17 | January | 2013 | Existential Ennui

Tags

Congress, Corptocracy, GOP, gun control, political parties, the NRA

As we pointed out a couple of days ago, the public is pretty darn clear about what they are in favor of. The President laid out a number of items that are in total agreement with the opinions of the electorate.

Boehner has passed, suggesting that he will do nothing until the Senate puts forth something. And the usual GOP southern white congress sheep are falling in line with the now-lunatic sounding NRA.

They keep saying the same stupid thing–I will oppose anything that takes away the impinges upon 2nd Amendment rights.

Well, gee, nobody is talking about taking away anyone’s second amendment rights.

The GOP once again seems more than willing to screw the majority of citizens in their worship of the fringe crazies out there who make no bones about why they need their military style weapons–they are going to have to repel the US Army when it comes to take their guns. These people are simply delusional and the sooner they are ignored the better. They of course didn’t squeak when the same legislation was passed in the 90’s. It’s only now, and it’s only this President. It is all about racism. It’s about nothing else.

Meanwhile the NRA places its latest tone-deaf ad on the TV, featuring the secret security protection afforded the Obama children and asks why aren’t “your children” valued as much? Oh perhaps it’s because YOU don’t receive 100 death threats a day. YOU aren’t the representative of all this is right and all that is WRONG with America. YOU aren’t BLACK. And so you’re children aren’t at risk, except to the random violence that threatens us all. How many millions would it take? You do know it would be irrational don’t you?

And while we are at it–in your thirst to sell guns to all those you have scared witless: Um, ever see a picture of Ronald Reagan being shot?

You say that the answer to guns is more guns, in more hands.

Look at the picture.

How many guns are surrounding the President here?

Huh?

Something like 8 or more.

Against one guy.

He managed to shoot how many?

Shaddup.

I’m reading It’s Even Worse Than It Looks by Mann and Ornstein. They are 30-year watchers of Washington, working respectively at the Brookings and American Institute. They trace the intractable condition of Washington to Newt Gingrich to a great degree. There are other reasons, but he stands out. Newt came to Congress in 1979. He bemoaned that Congress had been in the hands of the Democrats for over 24 years. He wanted to change that. He determined that the way to do that was to make Congress unworkable, by simply blocking everything. Only then, he thought might the citizens let go of their pet representatives and vote in new blood–blood he would control.

And he accomplished it by and large.

From Frontline, I learned that then retired Congressman Gingrich, met on the day of President’s Obama’s first inauguration with Cantor, McCarthy, Ryan, and other Congressional Republicans and determined that the way to regain power was to stonewall EVERYTHING Obama would try to do. An e-mail subsequently went forth to that effect, giving all Republicans their orders.

When the President presented a package of stimulus that included much that the GOP had supported in years past, he was met with a stonewall of nos to everything. No exceptions.

Boehner and Obama met secretly for weeks. Boehner agreed to tax increases in return for cuts in spending. The President offered significant cuts in Medicare and Medicaid. A deal was fairly struck. Boehner went to his caucus. He then failed to return any calls. He then called a press conference and said the President “was not serious” about the debt problem. In reality his teabagging jackasses had told him to go fly a kite.

During the health care debate, Mitch McConnell ordered members of the committee working on the legislation, to keep talking, but to make NO agreements. They were to pretend to be engaged, all the while they were only to drag on the discussions as long as possible hoping to destroy any legislation.

What is striking about all this is that these men admit this stuff with candor. They are not ashamed. They are not embarrassed to be found out. They think that it is legitimate that their ONLY consideration is their own power. There is NO mention in any of their discussions about the welfare of the American people–that is until their get their faces in front of cameras. Then it’s all about what the American people demand.

The Democrats are not blameless. They responded to some of Gingrich’s shenanigans such as grabbing the C-Span time (usually used to read in speeches to be included in the Congressional Record) and making outrageous speeches against traitorous Democrats to an empty floor, by cutting off amendments and debate. They responded in kind to the attempts to make them look bad.

Now we live in a world where the Congress is a joke.

It’s beyond a joke. It’s a travesty of self-interest–none of it aimed at the welfare of the American people. All are in the pay of massive corporations. The difference is minor, but important. Republicans politicians don’t care what business does to the workforce. They are part of the elite, and figure they are due that, and the rest of us are due what we have. We are not the fittest, we have sunk to our level which is worker drones.

The Democrats? They are beholden to the corporate interests as well. The only difference is that they see that a downtrodden worker class will eventually resist. Decent wages, decent health care and social security ensure that the masses remain quiet and they actually have a chance to rise, if talented to the upper echelons of power and money.

That’s the way I see it.