I spent last week at SXSW. And with all the chaos going on in Austin, I wasn’t able to pay attention to the political wrangling going on in DC. It was nice to be disconnected from the bitter partisanship, back-stabbing, and utter contempt for differing viewpoints.
Upon return to home/planet Earth, I tuned back in to see the rhetoric get ratcheted up a notch or five, and I feel compelled to step up on my soap box. Disagree with me if you want, or agree with me, to be perfectly honest I don’t much care. I’m just tired of what I see coming across the tv/news/Internet.
Having passed the health care bill, 12 states immediately lined up their AG’s to file suit. Is anyone surprised that each of those 12 AG’s are Republicans? And Mitt Romney (who passed a very similar bill in 2006 during his time as Governor of Massachusetts!) was shouting that this will sweep Republicans back into power during midterm elections. Oh that’s right, he’s running for President now, can’t support a Democrat’s proposal — even if it means being completely hypocritical.
Meanwhile, taking the high road, the Democrats got the law passed. 35 million Americans will gain access to free or affordable health care. For those who already have adequate health insurance, congratulations. What impresses me the most is that they didn’t take the most PR friendly route. In fact, by using reconciliation, they drew the ire of a LOT of people on both sides of the aisle.
But that’s precisely why I like the Democrats even more now: they got it done. Having given the GOP plenty of time to offer a reasonable plan, or at least come to the table, the Democrats lost their patience, saw what needed to get done, identified a way to do it, and accomplished their goal. Case closed.
Talk is cheap. Whether you’re a politician, musician, or magician, it’s all worthless until you prove yourself. Nobody cares about what you’re going to do, only what you’ve actually done. The GOP has shown themselves to be a bunch of schoolyard bullies who tease, taunt, and threaten — and little more. They’ve bullied us into Iraq, driven a deficit sky-high, and forced the hand of a president whose mantra of hope and change was crippled by a wall of opposition erected strictly to protect the Republican party’s reputation.
As someone with (at least) half a brain, I can only wonder how anyone could justify NOT passing the health care bill, an economic stimulus bill, or working to clean up the messes inherited by eight years of ineptitude.
Many of our former presidents have been especially vocal lately — but not George W. Bush. Perhaps the game is up, and he knows what we realized only too late: he never was up to the job, and we’re all paying for it now.
