Snowe Lands one for Indecision

I am just loving the front page article in today's Washington Post on Sen. Olympia Snowe, Republican of Maine.  Of course I pretty much love anyone from Maine because that's where Brother Rupert lives, but Snowe's waffling on health care reform should be a model for indesisive people everywhere.  Needless to say, I've been known to noodle around a decision or two until I am incapable of any level of sound reasoning -- but with Snowe's strategy, I'm thinking that I may just be on to something.

The brilliance of Snowe's indecision is that "...for the past several months, (she) has been unable - or unwilling - to take a position on health-care legislation.  The longer she held out, the more concessions Democrats made to win her over...."  She refused to make up her mind, complaning of this and that in the bill until the Dems drafted it to her liking -- sort of.  She said  "Is this bill all that I would want?  Is it all that it can be? No, but when history calls, history calls."  She voted for the bill, the only Republican to vote with Democrats, but added a warning:  "My vote today is my vote today.  It doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow."  Way to keep 'em guessing, Senator!!

The piece, written with outstanding color ("Snowe forecasts" and "Mount Olympia" -- just lots of great puns and word plays) by reporter Dana Milbank, goes on to explain exactly how Snowe gained control over the legislation, and what it means for the future of the bill.

 But what I love about Snowe's strategy is that in refusing to take a position, she showed true power and skill - she negociated by non-decision, "They've got me voting yes, preserving my leverage.  Voting no, preserving my leverage."  How often does someone who can't make up their mind have leverage and power?

In my world, indecision shows weakness and lack of information; a waffling that looks to someone else to decide.  But I'm reading Snowe like:  I'm going to take my time to decide, get YOU to throw out the parts of the puzzle that feel wrong to me, and by the way, I won't cave just because you are pressuring me. She takes the adage "I'll need to sleep on it," (a parent's saving last words) and expands it to "I'll let you know when I am good and ready, when I have all the facts, and when the facts fit what I am trying to accomplish."

BOOM!

 Let's hang in there, Olympia, and get what we need:  America wants your indecision!

Find the article on:
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101301771.html