Politics
« Older Entries | Newer Entries »It Doesn’t Matter How Hard They Nail “The Hammer”, The Wood Is Still Rotten
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on November 25, 2010 by admin in Politics
Thursday, November 25th, 2010Tom DeLay’s recent conviction is probably meaningless, but emblematic of the ongoing deceit and corruption in American politics.
In light of Texas Republican and former house leader Tom DeLay’s conviction on money-laundering charges, I guess our recent look at political corruption in America was more timely than I had thought. I’ve shared some of my thoughts on Tom DeLay before (Warning, F-Bombs!), but I didn’t get very specific about why I find him as utterly detestable as I do. His own words sum much of it up. Making a statement outside the courtroom after his conviction, he said “This is an abuse of power. It’s a miscarriage of justice, and I still maintain that I am innocent. The criminalization of politics undermines our very system and I’m very disappointed in the outcome” (extra emphasis mine). The Napoleonic narcissism and contempt for his role as a public servant inherent in those words is reflected in his career as a political figure who has been central to the destruction of America as a model democracy over the last two decades. The visible face of his idea of serving the public is evident in activities like his involvement with the K Street Project, which facilitated the unrelenting corporatization of American politics that has led to corporations now having the same rights as you or I do. His aggressive role in the Gerrymandering of Texas displays his contempt for voter rights. Most of his real accomplishments were behind-the-scenes power plays that skirted legislative rules, making a mockery of the public trust. His smirky stance as a birther displays either delusional thinking or delight in sowing untruth, neither of which are qualities I look for in a leader. His reputation speaks for itself; I’m not going to try to list all the things he HASN’T been indicted for, or further describe the utter failure of his moral compass and delusional misrepresentation of himself as some kind of “good Christian”. I’m probably more disappointed with the American people themselves for not caring more (or being more enlightened) about the corruption amongst the leaders they factionalize themselves with by arguing about incessantly. It’s not about red vs. blue these days, it’s about struggling working class people vs. entitled, lying politicians. And DeLay’s conviction? It’s probably meaningless. He’ll either appeal and win, or get probation, and in the interim make more smug appearances on dance shows. And even if he does do time, he’ll probably end up later as a talking head on cable news like other convicted GOP felons. In the meantime, I hear he’s been working on new dance moves with his cellmate. See below. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh. THAT’S What You Mean By “Political Convictions”
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on November 15, 2010 by admin in Politics
Monday, November 15th, 2010Reviewing a list of American politicians convicted of crimes makes it clear that there’s ONE thing both parties can agree on.
 We all know Washington’s a zoo, so it should be pretty easy to turn it into a jail. |
The other day I was talking to a liberal friend who was railing on me for not voting, saying something to the effect of “because we can’t let these criminals back in power“. This friend makes the mistake of thinking that I’m liberal mostly because I think the Bush administration was a bunch of liars and crooks. To me, this is just an observable fact. My friend got a little feisty when I suggested that Democrats were just as often guilty of crimes as Republicans, so we agreed to trust Wikipedia as a reasonably balanced source, since organizations like Judicial Watch and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington are usually run by rabid astroturfing bastards from one side or the other of the aisle who do the double civic disservice of acting like watchdogs when they’re really lapdogs. An hour later, we had come up with some rough numbers and highlights. The rough numbers? Convicted Republicans since LBJ’s White House: 80-something. Convicted Democrats: 50 something. The numbers are hard to sift through the way they’re presented, but I’d hasten to point out that Nixon and Reagan skewed the totals quite a bit, but with what were essentially only two crimes: Watergate and the Iran Contra scandal. Below are just a few highlights. See the List of American politicians convicted of crimes for yourself for hours of Wikiphilic distraction. Read the rest of this entry »
The QE2, The Titanic, And Why I Didn’t Vote Last Week
[ 1 Comment ]Posted on November 6, 2010 by admin in Politics
Saturday, November 6th, 2010But I’m glad you were on deck screaming “I don’t think we should sink!” I’m sure it helped. Oh. And all these “bubbles” you keep hearing about? They’re normal when a huge ship is going down.
 Context here if you don’t get this joke |
Yesterday a friend asked me if I voted last week. I calmly said “nope”, to find myself on the receiving end of a laser-like liberal glare that screamed “how could you abandon us at this crucial juncture in history?“, but then out loud they said “Why the f— NOT? Are you RETARDED or something???” I then reminded my liberal friend that it’s not nice to say “retarded”, and went on to explain that my decision not to vote was part of my plan to accelerate my collapsitarian vision for a shiny new apocalypse. You see, what liberal, conservative, and especially that other bunch of voters seemed not to notice last week was the fact that Ben Bernanke had instructed Washington to print a bunch of money in a quantitative easing effort. For those of you not familiar with sophisticated economic terminology, 1 bunch=$600,000,000, and according to many, quantitative easing = bank bailout. To me the best part of this all is that since everyone’s calling it “QE2″, we no longer have to resort to that hackneyed “polishing the brass on the Titanic” line. The QE2, as you may recall, was the last of the great steam-powered luxury liners, whose only satisfied customers were probably the British soldiers that she ferried to the Falkland War. The debate will rage about this economic strategy until the results manifest themselves, but for one of the more balanced views of what’s going on (even if you do think he’s full of shibboleth) Paul Krugman sums things up here. And there’s one likely side effect of this cash injection that I find hilarious: in spite of the fact that if teabaggers had any idea what’s going on in the real world, they would be in a psychotic rage about the government printing a bunch of money at a time like this. But in their inexplicable ignorance, they’ll support it with every bone in their little heads, because clearly, if the rest of the world thinks an idea is stupid, it must be the patriotic thing to do. By the way, if you want to print your own money at will just like Ben, HowStuffWorks has excellent step-by-step instructions. Read the rest of this entry »
2010 Elections: O Voter, Where Art Thou?
[ Comments Off ]Posted on October 29, 2010 by admin in Politics
Friday, October 29th, 2010While the line between real politics and satire continues to blur with serious media outlets pondering the “platform” of a comedy show event, the 2010 elections give birth to a Michigan politician with the interesting name Rob Steele.
 What an apt name for a politician |
This is shaping up to be one of the most entertaining elections since Homer Stokes ran against Pappy O’Daniel in the Coen brothers’ film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
retard really bad Republican; dismantling Social Security is – as we all know – the most important chapter of Frank Luntz’s GOP Playbook. Whatever weirdness comes out of this guy’s mouth shouldn’t be surprising though, his media firm takes great pride in the work they did for Christine O’Donnell, the Delaware candidate who demands to know “Where in the Constitution is the Separation of Church and State?” Doctor Rob Steele’s candidacy has also raised in my mind the question: who wants a doctor as a politician? Isn’t a doctor’s personal job security based on a constant stream of sick people and being in bed with the insurance industry? Doctor. Rob. Steele. For Congress. Read the rest of this entry »
This Election Will Be Bought To You By 74 Rich People
[ 2 Comments ]Posted on October 27, 2010 by admin in Politics
Wednesday, October 27th, 2010If you’re so smart, why do you vote?
 
If you really DO prefer astroturf to grass roots, |
If you’re an American who’s angry about joblessness, the cost of living, government spending, and your mortgage payment, I want to ask you to do me a favor. Put down that teacup and that Obama sign with the Hitler moustache drawn on it for a second, and think. When you go to the polls this fall, don’t think about elephants and donkeys, think about power, money, greed, and media. Now that a corporation has the same rights as a person, and a handful of wealthy people who aren’t you control corporations, before you give that person that vote, ask yourself: am I just voting against something again? Because if you are, there’s a pretty good chance you’re being sucker-punched. When less than a hundred people in America make over fifty million dollars, and money wins elections, who do you really think you’re voting for? Ignore for a moment the fact that NPR is a frightening haven for aging hippy liberal academics, and take a look at this interactive graphic that they’ve created that shows the cash flow between allegedly “grass roots” political action groups and GOP or Democrat sources. If you read or listen to the whole article, you’ll find it’s not anti-conservative, it’s anti-public deception. In fact, it compliments conservatives for refining the dirty methods of Democrats. Don’t think partisan when you vote this time, think about whether or not you want a guy that George Bush referred to as Turd Blossom shaping how you think. Because there’s a good chance he is. Read the rest of this entry »