Friday, November 05, 2010

No Random 11 today

Which is too bad, because I was going to do an All Angry Music Guide edition. But Libby has pink eye and a fever, which means doctor visits and babying and trying to get work done in between.

The other thing I've been keeping in mind, amid the talk of historic and sweeping and mandate and a Roman helmet for America (look it up) is that, regardless of the shift in power, the 'Baggers grabbed hold of the House. It's been expected since last year, it fits a historic trend, and in the end, while they will rant and rage and do all the stuff they've done since the last election, they won't get squat done. They don't have the votes and, more importantly, many of the conservative Democrats who were part of the problem were replaced with people who were out-of-the closet conservatives. I don't think they're going to get many crossover votes. Furthermore, it's real easy to say you're going to cut spending and another to actually do it. There's no way the GOP can slash spending and keep giving the rich their tax breaks without making painful, politically unpopular cuts.

At the same time, the Democrats deserved this. It reminds me of a South Park episode, where Cartman fakes being handicapped so he can enter the Special Olympics and presumably win it easily. Only he finds out that he's so fat and out of shape, kids with disabilities are far better athletes than he is. I certainly don't want the Rand Pauls of the world in power, but at the same time if one's message is so weak that it can't beat the likes of Rand Paul, well, maybe you deserve to lose.

When Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933, he didn't spend the first two years of his first term worrying about how Republicans labeled him. He didn't adjust his message for the Father Coughlin's and Huey Long's of the country. He took action. Some of what he did was ineffective. Some of it borderline unconstitutional (for which he was rightly rebuffed). But I think the reason why he was elected again and again is because he made the American people feel like he was working for them, doing whatever he could to get the country out of the Depression or at the very least ease the effects of it. He sure as hell didn't maintain that popularity by appeasing his opponents.

13 comments:

Kathleen said...

yes yes yes yes yes yes yes

Kathleen said...

and since the tone is lost over teh internets, the above is said in a righteous yet disgusted tone, not an orgasmic one.

Kathleen said...

oh, and I hope poor Libby feels better soon. Pink eye suxxors, so I hear.

Brando said...

and since the tone is lost over teh internets, the above is said in a righteous yet disgusted tone, not an orgasmic one.

So more "Howard Johnson is right" and not "I'll have what she's having."

Jennifer said...

When Franklin Roosevelt took office in 1933, he didn't spend the first two years of his first term worrying about how Republicans labeled him. He didn't adjust his message for the Father Coughlin's and Huey Long's of the country. He took action.

Yes, we could use some action... (and not Kathleen's type of action). Just do the damn job and worry about getting invited to the birthday parties later!

I hope Libby feels better.

Churlita said...

Love the South park analogy. Sadly, right on.

Hope your baby girl feels better soon.

fish said...

the above is said in a righteous yet disgusted tone, not an orgasmic one.

I don't understand the difference.

Maybe that reveals a bit too much...

Kathleen said...

I just had a horrifying image of fish in bed yelling "The Na'vi ARE Native Americans" as he gets off

ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said...

Crooks should be put in jail, not invited back into decision making.
~

Substance McGravitas said...

Yes, we could use some action... (and not Kathleen's type of action).

I am happy to have some of that type of action.

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

I was going to do a random 15, but then I got started on a Windows installation on a Mac using Boot Camp, which went predictably south in the Windows portion, and very nearly totaled my desktop computer.

almostinfamous said...

pink eye got me out of school twice. was a bit nasty towards the end though.. infectious as heck, so take care!

fish said...

I just had a horrifying image of fish in bed yelling "The Na'vi ARE Native Americans" as he gets off

I haven't stopped laughing for 2 days.