A new battle cry for fed up Americans

By Russ Vaughn

Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform, used an expression yesterday that should become the battle cry of all Americans fed up with Washington politicians who arrogantly refuse to listen to the wishes of those who elected them to office.

"This is not about a fight inside Washington," said Grover Norquist, head of the organization. "This is a fight between those ruling Washington and the rest of the country."

"We want to be sure that any member who votes in contempt of their constituents knows they will lose the next election," Norquist said.

Now there's a charge to be leveled at any sitting senator or representative that should resound with the electorate as well as the arrogant officeholder. "We the people find you in contempt of your constituents, and therefore unfit to continue serving in the office to which we elected you."

Recall of an elected official is a cumbersome business; voting them out is far less so. But what that always boils down to is a lack of specifics as to why a particular politician should be tossed out on his butt. With one simple phrase, Norquist has given us a rallying cry and a justifying charge of generalized misconduct without having to enumerate all the various and sundry insults and violations.

We the people find you in contempt of your constituents, and therefore unfit to continue serving in the office to which we elected you.

It's about time that those elitists inside the beltway felt the blowback heat of that contempt for us that they seem to acquire once they have been anointed into that august body where but a two-year period of service earns a very generous lifetime pension and executive medical benefits unto the grave. It's time to reverse the charge of "In contempt of Congress," to "In contempt of your constituents."

This is a message we should begin sending every sitting Democrat who supports Obama's health care reform, for it is indeed contempt for our wishes that keeps this misconceived, oversized, poorly stitched together, legislative Frankenstein monster alive. And, yes indeed, there are more than a few Republicans who qualify to be charged with contempt as well.

You know, it almost has the ring of something the Founding Fathers might have declared: