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Two Things

August 29th, 2010

Didn’t take long for me to switch Beck off. I tried, I really did. But it’s simply more of the same, only more extreme and even more draped in God and patriotism. I always come back to that speech penned by Aaron Sorkin, because it so deftly describes conservative tactics, today and yesterday, and likely for all tomorrows in the near future:

We have serious problems to solve, and we need serious men to solve them. And whatever your particular problem is, friend, I promise you, Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who’s to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections.

Fear and hate. Phobos and Deimos. Tools of the conservative trade. Hallelujah, and pass the rifles. The black Muslim communist is destroying our country, time for a Second Amendment solution.

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  1. Troy
    August 29th, 2010 at 16:08 | #1

    It’s kinda good they’re ginning this stuff up for the mid-terms.

    The American people get a vote on this. Maybe they’re not as dumb as I think they are.

    By running with the whack theyre making the choices a bit clearer — none of this “CEO president” BS, they want this to be Goldwater vs. LBJ.

    It’s a fair choice. If We The People are happy with 10% of the country owning 90%+ of the financial assets, who am I to object. I’ve got mine, might as well pitch in with the Republicans and get on the winning side of the class war.

  2. Luis
    August 29th, 2010 at 16:21 | #2

    I hoped for this, too, but now am not too sure. Yes, we did win NY-22 because they went way too far, but that seems to be a relatively specific event.

    The greatest effect this is all having is the galvanization of the right wing, and the discouragement of the left wing. I can see the first, but cannot understand the second. This should be whipping up the left almost as much as it is the right–and yet we get polls back with liberals saying they’re not interested in voting in this election. I want to shake them by the collar and shout, “ARE YOU STUPID???” If the right-wingers win big–god forbid, should they actually take control of the House (not much hope for them in the Senate), then we’re finished. Not Democrats, not liberals, but the country as a whole. We’re already on the precipice, maybe even over it already. But if there’s any hope, it could be shattered by what Republicans could destroy in the next two years with the House.

    And destroy they will, with abandon and glee. Issa and others are already salivating over the opportunity of using control of the House to instigate endless “investigations” over Obama “scandals” and “crimes,” and can’t wait to start the 1990’s all over again.

    My main hope is that Republicans go far enough over the top that they limit their gains to a modicum, leaving control of both Houses to the Dems; that this is seen as a Democratic/Obama victory that Obama can call a mandate for his policies; and that–and this is critical–the Dems grow a pair in the Senate and get rid of the filibuster, an otherwise tolerable and even valuable rule of order which the Republicans have utterly disintegrated into irrelevance.

    With control of both houses and no filibuster in the Senate, Dems could–ironically, with fewer votes–do even more this coming term than they did in the current one. And despite all obstructionism, they accomplished a surprising amount.

    Of course, this will drive the right wing into even more of a manic, hysterical, insane frenzy–but maybe that could be a good thing.

    The potential upsides of Republicans getting the House–the drive to show more responsibility and the sharing of blame for the economy–would be worthless. Republicans show only signs of being even more irresponsible than they are now (and that is saying a fracking hell of a lot), and would insist, backed up 24/7 by Fox, that their valiant attempts to correct the economy were obliterated by Democratic schemes to destroy the country, with the rest of the media bleating along for fear of being called “liberal.”

  3. Troy
    August 29th, 2010 at 16:37 | #3

    It’s a bit interesting to project this future possible bad course’s effect on Japan.

    I think Japan needs a viable US middle class here to sell stuff to. They’d rather sell 10 $30,000 Corollas rather than 1 $60,000 Lexus, I think . . .

    There’s also the matter of the $800B of treasury debt they hold. Just think, now that you’re PR you yourself own about $8000 of this debt. Sweet, huh?

    WIther JPY? 50 seems on the table now, but I don’t understand FX at all, this is just my gut talking.

    Curiously, the above 3 paragraphs are all interlinked.

    and the discouragement of the left wing

    This might be due to the successful obfuscation of what’s going on here. Even Krugman isn’t explaining the economic reality of the past 15 years that well, ie why we can’t go back to 2005’s good times.

    Also, (at best) Obama is running with Clinton’s center-right playbook, engaging in repeated triangulations to claim the middle ground of every debate.

    This is off-putting to the Hope & Change liberal wing of course.

    And at worst, Obama may not be really into us lefties. This is not something I believe yet — given his youth it would amount to being a “class traitor” — but it’s hard getting excited voting for one side that just isn’t as bad as the other.

    As GK said here recently, all the Tea Party positions are logically irrefutable. This gives their adherents great enthusiasm in their support. Never underestimate the power of knowing you’re right.

  4. Troy
    August 29th, 2010 at 16:43 | #4

    “given his youth” –> “experience as a youth” if it wasn’t clear

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