The Week in Politics
I don’t know about you, but I got me a post-SOTU hangover something fierce. I’m a stone-cold political junkie, yet I’m already sick of hearing about Social Security, and that is a battle that has barely begun. I can only imagine the exhaustion you non-wonkish types must be feeling. Or perhaps you’ve tuned it all out.
Anyway, that said, the past few weeks have been an exhilarating time for us Washington geeks. This week alone we had the Iraqi elections, of course, and the State of the Union, in addition to cabinet confirmation hearings and the race for the DNC chair. Never before in history have political events moved so quickly, and there’s no reason to expect that this trend will decelerate anytime soon.
It’s absolutely overwhelming to keep up with. I’m SOOO glad I’m not an “official” political blogger, cuz I’d have already burned out by now. Guys like Matthew Yglesias, Josh Marshall, and Ezra Klein simply astound me. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow they roll out post after insightful post, multiple times each and every day. And it’s a good thing they do—they’re making a difference, they’re helping to drive and define the terms of the debate. I’m quite thankful for their kind.
Once again, I did not watch the State of the Union. I can’t take it—I’m just not much for the masochism and self-torture that a screening of Bushspeak entails for myself. I knew I’d be reading all about it in subsequent days anyway. I must admit that the grand, theatrical triumphalism of the SOTU and the oh-so-predictable gloating from right-wing quarters over the better-than-expected outcome of the Iraqi election were a tad disheartening. (NOTE: I did not say that the Iraqi election itself was disheartening—just the way it was spun as a vindication of Bush’s policies.) The current GOP power structure in Washington has done an amazing job of hiding the moral vacuity of said policies behind such facades. But one cannot hide hypocrisy and emptiness forever. There will be a day of reckoning, to be sure.
And I’m far from disheartened over the position of the opposition party. Despite the lackluster rebuttal of Reid and Pelosi, there are signs of life on the Democratic side. There are many reasons to think that this period in the wilderness will be a blessing in disguise for them.
A handful of blurbs from the week:
From Salon (I lost the direct link):
Finally, I never thought it would come to this:
N/P:
Bad Religion – Suffer
Kreator – Live Kreation
Anyway, that said, the past few weeks have been an exhilarating time for us Washington geeks. This week alone we had the Iraqi elections, of course, and the State of the Union, in addition to cabinet confirmation hearings and the race for the DNC chair. Never before in history have political events moved so quickly, and there’s no reason to expect that this trend will decelerate anytime soon.
It’s absolutely overwhelming to keep up with. I’m SOOO glad I’m not an “official” political blogger, cuz I’d have already burned out by now. Guys like Matthew Yglesias, Josh Marshall, and Ezra Klein simply astound me. I don’t know how they do it, but somehow they roll out post after insightful post, multiple times each and every day. And it’s a good thing they do—they’re making a difference, they’re helping to drive and define the terms of the debate. I’m quite thankful for their kind.
Once again, I did not watch the State of the Union. I can’t take it—I’m just not much for the masochism and self-torture that a screening of Bushspeak entails for myself. I knew I’d be reading all about it in subsequent days anyway. I must admit that the grand, theatrical triumphalism of the SOTU and the oh-so-predictable gloating from right-wing quarters over the better-than-expected outcome of the Iraqi election were a tad disheartening. (NOTE: I did not say that the Iraqi election itself was disheartening—just the way it was spun as a vindication of Bush’s policies.) The current GOP power structure in Washington has done an amazing job of hiding the moral vacuity of said policies behind such facades. But one cannot hide hypocrisy and emptiness forever. There will be a day of reckoning, to be sure.
And I’m far from disheartened over the position of the opposition party. Despite the lackluster rebuttal of Reid and Pelosi, there are signs of life on the Democratic side. There are many reasons to think that this period in the wilderness will be a blessing in disguise for them.
A handful of blurbs from the week:
From Salon (I lost the direct link):
First things first: It is possible to hope for democracy to succeed in Iraq -- to wish for the best possible outcome for the Iraqis themselves, and for the rest of the world -- while still being fully critical of the Bush administration's numerous disastrous war policies. Setting aside all debate about the war's inception, it is possible to criticize Bush's policies precisely because one wishes for the best possible outcome in Iraq.Maureen Dowd in the Times, yesterday:
He doesn't just want to dismantle the 60's. He wants to dismantle the whole century - from the Scopes trial to Social Security. He can shred one of the greatest achievements of the New Deal and then go after other big safety-net Democratic programs, reversing the prevailing philosophy of many decades that our tax and social welfare systems should equalize the distribution of wealth, just a little bit. Barry Goldwater wouldn't have had the brass to take a jackhammer to that edifice.From Slate:
The White House seems to think Social Security was corrupt from the moment it was enacted in 1935. It wants to replace it with private accounts that will fatten the wallets of stockbrokers and put the savings of Americans who didn't inherit vast fortunes at risk.
Mr. Bush and his crew not only want to scrap the New Deal. By weakening environmental and safety protections and trying to flatten the progressive income tax, they're trying to eradicate not just one Roosevelt but two, going after the progressive legacy of Theodore.
With their brutal assault on history and their sanctimonious manner, they give a whole new meaning to Teddy's philosophy of the presidency. Bully pulpit, indeed.
If "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-il of North Korea and George W. Bush ever meet, I suspect the two will bond like long-lost brothers. Both men are first-born sons of powerful fathers who partied like adolescents well into their adult lives, after which they submitted to their dynastic fates as heads of state.From McSweeney’s:
Both avoid critical thought, preferring to surround themselves with yes men and apply propagandistic slogans to the onrushing complexities of justice, culture, economics, and foreign policy. Bush churns out buzz phrases with the best of them: He believes in "compassionate conservatism" and fancies himself part of the "army of compassion." He's the "reformer with results" who embraces the "culture of life." He shouts his paeans to "liberty" and "freedom" (a combined 27 times during last night's State of the Union speech, according to today's Washington Post) while reducing civil liberties at home.
Things I'd Probably Say If the Bush Administration Were Just a Weekly TV Show and I Were a Regular Viewer
"Now, see, you can't just go and do something like that. That would be illegal."
"Boy, someone's gonna get fired for that."
"Wasn't that the one who made all the mistakes? Why is she getting promoted?"
"Come on, in real life you'd never get away with something like that."
"They really expect us to believe that?"
"Am I the only one confused here?"
"Does this make any sense to you?"
"Why is this still on?"
Finally, I never thought it would come to this:
And with that, this country has officially “jumped the shark.”
Hi-diddly-do, neighbors, Ned Flanders is mainstream
Holier-than-thou character represents ruling values
N/P:
Bad Religion – Suffer
Kreator – Live Kreation
posted by Jonathan Wright at 5:56 PM EMAIL POST
