Wide Stance

Larry Craig is reconsidering his resignation. Publius comments:

So that brings us to Larry Craig. It’s clear that Craig’s de-resignation would be very bad news for the national party. The question I’m struggling with is why Craig should give a damn. Watching decades-long friends turn on you in a day has a way of clarifying things. (See also Joe Lieberman). The national leadership acted fast to strip him of power and push him out. But . . . there’s one power they can’t strip – they can’t force him out of the Senate. Only the people of Idaho can do that. And only in 2008. If he resigns now, it would basically be for the good of the GOP. But again, if they’ve written him off and turned on him and denounced him, why should he care? The GOP's efforts to push him out have re-aligned pre-party incentives (i.e., structural incentives that predated the rise of political parties). Craig’s calculation now has nothing to do with the national party and everything to do with the people of his state (see also Joe Lieberman). And even if his state doesn't support him, why shouldn't he stay just for meanness? What exactly does he owe the GOP these days, anyway?