Denigration of Decency

Note: This post is not crammed with statistics and detailed analysis. Other people are much better at that sort of thing. This is just my gut reaction to another round of partisan hypocrisy, thoughts that others have probably shared far more eloquently…

Just finished watching the President’s speech and the opposing response. It’s that second bit that had me running for my laptop, disgusted. I typically don’t create strongly-political posts, just some pointed jabbing from time to time. My blog is usually about finding the humor in things, aiming for laughs and a temporary break from the world. Today, it’s not.

Let’s get right to the point, shall we?

John Boehner is an atrociously arrogant little man who should have no place in American politics, or hold any type of position where his delusional mind is allowed to make decisions that affect any other human being on the planet. It doesn’t matter that he is just spewing forth what some Karl Rove-wannabe has fed to him. He’s chosen to say the words, knowing full well that his lies are damaging to this country, yet he does so with an annoying bravado that is mind-boggling.

It doesn’t matter that he is the elected representative for his constituents. It doesn’t matter that he was selected Speaker of the House (it pains me to even give that phrase capitalization in this context, but I do so out of honor to the position, not the man who currently holds it). He got to this point based on deception and a willingness to sacrifice all morals (assuming he ever had any, I‘m just being polite) with one sole purpose in mind: Prevent Obama from being re-elected.

Really, John? (And Eric and Mitch.) That’s your game plan? What about the needs of our country? The one that you are supposed to represent? There’s no clause in your oath of office that says “I get to screw people over if things don’t go my way!” (Well, there isn’t a clause right now, but let’s not forget that the right-leaning Supreme Court has apparently been watching too much Rupert Fox Murdoch “News” lately.)

Republicans are such incredibly sore losers, it’s almost beyond comprehension. They spent how many years of the Clinton Administration focused on the fact that Bill used his penis in an unfortunate manner? Who cares! That penis didn’t do anything that affected my ability to make a living or pursue the opportunities available to me.

And, oh yeah, the Republicans then took steps to jack with the voting results to make sure that George Shrub would win two terms even though he didn’t actually get the popular vote. Steps to make sure that someone with an actual penis didn’t get elected, just some castrated Stepford Husband who could utter scripted catchphrases like “Mission Accomplished!” at the appropriate staged and televised moment.

(Side note to the female-identifying folks, I’m not trying to imply at all that the possession or non-possession of a penis is particularly important. It was just fun to run with that analogy. At the end of the day, I want someone who can get things done, possible appendages are irrelevant.)

Which brings us full circle to tonight, when President (not pained at all typing that title) Obama addressed the nation. (You know, the nation that is being deeply affected by the political games of the equivalent of conscience-devoid, school-yard bullies who don’t understand right and wrong. Or truth.) Obama was just fine with his speech, conciliatory at first but then bringing it home with describing the voters (do you remember those people, Boehner?) as being sick of the “three-ring circus” in our nation’s capital.

It is a circus. And I’ll fairly admit that part of the surrealistic carnival is the fact that the Democrats, my people, still haven’t fully thrown off their restrictive costumes where they try to play nice despite the fallacies and violent greed from their counterparts. This, for me, is the troublesome Achilles’ heel in our party. Stop playing nice for once. Get down to the basics, point your finger strongly at the Republicans, and kick some ass. “YOU are the reason that this country is suffering.” SAY IT!

But this didn’t happen tonight, not quite. Obama was strong, yes, but I was hoping for the final push, that indictment of what is really going on. At the same time, I understand the fine line that our leader has to walk. He represents all of us, I get it. Do your best to make everyone happy. But really, what is there to lose when you consider Boehner’s rebuttal?

Cry-Baby Fake-Tan comes out there and immediately heads into delusional territory, accepting no blame and distorting every fact that his greasy hands can clutch. (I’m sure that Rupert Murdoch clinked glasses with the Koch Brothers in celebration, and somebody ordered pizza from an all-white, upper-crust, trust-fund delivery service. And another tax credit was included in the pizza box.)

There was no olive branch, no indication that he would budge an inch on any of the Elitist directives that he had been given, and a constant repetition that Obama was to blame for everything from scoliosis to global warming. (Even though his party refuses to believe that anything has been warmed.)

Really? Really? Our country is on the precipice of fiscal disaster and you’re refusing to do anything unless it’s what you want, even though the demands you seek will do nothing but further enhance the prosperity of the already super-rich, and shove the middle and lower classes into even deeper despair, a place they don’t deserve at all because they are the backbone of this country, the actual foundation of your tax-immune wealth.

I won’t even get into the facts and figures, because the Republicans aren’t interested in numbers unless they can be spun. If they can’t manipulate the truth, they ignore it completely. One of the mantras they keep repeating to themselves (they change daily) is that if it was okay for Bush to do it, it’s completely NOT okay for Obama to do the same exact thing.

Okay, I will get specific with one fact. The polls have been showing for some time that the majority of ALL Americans believe that making the rich pay their full share of taxes is just fine and dandy. Which means the Republican leaders are ignoring some of their own constituents in their zealous quest to unseat the President, country be damned.

Bottom line (a phrase the Republicans didn’t even care about until they’d spent all the money): We are in this financial predicament because the Bush Administration went insane with unchecked corporate greed, deregulation, donor-rewarding legislation, and fabricated wars. The GOP Frat Party needs to stop with the finger-pointing and start helping to clean up their own mess.

To my Republican friends, and I do have them (although I may not after this post), because I try to engage in healthy dialogue: How can you be comfortable with this? How do you think this is right? What happened when that made you okay with supporting an obvious oppression effort to disenfranchise the middle and lower classes? I really don’t get it, and I’d appreciate some insight.

To my Democratic friends: Enough is enough. I realize that some of you are fighting the good fight, hats off to you, your activism is admirable. But to the others, who may not have vocalized your thoughts in an effective manner, now is the time to start emailing and texting and calling your representatives. Don’t just sit at home and whine to your partner or friends about how sucky things are. Don’t choose to be a helpless victim.

Take back our country. Stop complaining and start reacting. (And quit arguing with each other over the minor details of who’s more progressive, we’ve got a big-ass problem across the aisle. We can worry about team names later.) Don’t let privileged extremists govern the opportunities that you have in your life. One human, one vote. If you don’t exercise your rights, you may wake up one day and find yourself with fewer of them. Just ask the union workers in Wisconsin.

And by all means, throw that damn olive branch in the trash. It clearly isn’t working.

OWN your destiny.


Hope, strength, and a good night to all.

(Except John Boehner.)