Got a bunch of email this morning asking what I think of the whole Obama Heckled by Wilson thing.
Meh.
After the last nine years of watching the GOP Crazy Bus roll out of control further and further over the edge of reality, all I can say is, “What? You were expecting something else?”
The Republicans have lost their minds with fear. They’re afraid of everybody and everything. The GOP is like a small gibbering monkey. There isn’t any other way to put it, they are so terrified of a black man in the White House, so utterly terrified of a liberal and a Democrat, that they’re pissing their pants in abject fear like a small child locked in a dark room and far beyond any rational thought.
I think it’s long past time to worry about consensus.
Republicans, like Wilson, have had their chance to debate healthcare reform, instead of addressing their actual concerns – such as illegal aliens boogah boogah – they choose instead to gibber on about death panels and insane made up bullshit. Fuck ‘em. Ram it through. The Democrats have the majority and there’s Democratic President in the White House. Fuck the Goddamned Republicans, just ram the bill through and get on with it.
There’s no reasoning with crazy people.
I'm going to call Godwin on myself and say, I think Paul von Hindenburg also dismissed his opponents as scared radicals beyond any rational thought.
ReplyDeleteAnd having intoned Godwin on myself, I now revoke Godwin for the rest of the thread.
Politicians rank right down there with used-car salesmen and insurance adjustors when it comes to trust and perceived honesty. It’s not that fact that rankles as much as the appearance that nobody, least of all the politicians themselves, seems to care about changing that fact. What’s wrong with this picture?
ReplyDeleteSteve, I'm not suggesting that the president dismiss the Republicans. I'm suggesting that he stop trying to work with them.
ReplyDeleteI'll have a longer post up on this later
MikeB, diffusing this argument to the generic "Politicians" is missing the fact that the brand of lunacy Jim is outlining is pretty much endemic to the conservative wing at this point. Sure, there's enough crazy juice to go around, but this "discussion" of healthcare has pretty well tossed much of the conservative leadership over the ledge. (I believe FactCheck.org is running in the 10 to 1 posts of conservative to progressive articles on this "debate").
ReplyDeleteAlso, be careful about the whole "politicians" thing, you never know when one is lurking.
I honestly don't know which bothered me more -- Wilson's rude outburst (best tweet I saw in the aftermath was @politicalbaron's: I applaud Congressman Wilson and his brave battle with Tourettes) OR the Republicans who sat on their hands rather than standing up to denounce the "death panel" lies when the President gave them a chance.
ReplyDeleteAlso -- so many senators and congresspersons worked through their summer break to get a bill through committees -- and there's John Boehner sitting there with a tan George Hamilton would have envied. He's obviously got no intention of seeing a health care bill pass in his lifetime -- just so very insulting.
Sorry.
ReplyDeleteJohn Boehner - best name EVA!
Fair comment Steve: when it comes to politics it's all too easy to tar everyone with the same brush. The GOP does seem to have a pretty solid handle on "teh crazies" right now, it's a shame so few of them seem to realise that they can wind them up and let them go but can rarely do much to stop them if the need arises. I stand with Jim on the idea that he seems to be putting forward which, correct me if I'm wrong, is that the Democrats simply don't need the Republicans right now. For myself I'd say that seeking consensus when the opposing party is clearly insane is not really the best way to get a good solution.
ReplyDeleteI just had to drop in and tell you that I am totally smitten with your blog! It causes me to laugh out loud (in a good way)every time I read it.
ReplyDeleteMikeB, actually in the Senate the Democrats still need some Republican votes. While on paper they have a 60 vote super majority, in reality they've never had it since retaking power (Al Frankin was finally sworn in in July, but by then Kennedy was absent). And that 60 includes Spector, Lieberman and Sanders, not to mention the internal factioning of the Democratic Party (the problem of being the actual party of ideas and a big tent). But with the Frankin and now Kennedy issue, the Democrats in the Senate need at least one or two Republicans to go along with them (at this point it looks like Snowe and maybe Voinovich).
ReplyDeleteThe "but they have the majority" cry is just one of those compliments that is really an underhanded attack (with the compliment phrase, "so why can't they get anything done.") It's the same as the "read the bill" cry which ignores why representatives (and any executive) has staff and how work has actually been accomplished for the past two decades. It rings well with people who have just a basic civics class understanding of their government. Sure, it should work that way, but because of the pressures of fund raising, campaigning, research, constituent services, and all the day to day stuff, nobody could keep up with all of it by themselves. Again, that's the purpose of being an executive, you direct and delegate, you get reports, you make the decisions (and you're responsible for all those little things you've delegated).
This is rapidly turning into an intelligent conversation about politics. Who'da thunk it?
ReplyDeleteI took the advice of others and did read the bill. Does that make me a bad person? Or a Democrat?
It's pretty much what I'd been lead to expect which probably explains why the right has never risen about using polemic and violence, both verbal and physical to oppose it.
However I must also comment that Wilson's fundraising efforts after his display in the House just go to prove my original diatribe about politicians (or certain politicians to shade the point) seeming to care nothing about how poor their public perception has become.