Seattle Congressman "Baghdad Jim" McDermott has been taking heat for the delusional claims he made yesterday about the timing of the Saddam capture. As Jim Miller, master of the gentlemanly put-down, put it:
What can one say to someone who makes an argument like that? That they need to see a psychiatrist? But McDermott is a psychiatrist.McDermott is an easy target, but I'm not convinced he's as insane as he sounds. As a psychiatrist, he's probably pretty good at reading his constituents. He's been elected to Congress eight times. I imagine he says and does things he knows to be crazy because he believes it will help him get re-elected. And he's probably right, judging by reactions to his comments on Seattle call-in radio shows, and letters to the editors of Seattle newspapers about the capture of Saddam.
UPDATE: Andy MacDonald writes that Baghdad Jim is an "embarrassment to the city" and calls on local Democrats to replace him. Andy is even touting ousted City Councilwoman Heidi "Circus Elephant" Wills and Stan "Hypersonic" Lippmann, who earlier ran for Congress on behalf of the Natural Medicine Party. Yes, the local talent pool really is that pitiful.
UPDATE 2 Andy MacDonald stresses that he was jokingabout Stan Lippmann, which of course I knew. But the local talent pool still really is that pitiful.
Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at December 16, 2003 12:33 PMCongressional districts are relatively small. One does not have to appeal to that many people or kiss that much ass to get elected; neither is statewide appeal required. McDermott probably represents his district as ably as Barbara Lee represents hers and Tom DeLay represent his. Parochial is the rule.
Posted by: Zhombre on December 16, 2003 01:47 PMI don't think McDermott can be considered an effective representative of his district when much of his own party thinks he is a clown. He is largely ignored and has little influence in Congress. Like it or not, the same cannot be said of Tom Delay. I hope McDermotts Congressional District appreciates his entertainment value.
Posted by: Gary B on December 18, 2003 11:03 AMI didn't say he was effective or ineffective. If he is reelected term after term presumably enough voters in his district consider him effective and they are the only ones that really count.
Posted by: Zhombre on December 18, 2003 01:10 PMHe might have to take pay cut, but can Norm Rice be pressed into service? Or I'll take just about any Microsoft liberal, too. In the same vein as Gary Condit (no, not Phil Condit), someone with a little political heft on the left needs to challenge McDermott.
Posted by: Bird Dog on December 18, 2003 04:49 PM