I used to bridle at the title Flori-duh. Now I don't think it's
adequate to describe the stupidity, delusion, ignorance, bigotry,
tribalism and dishonesty that permeates the atmosphere and saturates the
ground of Florida. Yes, we have, amongst other acts of
self-destructive idiocy, re-elected one of the biggest crooks in American
history, albeit by a small margin. Rick Scott's "debate" with his
opponent Charley Christ was the most resounding defeat since Lincoln and
Douglas but of course few watched it and many heard only the edited
snippets that had former Governor Christ to blame not only for the
credit crunch that torpedoed the real estate market that is the backbone
of Florida's economy, but indeed he caused the global recession
that followed the 8 years of no job growth and soaring debt the
Republicans gave us. Did one Floridian pick up on Scott's declaration
that government cannot create jobs which came immediately before his
declaration that he had created 600 thousand of them?
A
feeble presentation, stumbled through without answering one single
direct question, yet today's paper insists the negativity was on the
Democratic side. One frequently aired ad had a voice simply sneering Charlie Christ.
The most negative, dirties, sleaziest and most scurrilous campaign I
remember in my long lifetime. Did I mention that Scott claimed he'd do
everything all over again when asked how he'd got away with stealing a
billion dollars from Medicare without going to jail? It wasn't his
fault - he didn't know - which, if true, says much about his "leadership" and executive ability.
Florida's
medical Marijuana bill failed as well, largely on the offensively
fallacious argument that it would offer protection to drug dealers (by
making it legal to be one) and would increase crime although the
evidence is otherwise, but we're talking about Florida -- we're talking
about Republicans, we're talking about stupid, delusional,
self-destructive, ignorant, superstitious, neurotic, insular, dishonest
and prejudiced: the idiot state, the dumbass state, the backward state
where the vultures of big sugar and Disney drool over the festering
corpse of our former beauty.
And we like it that way.
I told you so. Halloween and Election Day switched places. Yesterday was Halloween, and if you wondering what happened and why, let us recall this article, Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult, written by Mike Lofgren over three years ago:
ReplyDelete“Should Republicans succeed in obstructing the Senate from doing its job, it would further lower Congress's generic favorability rating among the American people. By sabotaging the reputation of an institution of government, the party that is programmatically against government would come out the relative winner.
A deeply cynical tactic, to be sure, but a psychologically insightful one that plays on the weaknesses both of the voting public and the news media. There are tens of millions of low-information voters who hardly know which party controls which branch of government, let alone which party is pursuing a particular legislative tactic. These voters' confusion over who did what allows them to form the conclusion that "they are all crooks," and that "government is no good," further leading them to think, "a plague on both your houses" and "the parties are like two kids in a school yard." This ill-informed public cynicism, in its turn, further intensifies the long-term decline in public trust in government that has been taking place since the early 1960s - a distrust that has been stoked by Republican rhetoric at every turn …
This constant drizzle of "there the two parties go again!" stories out of the news bureaus, combined with the hazy confusion of low-information voters, means that the long-term Republican strategy of undermining confidence in our democratic institutions has reaped electoral dividends.”
Milquetoast Democrats allowed themselves to be snookered … AGAIN … by running from core principles, abandoning their leadership, and alienating their base.
Invertebrates have more spine than Democrats.
Democrats lack more than spines and the party has done much to alienate me in recent years. Has it become a very loose confederation of groups without much in common and no desire to support other groups in that confederation? I hear a lot from Democrats who because they fault Obama for not putting their gripes and desires and articles of victimhood above all else -- and fault him to the degree that they will either oppose of ignore every other effort he makes. Just because we voted for him it obligates him to put our personal agenda above all other things!
DeleteRepublicans, as we know, are better, even though they seem to be lead by the most zealous and irrational, at working for a common cause. Sure not all are bigots or Bible smokers, but they always vote and always vote Republican. Democrats stay home and have hissy fits because Obama isn' interested enough in the welfare of stray cats.
Can we even talk about core liberal principles any more when so many Democrats are talking about authority and obedience and taking away personal choices? I see too much denial of science with Democrats too, too little desire to examine beliefs in light of evidence and far too much unassailable faith in a whole constellation of unsupportable beliefs. What core value can unite people who are Democrats because of a passion for gay rights and those who belong because they oppose whaling or pesticides or fear violence and share nothing else? They don't have that central fear of government or fear of minorities to bind them together.
You're right about the cynicism and the strange ability of the GOP to pose as an alternative to the legislative constipation they are responsible for. There are many who just don't have the ability and many who just don't have the desire to see the contradictions in the party talking points, The proclamations and pronouncements, but I've given up trying to convince them. I know a very educated, cosmopolitan man who thinks Krauthammer is brilliant and insightful. At a biker barbecue Sunday, I saw a leather vest embroidered with " I love my country. I fear my Government." I no longer see either occasion as an invitation to discuss logic or political philosophy because these are articles of faith that aren't subject to persuasion. I can't claim any less cynicism.
One step closer to the abyss. The good thing about getting older is fewer years left of the BS.
ReplyDeleteEven blogging is getting tedious. Sometimes it's just like shoveling s*it against the tide.
It's noon, time for a brewski. You with me on that okjimm?
We are all mortal, but the bullshit never dies.
DeleteSo it seems Captain.
Deletealas....there was a minor surgical procedure that I had to attend to....the drugs were good, to a point that I needed to delay a beer until almost 4pm. The results of the biopsy should be done by friday, though the Doctor has assured me that, passed on prior tests, I do seem to have a brain. Other procedures to affirm the Heart and Courage will commence at a later date. Enough for now...Toto and I must tata.
ReplyDelete