Orange is the New Black

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Mitch McConnell might be paying lip service to "working" with President Obama, but burnt-umber House Speaker John Boehner isn't ready to make nice. In his press conference today (did you hear it? He definitely sounded as if he'd been sipping both his Merlot and McConnell's whiskey), Boehner reiterated that his #1 priority was repealing the Affordable Care Act. So there you go. Don't expect any meaningful legislation, even with consolidated GOP control over Congress. Just more taxpayer funding of snipe-hunts.

The HuffPo has more:

"'Finding common ground is hard, but it's even harder if the president isn't willing to work with us,' Boehner said, before explaining that his members will move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, even if such a bill won't pass the Senate or be signed by the president.

"He warned that if Obama tries to take executive action on things like immigration reform -- as the president signaled he would Wednesday if Congress continues to stall -- it would 'poison the well' and prompt a harsh response from Republicans.

"'When you play with matches, you take the risk of burning yourself,' Boehner said. 'And he's going to burn himself if he continues to go down this path.'

"Boehner's stark rhetoric made clear there would not be much in the way of a honeymoon for the new Congress, forecasting potentially bruising showdowns with the White House over the next two years.

"In terms of priorities, Boehner went through a GOP wish list that closely resembled what soon-to-be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) highlighted on Wednesday. The agenda included approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, repealing Obamacare's definition of full-time work as 30 hours a week, reforming the tax code and passing legislation related to school choice."

Yada yada yada. There's nothing new there, and if you'll notice, not a damn thing that will improve the lives of the American people on that agenda. But what do they care? As David Letterman pointed out: "Gas under $3 a gallon. Unemployment under 6%. Stock market breaking records. No wonder Obama is so unpopular."

That's one powerful corporate media machine that can spin out a mind-numbing combination of lies, rhetoric, and fear designed to march the average Joe Voter to the polls to rhythmically pull the lever for those candidates who will do him the most direct harm. Keep him from realizing a higher minimum wage, prevent his kids from receiving college funding, send his kids into senseless wars, reduce his social security and medicare benefits, and ship his job overseas.

Again, it's a good thing we are revisiting Orwell's 1984 on the program each night. Big Brother would be proud of the success of the party's successful "catapulting of the propaganda" as President Chucklenutz used to say.

Rush "Deaf by Temptation" Limbaugh was actually bragging about this on his program -- about the gargantuan influence HIS program has had on other corporate media outlets and the populace in general. That they all "embraced" his call to stop Obama at all costs! It would sound clinically ego maniacal if it weren't so close to the truth.

RUSH:

"What I want to do here is cut to the chase. The result yesterday is exactly what I said it would be. The Republican Party now has one of the most important and unquestionable mandates a political party has ever had at its junction with American history, especially a political party which did not run on a national agenda.

"It is rare that a political party running for office in a midterm election not standing for anything ends up with a mandate, and they have one, and it is the biggest and perhaps the most important mandate a political party has had in the recent era, and it is very simple what that mandate is. It is to stop Barack Obama. It is to stop the Democrats. There is no other reason why Republicans were elected yesterday. Republicans were not elected to govern."

And El Rushbo is proud, damn proud, to be such a prominent player in the destruction of the middle class. What does he care? He's in the 1% and -- quite obviously -- doesn't know what if feels like to feed your kids mac-n-cheeze five nights a week because that's all you can afford as a minimum-wage Walmart cashier.

Does Oxycontin destroy your soul, too, along with your hearing? But I digress. ...