Earlier today, Senator Tim Kaine singled out Rep. Scott Rigell on the John Fredericks show as a Republican who was willing to solve problems and willing to move past ideology. That sentiment rings true in this outstanding piece in the National Journal.
I didn’t know it at the time but I had happened to catch Rigell at his career’s most important hour, precisely as he sought to extricate himself from a political vise. On the federal budget and guns, Rigell stayed true to his conservative roots but had the uncommon audacity to insist upon facts, reason, and common sense.
And for that, he was punished.
This column is not just about Rigell. This one House member’s tale is sadly emblematic of what ails Washington today: hyper-partisanship in politics and new media; powerful and unaccountable interest groups; vast amounts of undocumented money; and a Congress corrupted by the system.
It’s well worth the read.
