The power of stupidity

By Cylinsier

In case you missed it, the big debate raging on Capitol Hill right now is healthcare reform. The Democrats want to reform the system by giving people the opportunity to get government coverage. The Republicans want to reform it by not doing a goddamn thing that takes one red cent of their money. Both sides have their merits and bad points. For the Dems, its that people will finally get the chance to go to a doctor's appointment instead of the emergency room for a cold but at the cost of taxpayer dollars. For Republicans, its that you'll be able to keep all you hard earned money so that when you die, you can afford a nicer Condo in Jesus's resorts but at the cost that when Maria falls and twists her ankle cleaning your golf trophies, you'll have to put her down and bury her in the back yard and find a new one. I can see it from both sides.

However, what I find interesting is the apparent lack of common sense running rife in the GOP right now. I could pick any number of subjects to illustrate this...and I probably will over the next few weeks, but healthcare is the most obvious one now. Let's set the stage: the GOP is represented on Capitol Hill about as well as North Korea. In fact, North Korea gets a little more attention because they shoot big hunks of metal out in the water when they are having a temper tantrum. The GOP doesn't have any missiles anymore so all they can do is pout about it. Anyway, you'd think something as humbling as the 2008 elections would catch the attention of conservative politicians everywhere and let them on to the fact that they are obviously doing something wrong. Well, poll numbers suggest that the handful of them left are still doing something wrong, so I guess the light didn't click on.

The hardline conservative voters, regardless of what they say, are going to vote straight R no matter what you do, Republican congressmen and women. You don't need to cater to those nice wealthy folks in the Hamptons because you could piss in their corn flakes and they'd still vote for you. What you need to do is attract NEW BLOOD if you ever want to see office again. So how's that going for you?

The overwhelming majority of Americans agree that something needs to be done about healthcare in our country. They may not agree on what, and they may be steadily losing faith in Obama's plans, but they still agree that something needs to be happening. The GOP has seemingly translated this into "block everymotherfuckingthing that so much as has blue ink on it." Which they can't do because they don't have the votes. But they can sure make asses of themselves trying.

On healthcare specifically, we have a nation of voters asking for change and a Democratic majority bickering among themselves but at least pretending to look like they are trying to appease those voters. Then, speaking on behalf of the GOP, we have John De Mint claiming the Repubs must defeat this healthcare bill because it will be Obama's Waterloo. Um, John...what the fuck are you talking about?

I wasn't watching C-SPAN when Johnny Dangerously said this, but I wish I had been. I can imagine him now, white pants and blue coat on, saber in hand, ornate nautical hat titled back to accentuate his confused empty eyes, rallying the troops on the deck of...oh wait, Congress isn't a regimen of troops about to go to war. That's right, its a legislating body established to create law for the good of the nation. Now I understand that the GOP gets their cues on what's good for the nation from Revelations and Fox News, but I'm pretty sure you aren't going to win a fight when you don't even have enough people to filibuster. So perhaps diplomacy is in order for a change? I know the GOP congressfolks haven't been familiar with that since Gingrich, but maybe its time to give it a try instead of trying to keep score in some sick imagined game of partisan dodgeball. Remember, GOP, the wealthiest one percent are going to vote for you even if you eat their babies. You don't have to worry about pissing them off because the only thing they hate more than you is the Democrats. You need to worry about sane people and what they think for a change.

Let's take a quick walk around the world of neoconservative political punditry and see what other type of destructive drivel is running through the veins of hardcore GOPers.

Fat-faced hobgoblin Rush Limbaugh doesn't believe that that many Americans are uninsured, preferring to believe his Oxycontin induced fantasies over actual numbers compiled by people. Actually, he just doesn't believe Latinos are human beings, so he takes issue with them being counted. Other than that, he's totally in favor of the current system, which seems to work great to him and is easily manipulate into giving you loads of prescription drugs to get deaf on.

Former beatnik and unrequited lover of Alan Ginsberg, Michael Weiner describes Obama's healthplan as "Soviet." Like, you know, the reds. He then went blathering on about something McCarthyist and got off on some tangent about China. He never actually made a point, he just started yelling that Obama was a communist and a dictator.

Ann Coulter, faux-woman and heinous bitch, began her most recent argument against healthcare reform by claiming that its the government's fault that health care is currently failing. That's interesting since the whole point of the argument is that the private system isn't run by the government; that's what makes it private. She then claims that most of the uninsured choose to be uninsured because they don't want to be. Oh, okay. If that's true then they can continue to not be covered under the new system too. She also makes some references to the Soviets. I think they like to do that because all of their listeners and readers were people that lived through that and are easier to scare into docile submission as a result.

Bill O'Reilly hasn't said much on the issue recently because he's been too busy calling 1-800-SEX-TALK and just being a douche in general. Anyway his arguments in the past have been so blatantly inaccurate that they aren't worth dignifying with analysis.

So that's where the GOP stands in terms of healtcare reform and gaining new support. We have one congressman taking his muskets out of storage and gathering the minutemen for some good old fashioned lines of marching soldiers on the battlefield and then the rest of the far right huddling next to their radios and monitors taking their cues from people who make tons of money force-feeding them bullshit propaganda instead of rallying behind respected figures in their own party. No, the GOP would rather eat their own when they act in anything but totally erratic fashion. Powell is a great example. One of the most liked Republicans in the country...except by his own party.

In the 1980's, we saw one red party self-destruct in Asia. We're witnessing another one doing the same thing within our own borders. Healthcare reform may indeed be Waterloo, but if it is, the GOP will be playing the roll of Napoleon. Sphere: Related Content