I’m Angry

Let me tell you who makes me angry. It is not so much the Republicans. I have already reconciled myself to the fact that they are scumbags who will take no responsibility for governing this country and will use any tactic to try to get a competitive advantage regardless of how much harm that does to this country. What really has me steaming is the wimpy response to those tactics. Yes, I know politics is the art of making friends even with people who disagree with you. I know it is the art of cutting deals and reaching compromises. That is all fine and dandy if the other side is doing the same thing, but the other side has absolutely no interest in doing that. The Democrats are still acting as though the Marques of Queensbury rules apply when the Republicans are trying to kick the Democrats in the groin. It is high time for the Democrats to punish those tactics.

The first step is to make the blue dogs act like Democrats on the most important issues. The House should bring the extension of tax cuts for the middle class to the floor for a vote. I doubt that many blue dogs would like to have to explain why they did not prevent an increase in the taxes paid by their constituents. Any politician worth his salt could easily answer accusations that he was actually voting to raise taxes by simply saying: No, I’m voting to keep your taxes low unless you’re a small business like the Koch brothers who are worth twenty-five billion dollars or you’re part of the Wall Street crowd who got us into this mess or you’re one of the companies exporting our jobs. Forget the excuse of being afraid of thirty secant ads sponsored by the special interests. The bottom line is that the blue dogs represent those interests and are afraid not too. But again, any politician worth his salt would say to those interests: “I didn’t have a choice. They forced vote me to vote and if I voted no I’d no longer be in Congress to represent you.”

The next step is to make the price to high for BP if the Republicans keep the committee investigating the oil spill from getting subpoena power. President Obama should call Harry Reid and say: “Now you can tell Mitch or I can tell Mitch, but here’s what’s going to happen. If that committee does not get subpoena power within four days the Justice Department is going to file lawsuits against BP, Halliburton, et al, because they’re going to testify under oath one way or another. And let me tell you that once those suits are filed they aren’t going away!”

The third and perhaps most important step is defeat the tactics of not even letting bills come up for debate. Harry Reid has to pull Senator McConnell aside and say: “Remember how you threatened to go nuclear and declare the filibuster unconstitutional when we were using it to oppose the appointment of extreme judges. Well, its payback time. If you keep those bills for coming up for debate we're going to get rid of the rules that allow you to do that. If you are going to filibuster those bills, you’re to have to do it the way it’s always been done. You’re going to have to stand up on the senate floor and show the world what asses you are!” Let’s face it folks, the senate rules are in drastic need of reform anyhow.

In spite of my anger I am still going to vote a Democratic ticket. Wimps or not, they are the only ones who will get us out of this mess.