Changing the Narrative, Part II

Digby had a couple of pieces this week that I think are a good starting point--I don't know exactly how the message is echoed--but she's had a running commentary, for one, about how republicans claim to love America and democracy but it's truly only when they win that they do. The other involves John Boehner and his lame excuses for not showing up at the Memorial for the Tucson (swear to God, I've had to look up Tucson about a thousand times this week just to make sure I'm spelling it right) shooting victims.

Frankly, both of these pieces speak volumes about the republican party and its followers. They are not interested in what's best for America: it's what's best for the republican party. They are not interested in taking care of Americans: they are interested in more money for republicans (a fund raiser, for Christ's sake, is the reason for Boehner's no-show). They have no political courage: rumors persist that Boehner was afraid of a blowback from the right wing fringe; please spare me, a real leader leads and does what's right (guaranteed if the shoe was on the other foot, Pelosi shows up in a heartbeat because unlike Boehner, she has class and courage). This is not a party that shares anything in common with everyday Americans. This is a party that is only interested in furthering it's own power, and in suckering in as many pinheads as it can get to believe that they have their best interests at heart (yeah sureee, sweetie).

I am not interested in civility--this is a narrative pushed by the traditional media that only hurts Democrats (who are much more civil than they should be) and helps republicans (who must chortle mightily watching Liberals trip all over themselves to be polite knowing republicans have no intention of reciprocating). What I am interested in is what's best for poor, working class, and middle class Americans, and that is not in the best interest of either the traditional media or the republican party, both of whom thrive on a setting a culture of fear.

They used to call Hubert Humphrey "The Happy Warrior." Frankly, what the Dems need is a leader--someone? anyone?--that everybody calls "The Mean Son of a Bitch Warrior." Someone who, you know, actually gets results (jobs, better pay, affordable healthcare, good schools, etc.) that actually benefit everyday Americans.

Peace,
emaycee

After changes upon changes, we are more or less the same

Not that there aren't plenty of people bloviating about the shootings in Tucson already...but these things I know: 1) The traditional media will get it completely wrong. The story the right wants is that this kind of thing happens on both sides, and that's the story the traditional media will give them. As usual, the traditional media will be wrong. 2) The right will give lip service to toning the rhetoric down for about a week, when some low level tea party nutjob will start screaming about political correctness gone amok which will eventually weave its way up the conservative food chain and Beck, Limbaugh, Coulter, Savage, Palin, ad nauseum will be back in business. 3) The right will reach out to that 30% of Americans who are completely batshit insane with as many goofy theories that put the blame on Liberals as possible, and since this 30% has no connection with reality, many of those theories will do what they are supposed to: get "Liberal" newspapers like the Free Press to publish completely false letters to the editor that only reinforce the worldview of the batshit insane 30%. They will do the same on every blog available, as well, publishing comments that are "true" simple because the batshit insane 30% believe they are true. It will sow just enough seeds of doubt as to make the truth of the Tucson shootings--another right wing nutjob turning to violence--mincemeat. 4) There will be lots of talk about gun control measures, but nothing--that's right, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING--will change. The NRA is too fucking powerful, Obama is too wishy-washy, and republicans have complete control of the House. Forget the Senate, too--finding 51 Dems with cojones would be like finding four leaf clovers in your beard. Ain't happening. 5) Between SB 1070, Gov. Brewer's draconian cuts to Medicaid for transplant patients, and now the Tucson shootings, is there anyone who fucking wants to live in the state of Arizona that isn't already stuck there? Count me the fuck out--isn't any amount of sunshine that makes a sinkhole look any better. Peace, emaycee