Hullabaloo

Monday, March 22, 2010

 
Congratulations Or Even A Sigh Of Relief Are A Waste Of Time

by tristero

Given their disgracefully clueless performances in the recent past, I have no doubt that right now leading Democratic strategists at the White House, in Congress, and across the country are pouring out the champagne and letting down their guard. Think I'm kidding? Read this:

All of the Rs have very long, very disappointed, very glum faces. None of them seem able to even conjure up a bit of good old-fashioned outrage for a decent rant. They know what's coming. They know they can't stop it. They look defeated.
As a decades-long C-SPAN junkie, I don't think this debate will have nearly the kind of fireworks that we might have been expecting. After all of this, I believe this is going to end with a whimper. There's just no heart in the Rs for a fight anymore. I wonder if the same is true with the tea partiers. Will they be angered or deflated?

That question doesn't deserve a response, but Josh takes it seriously, and thinks his commenter may be "prescient."

Uh-huh. My guess is that such naively optimistic, and thoroughly delusional, sentiments are rampant right now. They think "we" won. Even worse, they think that Republicans realize they lost and have folded. That is sheer nonsense.

Democrats fail to understand that the real fight, the one with no holds barred whatsoever, began exactly one millisecond after the gavel came down. And if history is any judge, they are completely unprepared for what is about to hit them.

Foul epithets? Teabaggers carrying guns to rallies? Members of Congress finding excuses to justify terrorism against government offices? Don't Democrats get it? That's what the rightwing fanatics hellbent on wrecking this country were doing when they were being polite. That's their idea of civility. The gloves have just come off. After all, they got nothing to lose.

"A republic if you can keep it," a wise American once said. I'd feel a lot more confident that we could if I thought that Democrats had the slightest understanding of exactly what it will take.

Further reason neither to celebrate or relax: Let's not forget this bill is, as they say, far from perfect.

Does all this sound ungrateful and churlish? Let's see where we're at in November. Then let's see where we're at in 2012.

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UPDATE: In case it's not clear how unprepared Democrats for what's about to come down, here's a little taste of the problem:

Kathryn Jean Lopez chimes in, "Congratulations, Democrats. Beginning now, you own the health-care system in America. Every hiccup. Every complaint. Every long line. All yours."

It’s like Lopez didn’t notice that the bill took almost a year to pass because of the constant bait-and-switch run by conservatives who pretended to be interested in a compromise. No Republicans voted for it in the end, but because of that process, the law has the indelible imprint on it of the obstinate Republican minority.

Got it? No? Ok, let me explain.

I got no problem with refuting stupid, emotionally irrational, and utterly fact-free assertions from crazy people through the calm use of reason. But responding to Lopez's loopy claptrap by writing "the indelible imprint ... of the obstinate Republican minority" isn't calm or reasonable rhetoric. It's just pretentious, self-indulgent and condescending.

So what's better? Well, I only had a minute or so, but here's a start:

For over an entire year, Republicans refused to act like grown-ups when it came to healthcare reform, They never proposed anything even remotely serious. And rather than help the American people understand the issues, they simply chose to scare us. They lied, they delayed, they threw genuinely enormous tantrums, and they lied some more.

Finally, when push came to shove and they had the opportunity to vote, they behaved like immature, frightened infants. Not a single Republican had the guts to defy their dictatorial leaders and the deep pockets of the corporations who back them. Not a single Republican had the courage to represent his country's interests instead of the insurance companies'.

Congratulations, Republicans. You are now officially the Party of Two-Year-Olds.

tristero 3/22/2010 11:30:00 AM |