Well, here we go, headfirst down the rathole of what the GOP expects will be Christmas in November and the rest of us fear will be a hole full of grinning rats, wearing American-flag lapel pins.
It seems the Founding Fathers intended the business of running a republic to be tough sledding, given our whole setup. “That government is best which governs least” is a line often attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
But I don’t think ol’ Tom, or any of his bros, intended it to be impossible.
And yet, today, we, the inheritors of a republic we don’t seem able or willing to keep, are said to be eager not to solve the problems of self-governance, but rather to exacerbate them by turning the Senate over to a collection of bunko artists, waterheads and loons. It’s like electing a full slate of Hell’s Angels to run your local school board.
God knows that the Donks have not covered themselves in glory here. Candidates like Mark Udall in Colorado and Bruce Braley in Iowa have run inexplicably feeble campaigns, and as a consequence we seem to be on the verge of elevating Neanderpols Cory Gardner and Joni Ernst to the upper chamber of our national legislature. All hat and no cattle, and two very small hats at that.
This is in part the fault of the media, which focuses on horse race and narrative over résumé and platform. But it’s also the fault of an electorate that prefers chowing down on a steaming plate of deep-fried bullshit to actually rustling around in the national kitchen to see if there’s anything more nourishing to be had.
And we do this all the time. We elect Republicans who make a shambles of things, then elect Democrats to clean up their mess, and then elect Republicans again because the Democrats aren’t cleaning up the Republicans’ mess fast enough. It’s like watching an arson victim chase the firefighters off at gunpoint and then invite the firebug inside for a Molotov cocktail.
I voted, like always, but I won’t pretend to be happy about it. The folks at the county clerk’s office were friendly and helpful, and they said turnout was surprisingly good for a midterm, and I felt like I was using the last few squirts from an old can of Krylon to scrawl my name on a collapsed bridge on an abandoned road.
Mad Blog Media 
Yeah… I’m afraid that whatever is in the water of western Iowa will soon have made into the Senate. I wonder if Harkin is kicking himself for picking this year to hang it up.
Yep. Just dug out the old clothes pin and am about to go vote. Hold your nose…..
Is it cynicism brought on by age that means we don’t vote *for* anything anymore? Even when our preferred choice would be “none of the above” we put our cross against the name that is most likely to keep “that lot” out.
It would be a refreshing change of pace to vote for someone or something. We don’t get the chance very often.
Another renowned ex-Bibleburger, Robert A. Heinlein, once wrote:
“If you are part of a society that votes, then do so. There may be no candidates and no measures you want to vote for … but there are certain to be ones you want to vote against. In case of doubt, vote against. By this rule you will rarely go wrong.”
We actually had two good people to choose from in the 43rd District. Geoff Rogers (R) and Stephanie Richards (D) would both be good people in the Roundhouse, albeit that is a left handed compliment. Steph is the incumbent and she won a tough race last time. Geoff is the more moderate of the two Republicans and I count him as a friend. He won the primary against a more conservative R. Its a rare event when you vote for someone rather than against someone.
I very glad that you can come up with a such a positive message here for everybody. It is so neat to see that you have so much respect for a whole group of your fellow citizens.
Turns out that people who go to church give four times as much to help people as the none church goers. Its so good to see that nothing you or I will ever do will make any difference and that your existence has no value.
In that vain it would probably be a good idea to park that SUV your so found of in you new garage, invite your whole family inside and keep the motor running. That way you will be reducing the carbon foot print by quite a bit.
mike
It’s always nice to have the Illiterati drop by my little comedy shop. Have your pastor proofread your next comment before posting, please. Also, consult him as regards the biblical stance on urging your neighbor to commit homicide and suicide.
Mike,
Your numbers are full of shit.
Churchgoers give four times as much then nonchurch givers, but 95% of that goes towards new microphones and projectors for the mega church, repainting the lines in the parking lot, and overhead like that.
Basically, if you tithe by giving to your church, then you still owe another 9.99%, because the good book says tithing should go directly to those in need. On the other hand, maybe your pastor needs a new Cadillac…
But you can easily prove me wrong on that. Just tell us all what church you go to and provide us a link to your churches financial disclosures. I’m sure that, since all of the money is going towards holy purposes, they’re more than willing to publish that information.
Hmmm … Looking up Denver soup kitchens right now … First 15 listed in the yellow pages have no church connection. Can’t be right …. Guessing those good church-folk are just too humble to want their name in the lime light. Keeping their good works under a bushel, as it were.
http://blogs.thearda.com/trend/featured/parting-with-treasure-easier-said-than-done-churchgoers-give-far-less-than-they-think/
Agree with O’G, Mike. If you are going to shit on someone’s lawn, at least hit the target.
That quote almost certainly did NOT originate with Jefferson. See http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/government-best-which-governs-least-quotation and many other locations. The quote wasn’t attributed to Jefferson until 1857 and is not in any of his papers. It belongs in the same category as Washington and the cherry tree.
Yeah, I know. But I like it anyway, and thus it’s Jefferson. You don’t hear him complaining, do you? Case closed.
Thoreau used that line in Civil Disobedience. In an online reference, here is the footnote: “Possible reference to “The best government is that which governs least,” motto of the United States Magazine and Democratic Review,1837-1859, or “the less government we have, the better” – from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Politics”, 1844, sometimes mistakenly attributed to Jefferson”
Dead right, PO’G! Mainstream media certainly spews out plenty of corporate-sponsored BS, but what should we expect from them? Anyone with a working brain who cares can find much more accurate sources of information if they want ’em, but few do.
As my wife says (well, you already know that one) the ancient Greeks warned about about the perils of democracy when the idiot vote counts just as much as the smart guy. Explains why ol’ Karl Rove claimed there CAN be too much of a good thing – when it comes to education that is! We mailed our absentee ballots long ago, but the best we can hope for is to neutralize the votes of Cletus and Brandeen out there in the cornfields of Iowa….the ones who think Steve King is a great man.
Well, I went and voted against all incumbents and the two major political gangs when possible, which wasn’t very often. Took two stouts to wash the bad taste out of my mouth. But I will keep trying. We have best government money can buy, and the oligarchs sure opened their wallet this time around.
My prediction is that less than 40% of registered voters show up, that over 80% of incumbents win, and that we will have essentially a non-functioning congress for two more years, and state governments that continue to mismanage our affairs, such as pension funds, for another four. Simply put, S squared, D squared. Same shit, different day.
I can’t respect or defend the majority of registered voters, and a larger majority of ELIGIBLE voters, that simply don’t show up for all elections, just not mid term. And they have stayed away from the polls for decades. There is no excuse for not participating.
“Lord, I apologize for making fun of the water heads and be with the starving pygmies in New Guinea, amen”
Odell’s Gramps Oatmeal stout for me!
Whoa! Everything in here today from politics, to religion, to eugenics. Only “non-contentious” topic missing would be sports! 🙂
Must be Election Day!
And, yes, I voted two weeks ago.
Do helmets and doping count as in the Sports category? 😉
Only if the helmets are doping.
Jeff: YES! And some would say also in the politics, religion, media, and eugenics categories too. 🙂
Ain’t it fun playing in a Mad Dog’s back yard? Jump over the fence an join in the fun. Just don’t complain if the dog bites you when you kick at him.
Gotta expect a certain funk, what with the passing of Click (or was it Clack?) yesterday.
http://www.supercompressor.com/rides/the-best-quotes-from-car-talk-s-tom-magliozzi
Oh, yeah, I mean to mention Tom’s passing. I loved that show, not so much for the car content, but because everyone seemed to be having such a wonderful time.
Weekends on KRCC-FM in Bibleburg could get a little heavy (lots of talk, not much music until evening), and “Car Talk” always brightened the mood.
What a shame that such a wit was stolen from us by Alzheimer’s. Same sumbitch got my mom, and runs rampant in Charles P. Pierce’s family. I don’t think either of us devotes much thought to the odds of perishing of Ebola in our declining years.
I threw a few bucks to Arizona Public Media in memory of Tom as Ray requested.
I love this quote:
You want to be right, or you want to be happy?
Alzheimer’s: got my grandma, Dad appears to be in its grip as well.
I noticed that Ray was able to crack jokes about Tom’s illness. To some, that might seem too dark, but Alzheimer’s is so fucked up it tends to lowers the standards for dark humor in family and close friends.
Doc says, I got bad news and bad news. You have cancer and you have Alzheimer’s.
Patient replies, well at least i don’t have cancer.
My grandma’s doctor told me that one.
And another:
“The bad news is, you have Alzheimer’s. The good news? You can wrap your own Christmas presents.”
And you can hide your own Easter eggs.
Steve O, I think the quote is “you can be right OR you can be married”.
Big ballot here in Bourbon Central so I did the following: Voted for only one Ray out of the two guys so named for the Board of Silly Walks or something like that. Figured I would save them the confusion of two on the same board. Voted against the poor sod with the last name of Armstrong. Then there was the candidate with the same name as my ex. My polling place didn’t have “I Voted!” stickers but other than that it was a good day.
I got two stickers, one for each of the personalities I took with me to the polling place. The stingy bastards only let one of them vote, though. Happily, it was the radical atheist lefty.
Too true!
Mailed my ballot weeks ago but no let up on the darn mailings for this glorified high school popularity contest. Sadly I can’t remember who I voted for but I DO remember spending quite some time trying to decide who to vote against! Stupid midterm elections…..
Well, don’t come to Cochise County looking for a ray of hope. Eighteen percent turnout for the county, 36% state wide, and it appears you can buy an office with TV ads. And for our nation, Patrick called it.
About the only bright spot that I see is that one Charles Pelkey is now a member of the Wyoming State Legistature.