Jan Ireland
December 18, 2003
Porcupine RINOs
By Jan Ireland

Porcupine RINOs swish their tails a bit, if you do something irritating. But heaven help you if you actually make them mad, because they're apt to shoot the whole bunch. Of quills, that is, and right between your eyes. Don't cross a Porcupine RINO, especially if your intent is to reveal an unpleasant truth, unless you're ready for a full-tilt personal assault.

Porcupine Republicans in Name Only sadly are deficient in the personal responsibility gene. It's unlikely they're going to go looking for that virtue on their own, so perhaps counselors across America could offer purchasable gift certificates. Giving those in bulk to our Porcupine RINOs would be preferable to the wholesale damage to the truth process that occurs when they escape their handlers and wander around on their own.

The biggest offenders are the Clinton converts. They stepped over to conservatism when the muck of liberal extremism became too deep even for them. But stepping over to conservatism is not working your way up to it, so the Porcupine grasp of conservative precepts is tenuous.

Liberalism flails its way along emotionally, reacting to whatever it feels or thinks it should feel. Conservatism evolves over time in a continual process of reason and thought. Porcupine RINOs never walk that road, and so react with emotional blasts when confronted with their shortcomings.

The feel-good carrots of liberalism have left Porcupine RINOs convinced that just about everything ought to be a right. They tend to go through life expecting to be rewarded, and try to make conservatism fit that mold. This makes them prime candidates for manipulation by the democrats they thought they had left behind.

Porcupine habits die hard. When an old democrat buddy comes calling for a contribution, or help with a fundraiser, or just one little thing they need help with for old time's sake — the Porcupine RINOs are jelly. They're like sheep being reherded by democrat dogs. They do as asked, without sufficient regard for ethics or outcome.

It's hard for Porcupine RINOs to resist these democrat forays, because they still have so much in common with democrats. Instead of viewing the solicitation as a violation of ethics, they see it as an expression of likeability. They decide to make a "personal" choice, for a friend, who's done so much for them. They speak of loyalty as an important trait. They stress free speech as a right to all, and self-determination as the reason they made their choice.

And it is certainly their choice to make. Unfortunately, many make it after they have finagled their way into positions of responsibility or visibility. Party officers, club officeholders, visible community workers known to be Republicans — these people have a greater obligation to avoid conflicts of interest. But these are exactly the people unscrupulous democrats seek out. What the Porcupine RINO thinks is one little favor helping an old friend across the aisle — will be the highlight of the democrat stump speech come election time.

The Porcupine RINO will have shot all his quills, and not even known someone else was pulling the trigger.

© Jan Ireland

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