CSI POST MORTEM
So the long-serving popular Liberal Lion of the Senate from one of the most Democratic states has a successor: An unknown conservative Republican who will be the 41st Member of the Minority dedicated to stopping the Democratic Juggernaut (or more aptly Train Wreck) before it even starts. No matter how you try to malign your candidate’s performance, you silly Democrats chose her and created the political and economic conundrum in which she had to campaign. You failed miserably on the basis of both tactics and policy. Now get ready for the deluge that will drown your Party this coming November.
It’s not that Republicans needed the extra Senate Seat. Democrats in the same chamber could barely agree on anything except each one has the right to dictate the terms of all the nation’s laws. It was a small miracle that Democrats coddled together 60 votes for their version of healthcare reform. This might not be possible again if it has to be reconciled with the slightly different House version. For most Senators, it’s my way or the highway (to nowhere).
SENATE INSANITY
No modern, functioning or rational democracy requires 60% of its Legislature to agree upon every proposal before it can become law. The Constitution simply does not require it. Instead it expects the Vice-President to cast the deciding vote when the Senators are equally divided. (Perhaps that could be reinterpreted to mean the Constitution permits him to cast a vote to get to 60 as the Senate is certainly equally divided and paralyzed if there is any other vote outcome.) Today any one malevolent, angry, spoiled, ignorant, partisan, or egotistical Senator of either party can hold the entire country hostage to selfish interests – a recipe for disaster.
The Constitution limits supermajorities to a short and enumerated list of circumstances but not to passing new programs, taxes, policies or laws. The Founders only wanted supermajorities to change the Constitution and to approve major items such as International Treaties, Supreme Court appointments, and Presidential Impeachments.
To argue that Democrats must now give up the fight to Republicans because they increased their minority status by one vote in the Senate is ludicrous. Those who continue to demand the U.S. remain straight-jacketed to such insanity in the 21st Century, should not be tolerated. It is an affront to basic long-standing tenants of one-man one-vote that justifies simple majority rule. Supermajority requirements within a dysfunctional and partisan political system only insure complete inaction and paralysis.
ALL BETS ARE OFF – GO FOR IT DEMOCRATS
Your only choice now Democrats, is to exercise your Constitutional power fully and ruthlessly. You only have until January 2011 to complete most of your major objectives. Simply put, you will be out of power after the November 2010 Midterm elections. At best, you will have to share power with a completely energized and intransigent Republican Party whose sole goal will be to remove President Obama in 2012. Naturally, nothing will be accomplished for another 2 years.
The President should now operate on an emergency short-term basis because he won’t win a second term. Considering his utter lack of accomplishments and frequent caving into every Washington DC interest group imaginable, the President is headed for early retirement. He will have a comfortable and lucrative career after 2013 in making speeches, teaching, and volunteering to help various charities in times of international disasters.
IT’S NOW OR NEVER BECAUSE YOU’RE TOAST IN 2010 & 2012
So Democrats, it’s now or never. No more half-ass measures and compromises on behalf of your wealthy corporate donors. They’re going to shift allegiances and campaign contributions back to the Republicans so you can do whatever you want. You don’t even have to worry about pleasing public opinion anymore. This new reality frees you to pursue all your policies because you already know the consequences are the same if you do nothing. It’s sad to realize that some of the few leaders in your Party that have “cojones” are Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton.
Democrats – Make whatever strong-armed procedural moves to get everything passed in the Senate with just 51 votes. If you can’t put together that simple majority, you might as well turn over the gavel to the Republicans immediately. Somehow they managed to enact most of their agendas in the past when they had anywhere from 50 to 55 Senators. You should abolish this warped procedural rule of the Senate. It might help the Republicans pass their own future agenda. Don’t fret about it. Republicans don’t have any agenda to pass so it would just be a nice bi-partisan gesture and gift for posterity.
You should make the most of your limited time in power. Don’t compromise on major healthcare and financial reform, on new energy and environmental legislation, or on funding new jobs and addressing the long-neglected needs of our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Don’t worry about busting the budget with new spending. You won’t have to clean it up because Republicans will again be in charge of this massive perpetual mess. I suggest that you try for a $3 trillion dollar annual deficit for next year. If you’re going to lose because you carry any shocking deficit, make sure it really is shocking. It would really scare the living daylights out of the Chinese who really need to be brought down to reality.
ENACT THE LIBERAL AGENDA WITHOUT APOLOGY
Some of your new spending programs might survive future cuts if they are actually popular with the electorate – about 4 to 8 years in the future. Don’t wait for any new beneficial consumer provisions to become effective sometime in the distant future when you will be out of power – make them effective immediately upon passage. Why not immediately extend Medicare coverage to all U.S. citizens and legal residents by March 1st? That might be your only legacy to the nation. It also could turn out to be immensely popular despite breaking the Federal budget which really should no longer be of the slightest concern for you.
Why not increase taxes on everything and everyone by huge margins to actually balance the Federal budget? Raise the marginal income tax rate for households making over $250,000 to 49% – take that Wall Street. Return taxes on Capital Gains and all other passive income to the same levels as standard income tax rates – Take that corporatism. Eliminate the income limit upon which social security taxes can be imposed to parallel the other payroll tax for Medicare. Set higher payroll tax rates for those households over $250,000. Raise federal gasoline taxes by 50 cents a gallon over the next 3 years as that’s the only real way to make alternative energies, conservation, and mass transit viable, plus pay for needed repairs to roads, highways and bridges. Get rid of the Home Mortgage Interest Deduction which helped fuel the housing bubble.
These new taxes might not last much beyond 2013 but neither will you. At least you balanced the country’s finances on paper. Then Republicans can explain why they can’t balance a federal budget when you did. Otherwise they’ll likely keep them to maintain a balanced budget but blame you for raising taxes. So what, you’ll already be in retirement and the whole game could be very entertaining.
LET REPUBLICANS TAKE OVER
The quickly declining trajectory of the collapsing American Empire was started and fueled by Conservative Republican ideology and policies. It’s really best that they assume full ownership of the eventual and impending disaster of our entire dysfunctional and paralyzed economic, social, military and political system. Until Americans see complete failure and can properly allocate it, Republicans will only shift the blame for their mistakes onto you. Thus it is far better to concede the next 2 elections to Republicans and enjoy being blameless spectators.
BUSH III
By early 2012 both Democrats and Republicans will have fully resuscitated the once discredited legacy of President George Bush II. Don’t be surprised if his brother Jeb Bush wins the Republican Party’s Nomination for President that summer. He will win the White House as he was always the smarter, better-looking, more popular, and taller of the two brothers. Even their father President Bush I thought the same and regretted the mix-up in the family dynasty. However, they will have the Democrats to thank for fixing that minor mix-up and restoring the Bush name to the Presidency once again. If Sarah Palin is elected President in 2012, then the Mayan Calendar will have been proven correct in predicting the end of the world as we knew it. You definitely want to be more than 500 kilometers away from Washington DC in that event.
In such a short time, you Democrats have completely screwed up. The majority of the American electorate has turned against you and the election results this November will be a nightmare. Republicans are successfully shifting the blame for all the normal fallout from their prior massive mistakes and bad polices onto Democrats. Now it’s time to face reality and find some other productive uses of your time and excess energy outside running a nation’s government for which you have proven to be wholly incompetent.
CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE TOO – AS PERPETUALLY LIVING LEGAL FICTIONS WITH GOBS OF MONEY
Another impending Disaster may come in the form of a Ruling from the U.S, Supreme Court concerning corporate spending in elections. (5-4 decisions hold as much legal weight as 7-2 or unanimous ones) Based upon the current ideological makeup of the Court, it is very likely that it will grant corporations the same First Amendment Rights as Individuals with respect to making unlimited campaign contributions and political advertisements. (Hell, banks are people too and far more deserving than most U.S. citizens for public assistance.) Democrats, Moderates and Independents really don’t stand a chance running for office in an environment where the U.S. oligarchy will be able to outspend everyone and thus determine every elected official in Washington DC. (They’ll save a bundle on lobbyists when Congress is completely bought.) When 30 to 40 percent of the American Electorate is perpetually too ignorant, disinterested and lazy to vote in any election, the end of democracy quickly approaches.
CARPE DIEM BEFORE GOTTERDAMMERUNG
People with terminal illnesses live completely different lives after their physicians give them the grim news. Just consider the Massachusetts Special Senate election results as the liberating bad news that your days in power are numbered. You now have the freedom to do everything you ever wanted. It’s now time to “Carpe Diem” – Seize the Day.
Best wishes from Marc Pascal, happily ranting from Phoenix, AZ. I have nothing against obese women or men – I’m 15 kilos overweight myself – so please don’t take offense at the title of this post.
The proverb “It ain’t over ‘til the fat lady sings” was coined almost a century ago by several different people. It was based upon the last scene of the last Opera of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, called appropriately “The Twilight of the Gods.” (Gotterdammerung is the more foreboding German original title that completes and follows the trilogy Das Rheingold, Die Valkure, and Siegfried. Each opera can be performed separately or sequentially over an insane two to four-day period) This final Opera concludes with an extended aria (Immolation Scene) by the Diva Brunnhilde followed by a long orchestral postlude of immense symphonic proportions. After about 18 total hours of unrelenting music and singing spaced over 4 operas, the audience is relieved the whole god-damn drama is finally over. Everybody can finally go to the bathroom and get something to eat.
“Gotterdammerung” means in English a disastrous conclusion to a series of tragic events – not unlike the end of an empire. (How fitting for the U.S. and this post.) I highly recommend that all TMV readers listen to some of the more famous excerpts from these Operas.