I received an e-mail from MoveOn this morning in my Inbox warning me about how ugly it's getting out here in the hinterland over the health care issue. Thanks MoveOn - but the cretins or paid actors who are disrupting town meetings across the country deserve either an Emmy or a certification of their mental disability.
With the great majority of Americans recognizing and suffering from the health care crisis, - who are the Republicans kidding by playing the part of Snidely Whiplash? I call it political drama - I've heard others call it a "farce" or a "circus" - BUT I think both parties' politicians are hoping we'll fall for the con.  We voters may be willing to suspend belief in the movie theater - yet we'd have to be mental deficients to do that in the political theater. Any voter naive enough to believe the Democrats - among the insurance industry's other political lackeys - will actually produce real health care reform - should take another look.
Nearly all the Republican AND Democratic politicians in WA DC have received millions of dollars from the health care industry, so we voters should suspect that any health care legislation will be virtually written by the health care industry. Indeed, I think our congress folk hope Americans don't see that this "reform" package looks more likely to intensify the crisis - they hope we don't see that this is not progress so much as retreat. A number of us have looked beyond the political rhetoric & the drama, and we are not pleased. Here's just a few prominent writers who are noting the Great Democratic Party Sell Out:
Do many of us really think Republicans are willing to obstruct the health care industry's wet dream? Is there that any dumb GOPper in DC who can't see that the Democratic Party serves the same corporate masters as he does. The RNC must know that, for the present, the Democratic Party is the only party which could serve up this rotten "health" dish with any hope that nausea wouldn't overtake America's diners before they wolfed it down. As I've said, "those cretins or paid actors who are disrupting town meetings across the country deserve either an Emmy or a certification of their mental disability." I, at least, am convinced that the Republicans have no real intention of preventing passage of any health care legislation - no matter what abomination the Democrats eventually serve up.Â
I'm convinced that if any Republican politician hopes to see any more campaign donations from the health care industry, he will not dare interfere in any real way with whatever legislation the Democrats finally produce. Nonetheless, I think Republicans are filling an indispensable role - the health care industry needs to keep Americans convinced that this legislation is worth fighting over. The Republicans also serve the 2-headed pro-war party's own self interest - survival - a survival that is dependent upon sustaining Americans' belief that they face a real choice between two distinct parties.
John Conyers had the nerve to have Cindy Sheehan and those calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney arrested - when he could have found real criminal types among his associates in congress. Single payer advocates were also arrested in congress. Who the hell do those men in DC think they represent?! How is it Americans are willing to accept these facts, and still cling to the belief that they live in a democracy?! Free speech zones - post GW - are still the norm; I & my fellow demonstrators were confined in one just last month over this very health care issue by Oregon Democrats. Yes, MoveOn, it is getting very ugly - it's in our face ugly! - BUT the behaviour of our Democrats is as offensive as any Republican's.
Some folks tell me I'm too cynical but I think I'm just one of a growing number of American observers. Like Lily Tomlin, many of us are rightly getting more cynical - but we are barely able to keep up. It's gotten so bad, few politicians seem to survive long in politics without the taint of corruption. I've come to the conclusion that the rotten apples will either corrupt the new guy - or the newbie was rotten long before he got to DC - or seasoned congressmen will toss the freshman out of the barrel before he makes them look bad by comparison. The uncorrupted if they somehow manage to survive - like Kucinich and McKinney - threaten the rest with their mere presence; that would explain why the MSM marginalizes and even savages progressives without much defense from their fellow Dems.
I've finally concluded that the 2 party system even works to encourage and preserve the corruption because the 2 parties collude to exclude any upstart party or candidate. In the meantime, neither party is going to work very hard on campaign finance reform or fight diligently to eliminate corruption - beyond the usual political theater - because doing so would endanger the status quo from which both parties reap enormous benefits.  I hope it's becoming more and more evident to my fellow Americans that a vibrant third party would force real competition, and would by itself do a lot to eliminate corruption; a viable third party could act like a cop tracking each Republican and each Democratic politician's every move - seeking to take advantage of any whiff of rot or corruption.Â
As things stand, until MoveOn alerts me to something I need to know, I will not be taking that organization very seriously.
With the great majority of Americans recognizing and suffering from the health care crisis, - who are the Republicans kidding by playing the part of Snidely Whiplash? I call it political drama - I've heard others call it a "farce" or a "circus" - BUT I think both parties' politicians are hoping we'll fall for the con.  We voters may be willing to suspend belief in the movie theater - yet we'd have to be mental deficients to do that in the political theater. Any voter naive enough to believe the Democrats - among the insurance industry's other political lackeys - will actually produce real health care reform - should take another look.
Nearly all the Republican AND Democratic politicians in WA DC have received millions of dollars from the health care industry, so we voters should suspect that any health care legislation will be virtually written by the health care industry. Indeed, I think our congress folk hope Americans don't see that this "reform" package looks more likely to intensify the crisis - they hope we don't see that this is not progress so much as retreat. A number of us have looked beyond the political rhetoric & the drama, and we are not pleased. Here's just a few prominent writers who are noting the Great Democratic Party Sell Out:
Â
The Health Care Reform Sell-Out by Dave Lindorff
The Incredible, Shrinking Health Care Plan By Norman Solomon
Business Week - by Chad Terhune and Keith Epstein
The Health Care Reform Sell-Out by Dave Lindorff
The Incredible, Shrinking Health Care Plan By Norman Solomon
Business Week - by Chad Terhune and Keith Epstein
Do many of us really think Republicans are willing to obstruct the health care industry's wet dream? Is there that any dumb GOPper in DC who can't see that the Democratic Party serves the same corporate masters as he does. The RNC must know that, for the present, the Democratic Party is the only party which could serve up this rotten "health" dish with any hope that nausea wouldn't overtake America's diners before they wolfed it down. As I've said, "those cretins or paid actors who are disrupting town meetings across the country deserve either an Emmy or a certification of their mental disability." I, at least, am convinced that the Republicans have no real intention of preventing passage of any health care legislation - no matter what abomination the Democrats eventually serve up.Â
John Conyers had the nerve to have Cindy Sheehan and those calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney arrested - when he could have found real criminal types among his associates in congress. Single payer advocates were also arrested in congress. Who the hell do those men in DC think they represent?! How is it Americans are willing to accept these facts, and still cling to the belief that they live in a democracy?! Free speech zones - post GW - are still the norm; I & my fellow demonstrators were confined in one just last month over this very health care issue by Oregon Democrats. Yes, MoveOn, it is getting very ugly - it's in our face ugly! - BUT the behaviour of our Democrats is as offensive as any Republican's.
Some folks tell me I'm too cynical but I think I'm just one of a growing number of American observers. Like Lily Tomlin, many of us are rightly getting more cynical - but we are barely able to keep up. It's gotten so bad, few politicians seem to survive long in politics without the taint of corruption. I've come to the conclusion that the rotten apples will either corrupt the new guy - or the newbie was rotten long before he got to DC - or seasoned congressmen will toss the freshman out of the barrel before he makes them look bad by comparison. The uncorrupted if they somehow manage to survive - like Kucinich and McKinney - threaten the rest with their mere presence; that would explain why the MSM marginalizes and even savages progressives without much defense from their fellow Dems.
I've finally concluded that the 2 party system even works to encourage and preserve the corruption because the 2 parties collude to exclude any upstart party or candidate. In the meantime, neither party is going to work very hard on campaign finance reform or fight diligently to eliminate corruption - beyond the usual political theater - because doing so would endanger the status quo from which both parties reap enormous benefits.  I hope it's becoming more and more evident to my fellow Americans that a vibrant third party would force real competition, and would by itself do a lot to eliminate corruption; a viable third party could act like a cop tracking each Republican and each Democratic politician's every move - seeking to take advantage of any whiff of rot or corruption.Â
As things stand, until MoveOn alerts me to something I need to know, I will not be taking that organization very seriously.
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