May 25, 2005
Commentary:
Principles be damned
By Jack GrantJohn Cole at Balloon Juice expresses his frustration arising from the recent behavior by Republican leaders:
We changed the rules of the game, and then acted all shocked when the Democrats (who are in no way without sin) got pissed. We stopped the blue slips and other options once we became the majority. The Constitutional issue is nothing more than nonsense to sell the naked power grab, and that is what it was. Bush never expected for all of his judges to get confirmed- no reasonable President would.We were going to break the Senate rules THAT WE AGREED TO AND OPERATED UNDER WITH FEW PROBLEMS in order to make the rule change. And worse, we were going to set the stage so the minority party has no options, unwilling to recognize the fact that we will be in the minority again (sooner than these morons recognize, the rate we are going now- seen Bush's approval ratings?), and that the filibuster would be dead for everything if successfully killed for judges. Only an idiot would argue otherwise, which, of course is why so many members of my party are doing just that. They are idiots.
This has been my fundamental point in this whole affair, the Republicans are changing the rules to suit themselves, the very same rules they used to their own advantage when they were the minority party.
Is this really in alignment with the principles held by those who support the Republican Party?
It is not sitting well with some who voted Republican.
Will the those who are now raging against the so-called Republican moderates because of the deal they brokered to pull back from the brink of the Republican-coined nuclear option not rage against the Democrats when they change the rules to suit themselves the next time there is a Democratic majority?
Somehow, I don't think they will refrain from raging.
It's all about winning now, principles be damned.
As I wrote in the comments at a friend's weblog:
Actually, I think most Democrats are just like most Republicans, they claim to be principled, but instead they'll say and do what they think is necessary to win.There are some rare politicians who are indeed principled, but they often do not achieve a high level of power.
So in the end, we voters are left trying to play the power-seekers off against each other just so we can get some semblance of representation in the government.
Just to be clear, I am not pro-Democrat, I'm anti-Republican and I'm anti-Democrat, I just fear the Republicans more.
Principles always have been honored only in the breech, but the raw power-plays being made now resemble the climate before the US Civil War.
Is that a period of our history we want to emulate?
Posted by Jack Grant at 07:01 on 25 May 2005Jack,
Regardless of whether anyone wants to look at this country's past with clear vision, blinderless, the US and the colonies before them haven't got alot to crow about. Thats not saying good things didn't happen, they did and do. Intent is one thing, but implementation another.
This nation has grown up with heroic history (all the way through my educational period) that rarely if ever indicated we, as a people of this nation, did or do anything wrong. The Cowboy came out of this mythology with the US expansion west of the Alleghenies. That is changing in the past few decades (how history is written in many cases, but there is a current effort by Chaneys wife to go back to the heroic/nationalistic model of history that is pure propaganda and self-glorification in the pursuit of nationalism). We are way-far from perfect folks, and yes, historically the nation's government is young and is a good model. However, we need to do what we tell others should do. American's seem to think everything that isn't like them is bad or weird - especially lately. They want to make the rest of the world into their self-image. Pre-enlightnment era, the days when they killed all the philosophers and theorists as witches or "evil" (I am beginning to REALLY hate that word), because new thoughts took power and control away from the church or imperialistic government who told the people what to think and do.
Remember the saying, "The Ugly American?" Well, it is truer today than ever before - in more ways than I want to list (but ways I have noted you discuss throughout you blog), as it's too damn depressing a laundry list.
I just started a new job this week and I'm exhausted, and a little melancholy today, so forgive me for rambling.
Jack, have you seen these article's by Pamela Troy called "Dangerous Clowns"? They are about the blacklists the Bush admin is putting together about American's. Very interesting - I knew this was going on, but not quite to this extent. Scary stuff. These lists supposedly include perceived activists and dissidents.
Part I
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/05/05/ana05015.html
Part II
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/05/05/ana05016.html
Part III
http://www.buzzflash.com/analysis/05/05/ana05017.html
Also, there is a report (NPR news today) out from the government that they found no incidents of flushing the K'ran down the toilet, but they found 13 instances where it was "mishandled." The government decided they didn't need to change any policies at Qitmo, saying they were adequate. Do they actually have flushing toilets at Gitmo? Hmmm. Strangely, one week they blame Newsweek for the eruption of riots and death in Iraq and then turn around and say this crap?
And, yet again, the prez ignores good science and refuses to sign the Kyoto accord, then visits a plant using alternative energy so they can drill for oil in Alaska (ARGH), and then does another photo op of him filling the gas talk of an alternative fuel vehicle. Makes me want to cry.
Posted by: Sinequanon at May 27, 2005 03:16 AM
