The Un-New Democrat

Unfortunately for the techies, some Democrats are not following the new program. Even more unfortunately, one of these Democrats is the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. South Carolina’s Ernest “Fritz” Hollings is a proud protectionist, an eager regulator, and a steadfast ally of the trial lawyers. To the extent that the high-tech industry supported Democrats, it helped Hollings get his chairmanship. He is now returning the favor by stiffing the industry’s agenda. When the Information Technology Industry Council gave out its most recent ratings, most senators scored above 80 percent. Hollings came in dead last, at 45 percent.

The 80-year-old senator is generally indulged, seen as a colorful character at best or a harmless joke at worst. When he gets in the news, it is often because of some outrageous remark. In 1993 Hollings explained why African “potentates” went to international conferences: “Rather than eating each other, they’d just come up and get a good square meal in Geneva.” His candor, or maybe just his nastiness, lets him say things that his colleagues do not—such as that Strom Thurmond, the man who has made Hollings the longest-serving junior senator in history, is “not mentally keen” and is using the Senate as a “nursing home.” Hollings dispenses with a lot of the contemporary politician’s cant. In his last campaign, he said his Republican opponent was “a goddamned skunk” who could “kiss my fanny.”

About the Author

Ramesh Ponnuru

Ramesh Ponnuru is the editor of National Review, a columnist for the Washington Post, and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Featured Tags

Unfortunately for the techies, some Democrats are not following the new program. Even more unfortunately, one of these Democrats is the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. South Carolina’s Ernest “Fritz” Hollings is a proud protectionist, an eager regulator, and a steadfast ally of the trial lawyers. To the extent that the high-tech industry supported Democrats, it helped Hollings get his chairmanship. He is now returning the favor by stiffing the industry’s agenda. When the Information Technology Industry Council gave out its most recent ratings, most senators scored above 80 percent. Hollings came in dead last, at 45 percent.

The 80-year-old senator is generally indulged, seen as a colorful character at best or a harmless joke at worst. When he gets in the news, it is often because of some outrageous remark. In 1993 Hollings explained why African “potentates” went to international conferences: “Rather than eating each other, they’d just come up and get a good square meal in Geneva.” His candor, or maybe just his nastiness, lets him say things that his colleagues do not—such as that Strom Thurmond, the man who has made Hollings the longest-serving junior senator in history, is “not mentally keen” and is using the Senate as a “nursing home.” Hollings dispenses with a lot of the contemporary politician’s cant. In his last campaign, he said his Republican opponent was “a goddamned skunk” who could “kiss my fanny.”