Its Mourning in America
I wanted to post something about last week's election results, but was too busy, and besides, I'm not sure what I wanted to say.
I did say in this space back in April that the Republicans stood to get their clocks cleaned largely because they have made it easy for 11+ million illegals to sneak into and stay in America while at the same time making it so difficult for ordinary US citizens to get back into and move around the US, courtesy of our friends at the TSA.
My friends, a lot of ink has been penned on why the Republicans lost ... and don't kid yourselves, the Dems didn't win, the Republicans simply blew it in classical "F$#k-up a W@t Dream" style that they have consistently demonstrated for more than a decade.
I never shared the pessimism of my Democrat friends because the Democrats have never really been out of power ... don't believe me? Think back to 1995, when Republicans were left scratching their heads because they had to then explain that "No, we do not want to starve your children!" (the school lunch debate). Think about the 50-50 split in the Senate back in 2001, where the Republicans technically had control of the place with Cheney as a tie-breaker, but in the spirit of "New Tone" they actually split committee chairmanships with the Dems despite the fact that they didn't have to. What planet are these people from? They make Euro politicians almost look good.
Anyway, I think the war in Iraq might, just might have been an issue. Bush should have declared victory and left three years ago ... Oh yeah, that's right ... he tried that with the "Mission Accomplished" carrier landing but then lost his nerve.
But I digress. No the real reason the Republicans lost is not the War in Iraq. It is the War on Terror and the way it is being fought. It is the TSA. It is grandmothers and little three-year-old girls being wanded and other women being groped by TSA goons in the name of "safety." It is being unable to carry a can of Coke onto your flight for fear that it is a weapon. It is plastic sheeting and duct tape. The War on Terror is being fought by the same people who have been fighting the War on Drugs for nearly forty years, and we all know how that is going.
Unlike a number of conservative pundits who opined that maybe a little time on the sidelines would return the Republicans to their senses, I personally hate to see them wandering in the wilderness, since the last time they did it for forty+ years and when they finally got back to power they were utterly clueless on what it is to govern as a majority. If they had, things would either be much better, or they would have flamed out spectacularly six years ago ... either way, we all would have been better off.
As for Rummy, a lot of you aren't going to miss him until you realize what a colorless dweeb Robert Gates is; Bush picked the wrong Gates for Defense ... Bill Gates has more killer instinct and knows how to squash an insurgency. Bill Gates for Secy of Defense.
And don't get me started on the fact that America has not had a conservative President since Ron Reagan. 'Nuf said.
So, if you haven't guessed where I stand politically up til now, let me close with the utter irony that unlike Alec Baldwin et al., who claimed that they would leave the country if Bush won, I actually left the country, and now I wonder if I can ever go back ;)
That's a joke for those of you in Rio Linda.
I did say in this space back in April that the Republicans stood to get their clocks cleaned largely because they have made it easy for 11+ million illegals to sneak into and stay in America while at the same time making it so difficult for ordinary US citizens to get back into and move around the US, courtesy of our friends at the TSA.
My friends, a lot of ink has been penned on why the Republicans lost ... and don't kid yourselves, the Dems didn't win, the Republicans simply blew it in classical "F$#k-up a W@t Dream" style that they have consistently demonstrated for more than a decade.
I never shared the pessimism of my Democrat friends because the Democrats have never really been out of power ... don't believe me? Think back to 1995, when Republicans were left scratching their heads because they had to then explain that "No, we do not want to starve your children!" (the school lunch debate). Think about the 50-50 split in the Senate back in 2001, where the Republicans technically had control of the place with Cheney as a tie-breaker, but in the spirit of "New Tone" they actually split committee chairmanships with the Dems despite the fact that they didn't have to. What planet are these people from? They make Euro politicians almost look good.
Anyway, I think the war in Iraq might, just might have been an issue. Bush should have declared victory and left three years ago ... Oh yeah, that's right ... he tried that with the "Mission Accomplished" carrier landing but then lost his nerve.
But I digress. No the real reason the Republicans lost is not the War in Iraq. It is the War on Terror and the way it is being fought. It is the TSA. It is grandmothers and little three-year-old girls being wanded and other women being groped by TSA goons in the name of "safety." It is being unable to carry a can of Coke onto your flight for fear that it is a weapon. It is plastic sheeting and duct tape. The War on Terror is being fought by the same people who have been fighting the War on Drugs for nearly forty years, and we all know how that is going.
Unlike a number of conservative pundits who opined that maybe a little time on the sidelines would return the Republicans to their senses, I personally hate to see them wandering in the wilderness, since the last time they did it for forty+ years and when they finally got back to power they were utterly clueless on what it is to govern as a majority. If they had, things would either be much better, or they would have flamed out spectacularly six years ago ... either way, we all would have been better off.
As for Rummy, a lot of you aren't going to miss him until you realize what a colorless dweeb Robert Gates is; Bush picked the wrong Gates for Defense ... Bill Gates has more killer instinct and knows how to squash an insurgency. Bill Gates for Secy of Defense.
And don't get me started on the fact that America has not had a conservative President since Ron Reagan. 'Nuf said.
So, if you haven't guessed where I stand politically up til now, let me close with the utter irony that unlike Alec Baldwin et al., who claimed that they would leave the country if Bush won, I actually left the country, and now I wonder if I can ever go back ;)
That's a joke for those of you in Rio Linda.
posted by Mike B at 11/15/2006 10:26:00 PM
2 Comments:
Well, the Repubs owed the Dems a screwup after the Dems gave it away in 2004.
I think you can say it's the war on terror that lost it, but the central issue would still be Iraq. As you alluded to, the war on terror and the war in Iraq are distinct, but they were never billed that way. Also, we expats probably have a bit more contact with the our friends at the TSA than most Americans.
In the end, we can all agree on one thing that came out of election day: Federline totally had it coming.
(stands up on chair and applauds loudly!) Bravo!!!!
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