The Huge Republican Wave

Wow. The Republicans actually did it. I'm somewhat amazed and really, quite sad.


It is the humble opinion of this blogger that the reason the Democrats lost so many races last night was not due to what they did over the past two years, but what they didn't do. And what was that? Well, it's a simple thing, really: their jobs. If the Democrats had not been nearly so worried about what their opponents' campaign commercials would look like and had actually done the jobs that they were elected to do, perhaps people would have had a bit more confidence in their ability to actually get anything done.

So, hey Democrats! How about, just for shits and giggles, you all do the stuff you were elected to do...all the stuff you promised to do when you were campaigning? If you don't remember what those promises were, go do a search for your name on YouTube and watch one of the speeches from your campaign. For once, don't focus so much on getting re-elected that you are afraid to do even one little thing that might not be popular with 100% of the voting public. Because you know what? I have the sneaking suspicion that if you do as little during the next two years as you have the last two, you won't really need to worry about getting re-elected when your time comes.

Now, all you Dems who are still in office - let's get out there, start getting some stuff done and piss some people off!

Republican Tax Decrease Analogy

Here's just a quick thought for you:

The Republicans and their insistence about lowering taxes is like someone saying to themselves, 'Hey, I can't afford to pay all of my bills right now. I should go out and get a job in which I make even less money! That will *totally* fix it!'

What the hell kind of sense does that make? An elementary school student or a chimpanzee with an abacus could probably tell you that Not Enough Money + Less Money = REALLY not enough money. In no reality does Not Enough Money + Less Money = Prosperity for Everyone.

Does Not Follow Instructions

After receiving twice-daily mailings from the Michigan Republican Party, I finally wrote a letter to them via the "Contact Us" page of their website.

It said:

Hello!

I need to find out how to go about removing my name and address from your mailing list. I have gotten mailings from you the past 5 or 6 days, all of which are going directly into my recycling bin. I am a registered Democrat. I most likely won't be voting for a Republican anytime soon, no matter how much stuff I get in the mail about it. As a liberal, I am also a tree-hugging hippie, and would like to prevent trees from being killed needlessly. Please e-mail me and let me know how I can get you to stop sending me crap in the mail.

Thanks so much in advance!

Sincerely,

The Rabid Donkey

After a wonderful two days of not receiving those pointless mailings, we received two more one day, addressed to my husband instead of myself. The next day, we got another two.

Really? Do I have to write another bitchy e-mail to get them to stop sending us crap in the mail? Here's my question: if they can't comply with a simple request to remove me from their mailing list, who is to say that they would actually endeavor to legislate the will of the people?

Death Threats Now?

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.

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.

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.

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."