ROCK-SALT STUPIDITY…. I can appreciate the fact that the right isn’t happy with Sen. Olympia Snowe’s (R-Maine) support for health care reform in the Senate Finance Committee. It’s much harder to appreciate what at least one prominent, far-right activist has recommended to register conservative frustration.
RedState’s Erick Erickson came up with this brilliant idea.
Olympia Snowe has sold out the country. Having been banished to our world after Aslan chased her out of Narnia, Snowe is intent on corrupting this place too.
So we should melt her.
What melts snow? Rock salt.
I’m going to ship this 5 pound bag of rock salt to her office in Maine…. It is a visible demonstration of our contempt for her. First she votes for the stimulus. Now this. It’s time to melt Snowe.
As John Cole noted, this seems to be some kind of commercial endeavor for Erickson — he wants readers to buy the rock salt through his Amazon store.
My first thought was the same as Atrios’: “Surely there’s no problem with sending large quantities of a white somewhat powdery substance to Senate offices…”
My second was to wonder what this little stunt hoped to prove. A right-wing blogger who isn’t a Snowe constituent has sent rock salt to a Senate office — a package that the senator will never see — even if sent to a district office in Maine.* He wants others, most of whom will also not be Snowe constituents, to do the same. None of these packages will ever actually reach Snowe.
And then what? The Republican senator will be vaguely aware of the fact that right-wing activists don’t approve of her moderation? I’m pretty sure she knows that already. Is this supposed to influence Snowe’s issue positions? Is she likely to think, “Well, I was going to vote for this bill, but some folks outside Maine sent me rock salt so perhaps I’ll reconsider”?
* edited for clarify
Update: An astute observer reminds me, “Sen. Snowe can probably make a lot of her constituents happy by distributing free bags of rock salt this winter. Thus boosting her re-election prospects?”
