I am not sure Rodney Davis deserves a political epitaph. His political career was defined by blandness, so he wouldn’t complain. His time in the Congress served as the rank and file Party soldier, he tried at all cost to avoid any controversy while making sure to create enough inconsequential partisan babble to remain in good standing with the Fox News clientele. Emergence of the Trump-style politics (personified locally by Mary “Hitler was right” Miller) obliterated that niche, to nobody’s chagrin.
Even Davis’ family is happy, and not because their pater familias is finally home, – he is not. As befits a principled “we need limited government, Washington is broken” politician, Davis jumped on the opportunity to make good money off the collusion between interest groups and federal government he lamented for his long, long years in the Congress. As Politico reports, Rodney Davis lands on K Street, for now as a manager, and in a year, as a lobbyist.
Bland career, boring riches, – good riddance, Mr. Davis.
What I really wanted to write here is how the Champaign-Urbana paper of record, The News-Gazette kept endorsing Mr Davis, cycle after cycle after cycle:
Davis for Congress | Editorials | news-gazette.com Oct 2012:
The News-Gazette endorses Davis because, in our opinion, his conservative views are more in sync with the sprawling district that runs from Urbana to the Missouri border.
Re-elect Davis | Editorials | news-gazette.com Oct 2016
The News-Gazette is endorsing Davis for a third term. He has been energetic and attentive in addressing the concerns of his sprawling district, which runs from Urbana to the Missouri border near St. Louis.
Editorial | For the 13th Congressional District: Rodney Davis news-gazette.com Oct 2018
As it has in the past, The News-Gazette is endorsing Davis for re-election. He’s been a diligent representative of the district’s interests, particularly on the agricultural front. Although he’s the target of regular vilification by his political opponents in Champaign-Urbana, Davis is more in tune ideologically with his massive rural and small-town constituents1“massive rural and small-town constituents”, huh… I have no idea why NG resorted to body-shaming. I know conservatives like that “sorry facts don’t care about hurt your feelings” style, but this insult seems gratuitous. than Londrigan.
What strikes me here is the notion that Davis is aligned ideologically with the rural Illinoisans. Mr. Davis spent all of his adult life (till Trumpists ousted him this year) working for the government, – first, a short stint working for the Illinois Governor, then as a staffer for the US Rep. John Shimkus2another former US Representative who bade farewell to his beloved sprawling district, and became a lobbyist in that hated Washington, DC., then as a US Representative himself. Now, in private business, he’ll earn his (sizable piece of) daily bread by influencing the US Government on behalf of moneyed interests.
I guess the News-Gazette is saying that Davis’ constituents are moochers, leeching on the federal government? It is true that rural Illinois receives way more from the state and the federal governments than it contributes to the budget. But this kind of confession is a bit too much even for this sad, rapidly declining outlet that the News-Gazette is.
PS: Google keeps sending me news about the sleazy lobbyist. Like this one: before being kicked out of the Congress by Mary “Hitler was right” Miller, Mr. Davis introduced a bill aiming to penalize cities and counties allowing unwashed non-citizens to vote. Sure thing, – only Aryans who spent all of their lives sucking off this proud nation tits (like himself) should be allowed to have a say. Lowly taxpayers like me, shouldn’t.