Saying the quiet part out loud in explaining why he was voting against the party line (but only when his vote wouldn't make a difference in the outcome, but would make him look good in his district and make him appear to be somewhat moderate and rational).
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...Speaking before a gathering of self-proclaimed moderate Republicans, Reichert curiously attempts to explain away his own voting record, by recounting a rambling anecdote about a conservative voter who complained about his alleged moderation:
Now, I said, “You know what sir, that would be a huge mistake, and here’s why.’ (I wanted to explain to this person how things work back in Washington, D.C., and why certain votes have to be taken.)
Sometimes the leadership comes to me and says, “Dave, we want you to vote a certain way.’ Now, they know I can do that over here, that I have to do that over here. In other districts, that’s not a problem, but here I have to be able to be very flexible in where I place my votes. Because the big picture here is, keep this seat, keep the majority, keep the country moving forward with Republican ideals, especially on the budget, on protecting our troops, on protecting this country. Right? Being responsible with taxpayer dollars. All of those things. That’s the big picture. Not the vote I place on ANWAR that you may not agree with, or the vote that I place on protecting salmon.”
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As one Republican elected official who was in the audience that day incredulously told me:
“Of course we understand that strategy… but you don’t come right out and say it in public!”
And on camera, no less. See what I mean when I say that even Reichert’s fellow Republicans think he’s an idiot?
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See http://horsesass.org/reichert-house-leaders-tell-me-how-to-vote/ for more on the slimy backstory on this, from as far back as 2006.
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