Stupidity…In All Its Forms

Because I’m a sucker for punishment, I listened to the first House of Representatives session of the new Congress a few days ago. Our country is grappling with so many problems right now: We have hit the debt ceiling. Mass shootings continue to be out of control. Breakfast restaurants can’t afford to buy eggs. What would the priority be for the recently elected Republican majority? I didn’t expect anything brilliant from this crowd–but they did run for office griping about inflation and national security and the border, so I was curious which of these topics they would take up to start with.

Aaaaaand…the very first thing they voted on was a resolution condemning socialism.

Now, on the surface, the Republicans made this sound like a vote that would be difficult to disagree with. After all, you don’t want to be on the same side as Stalin, Pol Pot or Kim Jung Un, right? (Although those are all Communist states, and despite what right-wing media might have you believe, Communism and socialism are not the same thing. So right off the bat, this resolution is sowing confusion.) So then why were all the Democrats voting against the resolution? By golly, is it because they are secretly trying to turn America into North Korea? I’m sure that is what Fox News would like us to think.

But then you look more closely and things are no longer so obvious. This resolution condemns socialism…”in all its forms.” Hmmmm, what does that mean, exactly? The definition of socialism, for the American right-wing, has always been very broad. Any government program, especially if it helps the poor, is automatically socialist. During the pandemic, wearing masks was somehow Communism. Still having trouble understanding that one.

And when a Democratic legislator introduced an amendment to the resolution clarifying that Social Security and Medicare are not socialism, and therefore should not be subject to condemnation, the Republicans voted the amendment down.

Sneaky, sneaky, those Republicans. Kind of inept about it, since it’s so easy to see right through them, but still. Any GOP suggestions of cutting Social Security, Medicare, and even the ACA have been incredibly unpopular with the American people, and that includes Republican Americans. Are they trying to change our minds by subtly implying that these social programs belong in the same category as Stalinism? I don’t think it’s going to work, but it won’t be for lack of effort from the Freedom Caucus.

And yes, the other vote the Republicans engaged in on that same day, was the vengeful pettiness of voting Rep. Ilhan Omar off the Foreign Affairs Committee. A whole different bucket of stupid and hypocritical right there.

On the plus side, the House GOP has given me a great idea. I have a credit card bill due this month, but I’m sure my bank will be fine with me not paying it, as long as I send them a strongly worded statement about how much I love liberty and despise socialism in all its forms, right? That should solve all of my life problems.

Hold on to your seats, everyone. We are in for a couple of dumb and useless years in the House…and we haven’t even started the endless Hunter Biden hearings yet.

 

Ducking Lame

So it seems we are now deep in the doldrums of a presidency. I guess this is what people mean when they say the second term is always a problem.

And a problem it is indeed. I’m not happy about a lot of things. I’m not happy about the situation with Russia. I’m not happy with the IRS losing e-mails. I’m not happy about the flood of kids coming across our border, although in that case I’m unhappy with both sides for a muddled immigration policy. And I’m very unhappy about the conditions at the VA.

And, with all that being said, I still don’t regret my vote for the President’s re-election. With all the things I’m unhappy about, would I have voted for Romney/Ryan? Nope. I would not have voted for someone who would’ve done his best to repeal the ACA–definitely not voted for someone whose budget plan would have cut Medicare and Social Security. And I would not have voted for someone who would possibly have gotten us involved in another war with Iran.

Politicians are flawed, so they will not always make me happy. As long as I’m less unhappy than I was during the W years, it’s all good. Happiness, after all, is the absence of pain. It will remain to be seen what Obama’s legacy will be in the end, and we will not be able to determine that until his presidency is over and some time has passed. All I know is that one day, when we have a Republican in the White House again? I will miss this guy soooooo much.

 

This Man Needs A Slogan

For your enjoyment, here is an inspiring video from a guy clearly angling to be a 2016 presidential candidate:

I like the American flag flapping patriotically in the breeze at the beginning of the ad–nice touch–but if Ted really wants to run for national office, he needs to stop stealing slogans from other campaigns.  The “Yes We Can” thing has been done before.  And in the rest of his CPAC speech, Ted also mentions “Hope and Change” as his motto, and finishes his performance with “morning in America”.  I get that borrowing the Obama stuff is meant to be sarcastic, but I can tell you from personal experience that sarcasm will only get you so far.  This man needs his own slogans.  And they shouldn’t be Dr. Seuss quotes, either.

Unfortunately, I’m not very helpful in this regard.  I’m terrible at trying to come up with ideas for Ted.  He certainly has policy positions he can write slogans about, but they don’t sound very catchy.  There’s Obamacare–“It’s Finally Working!  Let’s Repeal It!”  There’s his call to abolish the IRS–you could go with “Sick And Tired Of Roads!” or “Food Stamps Are For Losers”.  I’m pretty sure Ted is in favor of privatizing Medicare and Social Security, so perhaps an empowering chant of “Old People Can Make It!” might be nice, or even an #oldpeoplestrong, a la Boston Strong.  And since the GOP is trying to repackage old moral values and sell them to the millennials, maybe a suggestive ad with two beautiful people and the tagline “Conservatives–Making Sex Feel Dirty Again” would do the trick.

Finally, a slogan to help Ted market himself to his fellow Latinos–“Build The Wall And Kick Them Out!”

So you can see the problem.  I really do suck at this.  Luckily for Ted, he will have professionals doing this kind of work for him.  Let’s hope they come up with something that has at least a bit of an original ring to it.

 

They Report, I Smirk

When I criticize Fox News for being biased, I frequently get the response from avid Fox watchers that Fox is not biased, it is in fact objective, especially as compared to the liberally slanted “lamestream” media.

But then there’s stuff like this article about the sequester.  The article actually states:  “Republicans want to replace the current regime of cuts with different, more sensible, cuts.”

Huh? Now keep in mind, this is a news article, not opinion.  Last time I heard, the Republican version of “sensible” involved going after Social Security and Medicare as a first priority.  Going after the elderly, sick and disabled, who already don’t have very much, is not sensible.  Especially if you refuse to consider any other sources of revenue.

And just as importantly, saying that one party is “more sensible” than the other is clearly opinion and bias.  I can’t imagine a news source like the BBC, for instance, injecting a phrase like this into their reporting, without it being a quote from somebody else.  I can imagine MSNBC using this kind of wording, but then I’m fully willing to admit that MSNBC is biased in the liberal direction–that’s why I enjoy watching them so much.

Perhaps those who watch Fox should also be able to admit that it’s not objective and that is why they love it.

 

 

Please…Not Again

We just got out of one.  I had breathed a sigh of relief that we would be able to start getting back on our feet.  And now, here comes another one.

Today I’m reading in several news sources that US General Martin Dempsey is in Israel to urge restraint, as Israel mulls a possible pre-emptive strike on Iran.  What happens if Israel gets embroiled in military conflict with Iran?  I doubt that we’re going to let our ally get beaten to a pulp.  As much as I disagree with Israel’s domestic policy sometimes, I do not see that as an option either.  So then it’s yet another potentially disastrous and draining war for us.  Just the thought of it makes me want to curl up in a fetal position under my desk.

Like most people, I’m no fan of Ahmadinejacket.  I was very excited when the Green Revolution in Iran was taking place, and even took part in a completely useless march through downtown Portland supporting it.  Because that’s our cure for everything in Portland—protest marches.  I love the idea that the people of Iran might be able to overthrow their tyrannical government.  I hate the idea that we may soon be bombing those same ambitious, idealistic people into oblivion.

Also, has everyone forgotten that we don’t have the money for another war?  Some of the Republicans calling the loudest for an attack on Iran are also the biggest budget cut proponents.  Ah, but wait, we have all these programs like Social Security and Medicare that need to get slashed anyway.  We’re getting too big for our britches in this country, expecting things like a dignified retirement.  We forget that we have to pay a price for maintaining the empire.

And then what about countries like China and Russia, who oppose an attack on Iran?  Are we headed for an all-out world war?  China is obviously a trading partner, so they have to tread down a very cautious path.  It’s doubtful they would want to take us on at this point.  But I fear what might happen when we become so weakened by a series of unending wars that other countries no longer respect us.  Please, let’s maintain our strength, not waste it.

If nothing else, this is another useful wake up call telling us that we need to stop being so dependent on oil, so dependent on it that we keep having to fight for it.  We have to look at options like alternative energy sources and public transit and bikes, before it’s too late.

In the meantime, I’ll be keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it’s not time for World War III yet.  I mean, I’m just getting started on this blog, for chrissakes!