Quote of the day – Jeff Flake

“He who spends time passing trivial legislation may find himself out of time to read healthcare bill.” ~ Congressman Jeff Flake, on his vote against H.Res.784, a bill “honoring the 2560th anniversary of the birth of Confucius and recognizing his invaluable contributions to philosophy and social and political thought.”

(h/t Mark Thompson)

Jeff Flake is who I think of when I think of the future of the Republican Party – those rare moments I’m in an optimistic mood.  When I’m feeling cynical, of course, I think of Michelle Bachman.  Flake is from my home state of Arizona, and he’s one of the more interesting and certainly one of the more honest Congressmen in the country.  His position on Cuba – to end the nonsensical trade and travel restrictions – is sensible and against the grain of the majority of Congressional leadership in both parties.

Of course, due to his stance on immigration, his critical take on his own team, and his general sanity amidst what can only be described as a Republican party in shambles, GOP leadership has begun pushing him toward irrelevance.  Here’s a man who stands up for free markets, limited government, against economic sanctions and “against tying Mexicans to the hoods of pick-up trucks and driving them into the Rio Grande” as David Weigel put it – and somehow the leadership of his party isn’t aware of the potential he has for bringing about much-needed change.  It’s baffling.