Frist Frost Tell me if you have heard this political term before: "Flip-Flop." Yes, of course you have. Now, there's a new one for you to jot down on the back of a gasoline receipt so you'll remember it tomorrow. It's called "Frist Frost." That rhymes with "criss-crossed", which is how the religious right must feel after witnessing Republican Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist release his richly principled and wholly unexpected statement last week regarding federally funded embryonic stem-cell research. This was a complete and utter blindside to a group of people who have developed a swirling collective ego just lately. They are referred to by the movement's leadership as "values voters." Maybe the Senator from Tennessee suddenly realized the company he was keeping. Not accustomed to the wild-eyed fervent set, the good Doctor Frist had always spent his time amidst other HMO owners and Senators. Something made him determine that he needed a certain degree of separation from the James Dobsons of the world. One can easily understand how Frist first became drunk in the glory of God's voting bloc. It was an easy enough habit to form; all he had to do was stick up for the shell of Terri Schiavo, and the right-to-lifers flocked to him. Perhaps they began sending him their money the way they once sent it to Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker. Mister Bill was familiar with that part of the bargain, as he has himself been a prolific fundraiser for the GOP and the president. But then came the backlash. Other than the people on TV with the red tape over their mouths (a shame that wasn't the start of a conservative trend), the public was fairly horrified to see the Republican Party's leadership suddenly shilling for "values votes" by trying to keep the poor, doomed woman alive. Frist in particular, with his pseudo-diagnosis of a videotape of Schiavo, rankled the rank and file of America, and the polls showed it. Despite that, Frist had bought the ticket, as the oracles say, and had little choice but to ride the ride. His initial foray into the world of parliamentary demolition, with his threat to ban minority Party filibusters of presidential judicial nominations, was most likely a by-product of frustration with - and disdain for - those arrogant Democrats across the aisle. However, his zealous new friends read much more into it that that. They felt that those judges who were being "obstructed" in the advise-and-consent phase of the process were victims of (get this) anti-Christianity. They clearly wanted judges who would outlaw abortion, put prayer back in schools, and rule by the Ten Commandments before the Constitution. Frist, with the nuclear option card hovering over the final kitty, was overwhelmingly imbued with a pious importance that he may not have seen coming. So, there he was, curiously speaking via satellite at a thing called "Justice Sundie" last April. He found himself a hero to the fringe. It must not have felt right to Frist, as it wouldn't to a majority of Americans. Then, John McCain came along and stole his Senate thunder, forging a bi-partisan deal to exchange floor votes on certain judges for a defusing of the nuclear option. Some Christian conservatives complained that Bush and Frist had failed to push their holy agenda. That might have been all the pressure Frist needed to shrug off his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with a full turn of the heel, no less. On the Senate floor, he said of existing limits on federal funding of stem cell research, "It isn't just a matter of faith, it's a matter of science. The president's policy should be modified." Eyebrows arched in surprise all across the parts of America that actually pay attention to this stuff. If one listened closely, one could barely make out the chuckling of Democrats below the braying din of angry religious conservatives who had long since bought and paid for Bush's ban. Brave voices began to crow up behind Frist, the most prominent being that of Nancy Reagan. The former First Lady, whose famous husband had died of complications related to Alzheimer's, released a public statement, including the line, "Thank you, Dr. Frist, for standing up for America's patients." Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R., PA), who had been smeared badly by anti-abortion activists in his last Republican primary contest, chimed in. "I know that the president will listen to what Senator Frist has to say," he said. "I'm not saying he is going to agree with it. But what Senator Frist has had to say is weighty, and I think may bring us all together on this issue." Well, maybe not all of us. Dobson, a longtime political slimeball whose name will forever be linked with shady figures like Jack Abramoff and Michael Scanlon, had plenty to say about the perceived flip-flop. He released a thunderous and wordy missive, addressed to his own choir and nobody else. Among other blasts of dogmatic hot air and uneducated rhetoric: "The media have already begun speculating that Sen. Frist's announcement today is designed to improve his chances of winning the White House in 2008 should he choose to run. If that is the case, he has gravely miscalculated. To push for the expansion of this suspect and unethical science will be rightly seen by America's values voters as the worst kind of betrayal – choosing politics over principle." Along with that came the Frost; Frist was summarily un-invited to "Justice Sundie II". While we have no way of knowing whether or not he cried all night long, my guess is that he slept better than usual. As for Dobson's opinion, Bill Frist is a heart and lung surgeon, as opposed to a bottom-feeding lobbyist who would peddle his "values votes" to anyone with thirty pieces of silver. It would be wise to trust the former when it comes to their respective opinions on the pros and cons of stem cell research, or the common cold for that matter. With such partisan sabre-rattling, the GOP may be coming to a crossroads, where either the ideas of Yahweh or the ideas of Jefferson will prevail. We already know where George W. Bush stands. Just the other day, he called for the teaching of "intelligent design", another dust-jacket on the Book of Genesis, as opposed to the scientific theory of the evolution of life on our planet. "Both sides ought to be properly taught ... so people can understand what the debate is about," read the transcripts, and also, "Part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought. ... You're asking me whether or not people ought to be exposed to different ideas, and the answer is yes." Bill Frist may not have a prayer when it comes to the 2008 election; after his stem cell speech, religious conservatives would rather see Hillary Clinton in the White House. Then again, he'll probably be running against another moderate, McCain maybe, so he might not be worried about it, or he might not want the job anyway. As far as the bellicose loudmouths who claim to speak for God, well, they've run their horse before in the race of national politics, back in 2000. His name is Gary Bauer, a former Reagan employee and a champion to religious conservatives everywhere. He dropped out nine months before the general election, not even as effective as Al Sharpton was for the Democrats. Just because someone screams the loudest doesn't mean they have anything to offer. Bill Frist used the language of reason, and spoke volumes about America's future, when the theocrats will be relegated back to the sidelines where they belong. Paul Heller 8/04/05 << back to the archives
	All site contents © 2005, Paul F. Heller