When I was growing up in the sticks of western NY, my friends and I decided one day to start using the terms "dickish" and "dickishness." I certainly don't claim to have invented the terms, but my group used them freely and more than anyone I knew at the time (or since).
To be "dickish" or to demonstrate "dickishness" a person or group of people generally have to do some act:
- in a manner that will not really benefit them in any real way in the long run; and
- just because they can do it and inconvenience you.
In my current job, I occasionally run into someone who will refuse a request for a one day extension of time to file something. Why? Do they believe that I could not get the item filed if necessary? No. Do they believe that I could not request an extension from the court? No. So why oppose my request? Because they can, and it makes my life a little harder. That person is demonstrating "dickishness."
So anyway, let's move on to the whole Digital TV conversion fiasco.
To recap: by January 27, 2009 Jay Rockefeller struck a deal with Kay Bailey Hutchison to postpone the digital conversion until June 12, 2009. This was approved on a voice vote in the Senate. http://www.nytimes.com/...
So, you have the Democratic Senator and the GOP Senator saying, "Hey, let's push her back a few months, give folks some time to clear stuff up." No one in the Senate stands up and objects.
Then the whole thing can get postponed if the House just fast-tracks the delay with a 2/3rds vote in favor of delay. Nope.
Nearly all of the votes against the delay were GOP votes. So why would these 140 or so GOP (and the 10+ Dems -- I blame them also) vote against this? Do they not understand that the entire Senate voted for it? Do they not understand that (with 258 votes in support) the House can simply reconsider the bill as a "regular" bill and do it anyway? Well, surely they do understand that.
So why do it? Do you have some strong principled stance against poor people and elderly people getting 4 months extra to watch free TV on their regular analog TVs in the worst economic times since the 1930s? Is there REALLY some urgency in making sure that Aunt Ginny's TV in Batavia, NY won't bring in the finale of "The Bachelor" or "True Beauty"???
For those who say yes, let me repeat -- not ONE member of the U.S. Senate felt there was any compelling reason to keep the February deadline. Not one. You think that they just ignored all the horrible stuff that will occur on February 18 when people are still allowed to view "Two and a Half Men" on analog TV??? "You know, Ginny, 8 people couldn't report a fire today because you were hogging all the frequencies!"
Back to the question -- why do it. Dickishness. The House GOP knew that they wouldn't prevail in the end and that there was no real good reason for doing what they were doing and the bill would pass anyway (which it did today 264-158). http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...
But they wanted to just do something to demonstrate their tiny little slice of power and stick a fork in the eye of Barack Obama (if only for a week) who wanted the delay passed quickly.
Ask yourself -- is this a good use of anyone's time and energy? Of course not. But when you are dickish, you could care less.