The democrats spent the day yesterday embarrassing themselves by crowing endlessly about the republicans “backing down” by deciding they would go ahead and agree with the senate and allow an extension of the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits for two months while both parties put their heads together and figure out what they want to do about these issues long term. Hey democrats; this is the first time all year you’ve manage to win one of these pissing matches and you wouldn’t have won this one if the powers in the republican party hadn’t relentlessly body slammed Boner and Cantor until even they finally had to grasp the enormity of their misjudgment.
The simple truth is Boner and Cantor don’t fear the democrats any more than they fear an asteroid hitting the earth. They have had you by the nuts for a year and only released their grip because they were so wrong even Newt Gingrich criticized them – at least until he changed his mind the next day. Democrats should knock off the “Neener, neener, neeeener” crap and move on. You’re still a long way from winning the hearts and minds of anyone so you should shut the hell up, have an egg nog or two and get back to work or the treacherous scum will drive you into the sea by the middle of February.
Very interesting news also announced today as the Justice Department has decided to block enforcement of the voter suppression legislation enacted by those zany rebels of South Carolina. When Governor Nikki Haley’s head stopping revolving and she was finally able to produce coherent sentences she called the move “outrageous”, clearly missing the irony of a classic “pot, kettle, black” moment. The blatant and unconstitutional attempt to disenfranchise minority and student voters as a part of the nationwide republican backdoor coup d’tat has been begging for a good grand jury investigation and Haley’s bleating claim of victimization is laughable. She should consider herself lucky that she’s not in handcuffs.
The nasty, bitter truth about Iraq may be coming to the surface like a bloated drowning victim as today bombs went off across Baghdad killing nearly 70 people at first count. It appears that it was not random acts of terrorism – Maliki has spent the time since the last American troops crossed into Kuwait rounding up prominent Sunni members of the government and shattering the fragile notion of tribal cooperation as surely as if he drop-kicked his favorite crystal hookah across Liberation Square. You can bet that each such spasms of horrible, tragic violence will be accompanied by a drumbeat of chicken hawk republican criticism of Obama for following through with the withdrawal of US troops.
Ironically they seem to know that the public had long ago decided that Bush’s Folly was a really bad idea and the sooner we can get the hell out of there, the better. And they also know that our agreement – so skillfully carved out by Dubbya and his cabal of Neo-con geniuses – calls for us to get out. On some level I am sure they can do the math and figure out that a trillion dollars and 4,500 dead American soldiers was a high price to pay for digging Saddam out of his rat hole and leading him to the gallows. Yet they can’t help themselves; if there is an opportunity to throw spit-balls from the back of class to make the other kids laugh at the teacher, they’re going to do it. It’s the reflexive “soft on defense” argument they routinely trotted out and used to pummel peace-nik liberals since Nixon and since the country always seems to fall for it, here it comes again. (Poor Harry Reid looks like someone has been routinely pummeling him since about 2005) Given that a significant number of voters – and it’s almost embarrassing to say this – believe Obama is some kind of Muslim infiltrator from Africa by way of Illinois, democrats need to keep on message about it and stress the happy scenes of delirious relatives meeting exhausted troops coming home for Christmas and beyond and not let republicans hijack the narrative.
Chubby history professor Newt Gingrich failed to qualify for the Virginia primary, a natural outgrowth of the mass defection of his campaign staff a couple of months ago when it appeared that he was more interested in canoodling with Calista than actually running for president, a worthy fate for the self-proclaimed man of big ideas. Instead of flaunting his historical perspective like a flasher yanking open his raincoat maybe Newt ought to concentrate on the little things; like getting enough signatures to get on the ballot. Of course he blamed “the system” for excluding him and fellow republican bright light Rick “Where’s Virginia again?” Perry, who also couldn’t come up with the 10,000 legitimate signatures required. Never mind that the requirement has been there since Thomas Jefferson was running in Virginia – Newt and his campaign staff of middle school volunteers was still taken by surprise and unable to fulfill the requirement despite numerous car washes and bake sales held throughout the state. And Perry was last seen going door to door through the Orlando area in Florida with the South Carolina petition in hand, scaring the shit out of blue-haired Floridians already suffering from near terminal confusion. His staff released a statement from the South Carolina capitol, saying “We were confident that Governor Perry would qualify but unfortunately he lost count when he got to 3,800 and never recovered.”
Finally, my last post before Christmas wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t thank Santa in advance for what appears to be his gift of my fondest wish. Yes, it seems possible that both Sarah Palin and Donald Trump will barge back into the country’s political consciousness in the new year since both have been seen circling the stumbling herd of current republican candidates like vultures around a dried up water hole. Trump can’t keep his disturbing mug out of the news and surprised Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and many other black political leaders this week by saying he’s always had “good luck with the blacks”, a typical grandiose Trump statement that manages to be insulting and completely incomprehensible at the same time.
At the same time as Trump was humiliating himself on cable, publicity whore Palin kept popping up on Faux News as if she is some kind of republican Yoda, stammering her usual garbled political strategy and philosophy and hinting – the little flirt – that “there’s still time; anyone could get in the race – you never know”. Media types starving for something interesting sifted through that and came up with, “Palin may still enter race!!!!” , causing joyous celebration at Jon Stewart’s house and filling my own heart with joy and the fleeting thought that “maybe this whole baby Jesus thing is legit…”
From my side of the fence, I would like to wish everyone who may stumble across this site a happy holiday season, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Blessed Kwanza etc., and may the druids dance naked across your lawn and frighten your children in celebration of the solstice. See you on the other side…
I, for one, look forward to that druid dance...(E.D.)
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