republican nomination for president. "Snatched." One day he awoke in the Arizona desert a full-blown right-winger himself! No JD whatsiname was going to take his senate seat away from him
Orrin Hatch - used to be able to find common ground with Ted Kennedy, actually helped him along personally when he needed a good friend, did some good educational work together as I recall.
"Snatched!" This week, Hatch is out there making gross comments about President Obama's health care program, using bad words to do it.
Is this the route to safety for Republican senators? Is this what's in the future of Olympia Snowe and Richard Lugar and the others who manage to keep independent political personalities?
Will the Invasion of the Body Snatchers continue 'til it's snatched every Republican in the United States Senate?