Stop Me Before I Vote Again

A commenter in another thread -- let's call him Muiops -- recently quoted, with apparent approval, his local representative in Congress, who had voted against the condemnation of the Goldstone Report -- which passed the people's House, incidentally, by 344-36. This Mr Smith Goes To Washington boldly uttered the following fightin' words:

"Israel is a strong and resilient democracy, and successfully investigating this episode could only make it stronger."

I read it differently, of course. The fact that feeble yesbutnik gestures like this are the best the Democrats can do seems to me ample justification for concluding that they're utterly worthless.

Perhaps even more to the point, one is personally disgraced by any kind of apologetics for these handwringing hypocrites, no matter how qualified and faint.

The concept of "chump change" needs to be invoked here. The difference that the Democrats offer from the Republicans -- granting, arguendo, that it's non-zero, a point which is far from self-evident -- is still so derisory that one shouldn't lower oneself enough to evaluate it, much less accept it in exchange for anything, even a vote.

Human action shouldn't be about the instrumental calculus all the time. There's such a thing as self-respect too.

And yes, as Chomsky says, a vote is easy and cost-free, but for me at least it's not entirely an arms-length thing. To vote for a villain is to touch pitch, and to touch pitch, we're told on good authority, is to be defiled.

One may have to endure some degree of defilement to live in the world at all, but if you're going to defile yourself, do it in aid of something substantial.

If Irksome Bowels and Galvanic Simpleton, the cat food commissioners, manage to give Obama cover for the next looting spree, the electoral losses are not going to bother anyone who matters to the party core. Why on earth would they care? Things are going swimmingly. A disciplined and reduced party is much easier to manage. The big shots safely parachute out in ones and twos, to applause and fat rewards. The next tier is free to line up whatever lesser sinecures they can find. The hand-over to the Republicans proceeds with theatrical gnashing of teeth and wailing, and nothing else. Except, of course, the harm to everyone who doesn't matter.

The breadth of the nationwide assault by the GOP at the state level is really impressive. I came across this cute one from Michigan, called affectionately "financial martial law".

Here's one of our brothers, Buck Hall, over at AFL-MIA HQ, mulling this "reform":

"The so-called emergency managers bill would allow Gov. Rick Snyder (R) to declare a “financial emergency” in a city or school district and appoint a manager with broad powers, including the ability to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, eliminate services—and even eliminate whole cities or school districts without any public input."

What more are the ghoul party types up to? Read Brother Hall's post; it's festering with link-ups to more and more roll jobs.

Hey, we voted these creatures in, eh? Quite a way to demonstrate highly legitimate popular fury at Ohbummer's democracy. But was there any other way availible? One sees a mad charge into a box canyon, eh?

What can you say? Fight like hell, gang!

Not so subtly framed, the "question" is:

"It's clear the younger generation is very demographically different from the elderly, something to keep in mind as politics plays out on how programs for the elderly get supported," she said. "It's critical that children are able to grow to compete internationally and keep state economies rolling."

Well, no. Where to begin? These professional people managers are hopeless. Shorter hours, for better pay in better working conditions is critical. Right now. For the parents, and that's the bare minimum. This would do more for the kids than the child grinding protocols dreamed up in Skinner Box think tanks.

I thought Obama did pretty well when he picked Biden to be veep. Biden is so full of shit and so confident his shit is believable that the thought of his ascendence to the presidency is enough to inspire concern for Obama's well being. Cheney was smart when he picked himself to be Bush the Lesser's veep. Although in that situation, the concern worked the other way around. Clinton and Gore were always neck and neck, in my book, but both had the potential to be worse than the other. So there was belt and suspenders, reciprocal insurance. And Papa Doc Bush, no slouch himself in the role, had the modern pacesetter for the breed in Dan Quayle.

In the rush of oohs and ahs over Romney's selection of Ryan, the insurance angle is getting limited play, but Ryan has it, bless his heart. He's perfect for the job. Team Romney is to be congratulated. It can't have been easy to find someone so repulsive that prayers for Mitt's safety are understandable. Ryan manages with room to spare. He'll fire up the base, both Democratic and Republican, and if it's the GOP's consensus intent to throw the election, he's got the chops to help make it happen.

For all that he gives Romney, the major beneficiary is nevertheless Obama. Ryan's policy posturing fame comes from his "courage" to take on Social Security and Medicare. The Ryan-Wyden plan is vicious and crazy. Obama can draw on Catfood Commission proposals and look "reasonable" in comparison. The liberal poindexters and ichabods will eat it up, however much it chokes them. They're already primed to fall back on Supreme Court appointment arguments, the last refuge of increasingly less useful idiots.