Could It Be?

The elephant is becoming more ponderous. He is a beast of great girth, who is finding it increasingly difficult to waddle a straight line. A deceitful gnome in one of the Republican stink tanks laid out the talking points to use in opposing any reform or regulation of Wall Street and the big banks. The people hate the so called bailouts that were used to halt the crash. Call any proposed reform or regulation a bailout! Say it loud, say it clear, and say it often. Keep repeating it until it becomes the only thing people will remember. That is what the gnome advised. Senator McConnel and Congressman Boehner took the talking points to heart, and both of them started performing the bailout song and dance. Only this time the Democrats were not about to tolerate the out of tune performance of the talking heads.

President Obama pointed out that the proposed legislation would require the banks to provide a fund that could be used to liquidate any of the institutions that failed. Could that be what the talking heads were calling a bailout? When pressed to tell us why he was calling the proposed legislation a bailout Mr. McConnel confirmed that it was that fund. It was such a flimsy explanation that anyone with half a brain must have been embarrassed for him. Making matters worse is the fact that the source of this disingenuous objection was leaked to the press, making Boehner and McConnel look like the fools that they are.

If there is anything the public dislikes more than the bailouts, it is the people and companies that received them. Needless to say that the public is not very receptive to any objections raised in regard to regulations that would make those people and companies behave responsibly. This fact is not lost on some of the brighter Republicans. Some of them are even threatening to break ranks. Could it be that the lock step partisanship that has caused so much gridlock in the Senate is finally beginning break up. Could the Republican Party actually tolerate enough diversity of thought for some its members to try to help govern this nation? I am not holding my breath while waiting for that to happen, but I do think some badly needed reforms will get bipartisan support in this one instance.

Incidentally, whenever I hear someone quoting Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck, I thank God for my big brain. Some people obviously did not get one.