We’ve been doing a bit of ruminating and pondering over the related issues of the future of the G.O.P. and criticisms of the same as being obstructionist and merely the party of “No”. We’ll have more on “the future of the G.O.P.”, later but to paraphrase an unmentionable radio talk-show host: “The Age of Reagan is supposed to be over but why is it always still the age of F.D.R.”
That criticism, we find particularly amusing, however. To wit, when your two-year old is about to place its hands on a hot stove, do you, in a calm manner, lay-out the options for alternative actions or do you, immediately and reflexively, spring into action yelling a mono-syllabic negative of some form or another?
Similarly, when reacting to a legislative body with the attention span and intellect of that same two-year old, passing a $787 billion bill that they didn’t bother to even read, do you a) ask for a cooling-off period to where the voters in Congress actually read porkulus and where there could be some bi-partisan discussion on maybe shaving off a bil or two here and there….. or do you b) throw a Tea Party?
The incredulity of Big Media’s reaction to the Tea Parties is exceeded only by the incredulity of the Tea Partiers themselves when asked by Big Media, “What are you all about?”
Forgive us Partiers, the momentarily speechlessness and lack of prepared talking points as we try to express verbally the shock and awe of years of run-away spending and months of unprecedented and unchecked, strong-armed governmental expansion into the private sector which is driving-up unheard of debt and which just now will be covered by an Administration closing tax loopholes and tightening the tax code, the very which was either leveraged (at best) or outright broken (more usually) by members (and wanna-be members) of this Administration and several members of Congress.
It’s a mouthful but trust us when the wide-eyed looks you get from the average Joes, never-went-to-a-protest-in-my-lifers, the grandmas and grandpas, the stay-at-home moms, stay-at-work dads and Mods and Rockers can be roughly translated as: “Are you (effing) kidding, me?”
Still soaking-in and processing this whole mess of a first 100 days.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Of action, reaction and expletives
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I was going to send this op/ed cut n paste (sorry, no link) out via email. But figured, Nah! Let them blow off some post-election steam. It's good for 'em. But I did save it for just such an occasion...
L.A. Times/Opinion
The GOP: divorced from reality
The Republican base is behaving like a guy who just got dumped by his wife.
By Bill Maher
April 24, 2009
If conservatives don't want to be seen as bitter people who cling to their guns and religion and anti-immigrant sentiments, they should stop being bitter and clinging to their guns, religion and anti-immigrant sentiments.
It's been a week now, and I still don't know what those "tea bag" protests were about. I saw signs protesting abortion, illegal immigrants, the bank bailout and that gay guy who's going to win "American Idol." But it wasn't tax day that made them crazy; it was election day. Because that's when Republicans became what they fear most: a minority.
The conservative base is absolutely apoplectic because, because ... well, nobody knows. They're mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. Even though they're not quite sure what "it" is. But they know they're fed up with "it," and that "it" has got to stop.
Here are the big issues for normal people: the war, the economy, the environment, mending fences with our enemies and allies, and the rule of law.
And here's the list of Republican obsessions since President Obama took office: that his birth certificate is supposedly fake, he uses a teleprompter too much, he bowed to a Saudi guy, Europeans like him, he gives inappropriate gifts, his wife shamelessly flaunts her upper arms, and he shook hands with Hugo Chavez and slipped him the nuclear launch codes.
Do these sound like the concerns of a healthy, vibrant political party?
It's sad what's happened to the Republicans. They used to be the party of the big tent; now they're the party of the sideshow attraction, a socially awkward group of mostly white people who speak a language only they understand. Like Trekkies, but paranoid.
The GOP base is convinced that Obama is going to raise their taxes, which he just lowered. But, you say, "Bill, that's just the fringe of the Republican Party." No, it's not. The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, is not afraid to say publicly that thinking out loud about Texas seceding from the Union is appropriate considering that ... Obama wants to raise taxes 3% on 5% of the people? I'm not sure exactly what Perry's independent nation would look like, but I'm pretty sure it would be free of taxes and Planned Parenthood. And I would have to totally rethink my position on a border fence.
I know. It's not about what Obama's done. It's what he's planning. But you can't be sick and tired of something someone might do.
Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota recently said she fears that Obama will build "reeducation" camps to indoctrinate young people. But Obama hasn't made any moves toward taking anyone's guns, and with money as tight as it is, the last thing the president wants to do is run a camp where he has to shelter and feed a bunch of fat, angry white people.
Look, I get it, "real America." After an eight-year run of controlling the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court, this latest election has you feeling like a rejected husband. You've come home to find your things out on the front lawn -- or at least more things than you usually keep out on the front lawn. You're not ready to let go, but the country you love is moving on. And now you want to call it a whore and key its car.
That's what you are, the bitter divorced guy whose country has left him -- obsessing over it, haranguing it, blubbering one minute about how much you love it and vowing the next that if you cannot have it, nobody will.
But it's been almost 100 days, and your country is not coming back to you. She's found somebody new. And it's a black guy.
The healthy thing to do is to just get past it and learn to cherish the memories. You'll always have New Orleans and Abu Ghraib.
And if today's conservatives are insulted by this, because they feel they're better than the people who have the microphone in their party, then I say to them what I would say to moderate Muslims: Denounce your radicals. To paraphrase George W. Bush, either you're with them or you're embarrassed by them.
The thing that you people out of power have to remember is that the people in power are not secretly plotting against you. They don't need to. They already beat you in public.
Bill Maher is the host of HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
- Mongo Hasn't Watched Bill Maher Before. No HBO. Any Good?
Bill Maher has also claimed to be a Libertarian. That also doesn't hold water.
Bill is very amusing and gained popularity by arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the left. But he is filled with straw man arguments and divisive rhetoric. Very rarely does he have intelligent conservative opposition with an opportunity to make a point. He is the Shawn Hannity of the left. Only Bill has more sarcastic wit. Very snarky....subscribe to HBO, Mr. Lloyd, you will enjoy his show!
Mongo,
Back during the 2000 Presidential election, on his show, Maher claimed that he was a "libertarian" and as such, he was voting for Ralph Nader.
As I'm sure you are aware, those two concepts are speeding away from each other at the speed of light.
Ergo, he has zero credibility on anything political and he now has written on Op-Ed confirming that fact.
I have focused the politics of this blog on the fiscal and ethical irresponsibilites of the government, something, Maher does not address. I have also focused on the unprecedented reach of the government into the private sector - which is not speculation upon something that Obama is "planning" - it's done, baby. Maher does not bother addressing that.
I could go on but I'll stop because if Maher really bothered to do his homework instead of obfuscating and hinting at racism, he'd find that the 3 aforementioned points are central to what the tea parties are all about.
But, again, Maher demonstrated his complete lack of seriousness wrt politics, so I'd expect nothing less than a piss-poor piece like this.
Here endeth the education. You're welcome.
Hmmm. So by that reckoning, Ronald Reagan also had no credibility.
Was even a communist for a short bit -- well, he attended some meeting anyway -- then a democrat, before he became GOP figurehead. Granted, one much distorted in history by neocons into some sort of conservative of the purist grade. Ol' Ronnie didn't know he was so conservative until he was dead and started reading quotes on him from the Far Right.
"Turncoat?" Maybe. "Credibility?" Ehhhhhhh...
- Bedtime for Mongo
Mongo,
All that talk about light speed must have skewed your judgement when it comes to timing and chronology, so let me see what I can do about steering you back to midships.
As far as I can tell, Maher still considers himself a "libertarian". So he's either lying about being a libertarian or he's lying about his alleged claim to not know what the tea parties are all about and also lying about, from what I gather from his Op-Ed, his approval of Obama's policies.
And as far as I can tell (maybe you can help me out with the research), Reagan was no longer a Democrat by the time he ran for President in '80.
And as far as losing credibility or ideological purity goes... saying you voted for Ralph Nader as a libertarian and say, being a pro-choice Republican are not even in the same ballpark.
So, again, Bill Maher = zero credibility.
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