The election was November 2nd and the swearing in was January 10th. Elections have repercussions. This one was a good solid ass kicking of incumbents so the onus was on the “new guys” to immediately start governing wisely. From the new crop of elected politicians (largely Republicans) I demanded much yet expected little. I set the bar low. They entertained me with theatrics for a while…and then dove beneath the bar.
Let’s start with the fun stuff. Reading the Constitution was priceless! Humorless flakes like the New York Times flipped their lid over this essentially harmless activity:
“A theatrical production of unusual pomposity…
…particularly self-important flourish…
…ritual of self-glorification…
…it is a presumptuous and self-righteous act…
…air of vacuous fundamentalism…
The Republicans’ antics are a ghastly waste of time…”
Any time you can piss off the New York Times that much…you’re on a roll! I expect neither the Evil Party nor the Stupid Party to go cold turkey and start governing in actual accordance with the constitution but at least the idea was floated. It’s a start.
In fact, it was a good start. It made me happy. I’m weird that way. I love having windbags forced to hear the constitution. Senators and Congressmen swear to uphold it. How can you be too busy to read what you swear to uphold? Ideally elected officials would have to recite the whole thing aloud from memory and be deported to Botswana if they miss a single word. The whole thing appealed to me; one of a dwindling number of Americans who are patriotic in a non-cynical way. I have a flag on my lawn. I feel good when I hear the Star Spangled Banner. I know it’s just a ceremony but it means something to me. The New York Times needs to remember that not everyone is locked in a permanent teenage angst of nihilistic cynicism.
A New York Times reporter in disguise as a patriot among rednecks who cling to guns and religion.
Then came the “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act”. It had a childish name but did two things rarely accomplished in recent memory.
- It was two pages long. (Obamacare was so long I couldn’t find a clear page count but it’s a little over 2,000 pages. The law has led to an uncertain but suggested 6,000 pages of regulations in the Federal Register. Remember the craptacular phrase “pass it to know what’s in it”?)
- It was posted on the Internet in its entirety for full review. (I recall a certain candidate promising to do that and then going flat out for closed doors bills.)
It was voted on and passed the House to certain demise in the Senate. Who cares…it made a point and I’m happy with it.
But now playtime is over. It’s time to get with the program and actually govern.
In case you hadn’t noticed America is fiscally hosed. Not surprisingly there’s a plan to do something about it. It’s not perfect but both parties have tried nothing and are all out of ideas. Time for games is over. Get to work.
Then came D.C. Defense of Marriage Act. I’m spectacularly unimpressed. Bitching about gay marriage in a place with 0.19% of the population? (Census 2009.) The party of limited government attempting to inflict Federal control over the only Americans who are specifically and uniquely NOT the 99.8% of the population that vote in elections?
That won’t do! I am far more interested in the $14,126,934,869,854 debt than GOP posing about a theoretical 10% of the non-voting 0.19% of the population that are likely to do just fine without Federal control.
Republicans were elected in droves in 2010 because inventing magic rainbow money pissed off the masses. Once the press was done dry humping his election speeches even the dimmest bulb realized that Obama can’t actually walk on water. Republicans got an election served on a platter. And they’re shitting on it. I don’t care if every resident of D.C. reenacts Brokeback Mountain but I do care if a bunch of half wits turns my nation into a fiscally insolvent banana republic because the hard work of governing isn’t entertaining enough.
Get back on the rails right quick or us hicks in flyover country will have tar and feathers waiting by the next election cycle. Honeymoon’s over. Get to work on real issues or step out of the way to let real adults take the lead.