The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat: Interview with Sen. Zell Miller
November 18, 2003
Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) has been making waves his entire career, but he’s tipping the boat in his latest book, “A National Party No More: The Conscience of a Conservative Democrat.”
Nicknamed “Maverick Miller” by sneering liberals and smitten conservatives alike, the conservative Southern Democrat has tweaked the nose of the Democratic Party twice more, first by lambasting the party in his highly critical book and second by endorsing George W. for president.
He says that both decisions come straight from his conscience. The Democratic leadership is out of touch with America, and especially the South. They ignore one-third of the country and use Southern conservative Democrats to push their Northern liberal agendas.
Miller is tired of being the token conservative in a party of liberals. And now he’s speaking out. Townhall.com spoke to Sen. Miller about his recent book and his endorsement of President Bush.
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Townhall: There’s been a lot of attention lately regarding your endorsement of George Bush—and judging from your book your decision isn’t all that surprising—talk to me about the political fallout from your announcement. Is it having the effect you intended?
Miller: I didn’t have any intentions. I hadn’t expected to say anything about who I was going to vote for president until later. I was naïve to think that I wouldn’t be asked. One of the first questions reporters asked me when they read my book was “Who are you going to support for president?” I have known my vote for several months now as I have watched the Democratic candidates.
Townhall: So George W. has a good grasp of things?
Miller: I am very comfortable with George Bush for president. I like his down-to-earth way of doing things. I also identify with him when it comes to tax cuts—he doesn’t always have his hand in someone else’s pocket.
I am a Marine and I like the way this man understands the price of freedom. He can look the American people in the eyes.
Townhall: You write in your book that you’re sickened by the way the current Democratic candidates pander to special interest groups. How should the Democratic Party divorce itself from these groups?
Miller: Returning to the center has been done before. I think the best example is John F. Kennedy, a man who carried Georgia by a larger percentage than Massachusetts! He did this because he came off strong on national security and taxes. Bill Clinton was another such leader. Like him or not, before he took office he talked the right talk.
Townhall: Are there any political advocacy organizations—special interests, so to speak—in Washington that you admire?
Miller: I understand that they all have a role and most of them want to do good things, and most of them represent good people, but they all want a large chunk of the budget. They should understand their role.
Townhall: How can Democratic leaders reach Southerners?
Miller: They have to take the time to learn about the modern South. They see it as the land of magnolias and mint juleps, but that South is gone with the wind. Look, fifteen Southeastern states have a combined economy that ranks the third largest in the world, behind only the United States as a whole and Japan. Its population is far greater than New England. Georgia alone has the seventeenth-largest economy in the world. This region is not the backwoods our party leadership seems to think it is.
Townhall: What about Howard Dean’s recent comment about how Democrats need to advertise with confederate flags to attract Southerners?
Miller: It really shows what I’m trying to say in my book—that the Democrats have no idea what the modern South is. Yes, the modern South has pickups and confederate flags, but it is also the fastest growing, most vibrant area of the country.
Townhall: You come across as an intensely practical man in your politics, and yet you hold many deep convictions. Would you call yourself more of a pragmatist or an idealist?
Miller: I don’t know. All I know is I’m not a partisan.
Townhall: More philosophically, you call yourself a conservative Democrat. You’ve made it clear why you’re a Democrat. Could you explain what it means to be conservative?
Miller: I think that it means that you respect a person’s hard earned money. Right now the taxpayer works for four months out of the year just to pay for government. Conservatives want to change that and leave more money in the pockets of the common man.
Conservatives are strong on national defense. In recent years, the Democratic Party has been the party that doesn’t want to pay the price to defend this country. It’s conservatives who know where freedom came from and that it has a high price both in lives and in high-priced spending.
Townhall: I know you’ve taught at a number of universities throughout Georgia. Would you ever consider returning to teaching after your Senate term is up?
Miller: I’m so old I don’t even buy green bananas anymore! I don’t know what I’ll do when I retire. I’ll probably return home and teach at Young Harris College.
Matthew T. Joe
townhall.com |
