A Rubber Stamp in a Suit: Why Trump Picked Oz

At The Hill, Gene Marks makes his case for electing tele-quack Mehmet Oz to the Senate. His closing sentence is just about all you need to know: "Mehmet Oz would be a terrible senator. That's why I'm voting for him."

Nevertheless, and aside from reminding me of Jill Biden's rousing swallow a little bit endorsement of her own husband for President, the piece contains the following interesting observation about Oz:

Image by Aleksey Boev, via Unsplash, license.

[B]ased on what I've seen of Oz's shallowness, the man would be so romanced by his newfound national stature and so desperate to maintain it that he would do whatever is necessary for his party to support him going forward. That means rubber-stamping any position the Republican Party takes... [bold added]

Think about that for a moment.

Within Marks's context, this is a good argument, and it will persuade lots of voters who are (and should be!) worried about Oz's far-left opponent. Maybe, in the short-term, as a means of keeping the Biden Administration in check, this is the lesser of two evils.

But longer term? This is ghastly. Even if I agreed with Donald Trump (not possible, since his positions are incoherent as a whole) and wanted him to become President again (I definitely do not.), I would not want a Congress filled with rubber stamps in suits.

In particular, the Senate is supposed to be a deliberative body, where hastiness is recognized as folly in most cases, and other minds are brought to bear on the questions of the day -- hence advice and consent, that common phrase denoting the advisory role of the Senate.

Set the blathering Trump aside: Even if we could bring George Washington back from the dead, I'd want him to be able to avail himself of good advice. I suspect Washington would want as much, too.

It speaks volumes of Trump that he was hoping to turn the Senate into his own fan club/candy shop instead. See also: Herschel Walker and J.D. Vance as well as any Republican Senator who has folded like a cheap lawn chair when in disagreement with Trump.

-- CAV