The Republicans must be insane. They get their constituency all riled up, essentially foaming at the mouth and out for blood and then are surprised when people actually act on the rhetoric? Hello? What did you think would happen? Republican politicians tell the public that the Democrats and President Obama are responsible for all their ills, and will most likely cause the downfall of their entire country and then...what? Expect them to go on about their lives? Umm...no.
The fact that the Republicans are blaming the Democrats for the increase in death threats and hate speech is also completely bogus. That's like saying someone who was assaulted is responsible for it because they brought it to the attention of the police.
This all goes back to my previous wish for the Republicans to once again become acquainted with reality. Not their apparent Armageddon-is-soon-to-be-upon-us reality, but the reality that most of the rest of us live in.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Fundamental Differences Between Parties
*Note: This is a general statement of personal opinion, not a guarantee of how every member of the political parties are.
In my experience, Republicans care really strongly about a few things:
1) They want to keep the money they've made (and keep it away from the less fortunate),
2) They want to hang on to their guns (and would prefer to carry them wherever they go), and
3) They don't want women to have any reproductive choice, even in the event of rape, incest or possible health risks to the mother.
Democrats care strongly about universal access to health care, trying to raise up the less fortunate and poverty-stricken, giving our children a better education than they received through No Child Left Behind, making sure our veterans are treated with respect and proper medical care, equal pay for both sexes, a woman's right to choose, taking care of the environment, updating energy policy, getting the economy back under control, decreasing unemployment rates, etc.
Recently, Republicans also care about whatever their pundits work them into a lather about. If Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh weren't conservative darlings, their ranting might be grounds to commit them for a 5150 psych hold. Most of what they (and the talking heads like them) are saying lately sound like the paranoid delusions of a crazy person. Whenever I see clips from their shows, I imagine that the person speaking is a 7-year-old who is prone to exaggeration and it makes it slightly less scary. All their talk of socialized medicine, gulags, death panels, Obama and the Democrats trying to prevent you from receiving necessary medical care and deciding when your friends and family are going to die, etc. is so far outside of reality to me that it boggles my mind that there are people in this country who actually believe it.
I just hope that at some point soon the fog of "group think" lifts and Republican politicians, citizens, and pundits become acquainted once again with reality.
In my experience, Republicans care really strongly about a few things:
1) They want to keep the money they've made (and keep it away from the less fortunate),
2) They want to hang on to their guns (and would prefer to carry them wherever they go), and
3) They don't want women to have any reproductive choice, even in the event of rape, incest or possible health risks to the mother.
Democrats care strongly about universal access to health care, trying to raise up the less fortunate and poverty-stricken, giving our children a better education than they received through No Child Left Behind, making sure our veterans are treated with respect and proper medical care, equal pay for both sexes, a woman's right to choose, taking care of the environment, updating energy policy, getting the economy back under control, decreasing unemployment rates, etc.
Recently, Republicans also care about whatever their pundits work them into a lather about. If Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh weren't conservative darlings, their ranting might be grounds to commit them for a 5150 psych hold. Most of what they (and the talking heads like them) are saying lately sound like the paranoid delusions of a crazy person. Whenever I see clips from their shows, I imagine that the person speaking is a 7-year-old who is prone to exaggeration and it makes it slightly less scary. All their talk of socialized medicine, gulags, death panels, Obama and the Democrats trying to prevent you from receiving necessary medical care and deciding when your friends and family are going to die, etc. is so far outside of reality to me that it boggles my mind that there are people in this country who actually believe it.
I just hope that at some point soon the fog of "group think" lifts and Republican politicians, citizens, and pundits become acquainted once again with reality.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Republicans' New Motto
Based on all the news coverage I've seen recently, I think one of the best ways to sum up a number of the Republicans' latest "political stands" is this: F*#k the Poor.
Health care? We don't care if 30 million people don't have health insurance or are under-insured...we can afford ours just fine! If the poor can't afford health coverage or health care - too damn bad! They should just work harder! F*#k the poor! They're on their own!
Help keeping school costs down and trying to allow more people to have access to a good education without saddling them with debt for the rest of their lives? We don't want to do that! Our kids are getting their education just fine...they may not do anything with it, but they're getting it! Who cares if the poor or even the middle class can't afford to send their kids to school?
Not letting unemployment lapse? First of all, anyone who is unemployed is just not working hard enough. The jobs are out there! They just need to get one (or two, or three)! Then they'd be fine! Giving them unemployment benefits just makes them lazy and less likely to look for a job, right?
If anyone can give me an example of a recent political issue on which Republicans show some sort of capacity for caring for anyone not making at least $1,000,000, let me know. And no, lowering estate taxes and taxes on capital gains does not count.
Health care? We don't care if 30 million people don't have health insurance or are under-insured...we can afford ours just fine! If the poor can't afford health coverage or health care - too damn bad! They should just work harder! F*#k the poor! They're on their own!
Help keeping school costs down and trying to allow more people to have access to a good education without saddling them with debt for the rest of their lives? We don't want to do that! Our kids are getting their education just fine...they may not do anything with it, but they're getting it! Who cares if the poor or even the middle class can't afford to send their kids to school?
Not letting unemployment lapse? First of all, anyone who is unemployed is just not working hard enough. The jobs are out there! They just need to get one (or two, or three)! Then they'd be fine! Giving them unemployment benefits just makes them lazy and less likely to look for a job, right?
If anyone can give me an example of a recent political issue on which Republicans show some sort of capacity for caring for anyone not making at least $1,000,000, let me know. And no, lowering estate taxes and taxes on capital gains does not count.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Really, Senator Bunning?
Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) must think his recent political shenanigans make him look politically powerful, instead of how this blogger sees him: as a petulant child, sitting in the middle of a floor, legs crossed and arms folded, slowly turning blue as he waits for someone to tell him to stop because that they'll give him what he wants.
I'm not sure what his ideal final outcome would have been, but I'm happy that the public and his fellow senators finally said last night what they should have said to him a few days ago: "Step aside, son, and let the grown-ups get back to work."
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