Thursday, September 18, 2008

Republicans Are Upset With Themselves

And they should be. Stumbled across this article here where congressional republicans are upset because they “they don’t feel like they understand the coherent strategy” of the Bush administration in regards to this financial debacle. Welcome to my world, congressional republicans. I don’t think anyone on mother Earth, including Bush, understands his strategy on anything; but I’m glad to see a trace of concern aimed at republicans by republicans. It’s heart-warming to a confused and concerned conservaliberal like myself.

Somehow, some way, the die hard and hopelessly indoctrinated right wingers among us are blaming – you guessed it – the democrats for this economic free fall that is shrinking our 401Ks and poo-pooing the FICO score of the United States government (which, by the way, will lead to all kinds of fun things in the future). I’m still new enough to politics for this to be surprising to me, so cut me some slack here. I’m still trying to adjust myself to the reality that politicians work from the standing assumption that the American public is a herd of blindfolded, tranquilized cattle. I’m becoming hip to the fact that some portion of us are indeed just that and another large portion are just blind, unquestioning, partisan loyalists. And then, perhaps worst of all, is another percentage who are indeed quite bright and informed but just can’t bring themselves to admit when they’ve been wrong and who can’t change their position despite being buried in a mountain of crushing evidence against them. Pride, you say? It’s an ugly thing.

No matter your political party you have to admit that McCain has one hell of a quandary in trying to get elected as a republican amidst the wreckage left in the wake of a republican white house and – until the last two years – a republican congress. Let’s be honest here, running your campaign on the theme of “change” and “reform” is kind of like admitting that you messed up and will promise to do better next time. Either McCain did or did not vote in tandem with Bush 90% of the time, and folks, it’s pretty gall darned (trying to avoid sounding ‘elitist’) obvious that he did. I mean, that’s on record, right? You can’t just blame all of the inconvenient facts on the liberal media. Maybe McCain was being a maverick that other 10% of the time but that’s a piss poor track record if I may say so myself, even by government standards.

McCain’s got a lot of experience as a politician, I’ll give him that. In fact, with all that time in office he’s had every chance in the world to make good decisions and take action to avoid history-making disasters like this one. But here we are, six of the last eight years dominated by republican leadership and a case history of lack of regard for fiscal responsibility and, arguably, a lack of regard for human life. The results speak for themselves, do they not?

McCain always seems a little uncomfortable to me, and who could blame him. If he ever was a maverick, and if there is an ounce of integrity and self-honesty that remains, transforming into the very thing he claims to be against has to be a painful undertaking. I kind of feel bad for him. But with all those houses I’m sure he’ll be fine.

The more America comes to her senses the worse McCain’s prospects become. It’s already starting now. The economic cattle prod is moving to and fro across the once green pastures and the herd is stirring. It’s high time for a little introspection on the part of republican politicians. I’ve let go of the naïve idea that anyone will take responsibility to what has become of America the apathetic. But I do know who has been running the show for eight years now, and so does anyone else who can read, write, and use the grown-ups potty. This does not – cannot - bode well for a republican campaign.

McCain is tripping all over himself this week and would do well to just take the rest of the week off and go camping or maybe moose hunting with his running mate, avoiding any form of media and any more opportunities to do or say anything stupid.

But even that wouldn’t postpone the inevitable.

3 comments:

notamobster said...

Very nice, Ben. Well articulated, and directly to the point. McCain was at the center of the last major banking disaster (S&L), to the tune of $165bn taxpayer dollars. If you've never googled the 'Keating 5', give er hell... It'll set in stone your decision to not vote for McSame.

Oh, for God's sake, the man had as his senior economic advisor - the man who chaired the Senate banking comittee, which deregulated the banking industry and got this whole ball rolling (who coincidentally, was and is still a paid lobbyist for the banking industry - but then, we're just a nation of whiners).

Ben There said...

It sounds like that Keating 5 thing is what gave McCain a conscience for awhile. Of course, all that absolutely had to change to get the backing of real republicans who have the money and pull to actually get someone elected.

I recently found out that alot of the bills that get passed through the legislature are actually written by LOBBYISTS! Not by way of influence or suggestion but literally written and crafted by lobbyist. It's gone wrong man, very very wrong.

The only way it will change is through harsh wake up calls like we are seeing right now. That's the upside to all of this madness. Either way, it's fascinating to me. Greed, of course, is at the heart of it all and is not monopolized by either political party. Republicans just seem to see it as a virtue and democrats see it as a vice. Maybe that's a little simplistic but still.

Thanks for the comment. I still haven't heard back from Les about that one essay I want to get for you. I'll bug him about again tomorrow.

notamobster said...

you should check out
www.downsizedc.com

gives you a convenient way to contact your elected officials about hot-button issues. they post new/pending legislation and motivate folks from the ground up.
10's of thousands flooding congress at once really goes a long way. We've had some good successes. (Make sure to sign up for the email newsletter, if you choose to join)