The Senescent Man

From yesterday's WSJ Editorial Page (paid online subscription required):

Senate Democrats managed to keep the death tax on life support yesterday, prevailing on a vote to break a filibuster by 57-41. The only two Republicans to oppose repeal were George Voinovich of Ohio and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who sometimes seems to want to lose his primary this year.

This will be relatively good political news for the Laffey campaign, that is, that Chafee has once again sided unnecessarily with Democrats on an issue for which he really doesn't have any good reason to side with them.

When Chafee does these things, he further perplexes the Republican base; but the reason I think he does such things is because there are two aspects to the Chafee psyche that seemed to be ingrained and tough to refute.

1. The man is a quintessential pacifist and
2. He's never come across a tax increase that he dislikes.

I think the reason for this is his aristocratic upbringing. Since he can afford to pay taxes, he must think everyone can. Since he can afford to be unrealistic about war when we're attacked, he can afford to be an appeaser and a pacifist.

It's not personal, but it is not Republican either. The Wall Street Journal thinks he can't connect the dots when they say "he sometimes wants to lose his primary." But I don't think he's ever been able to connect the dots.