Since election day this past Tuesday, it seems the political world in America has faced its "Hiroshima". We got to see Boehner and the "Country Club" Republicans step back into power, some wacko Tea Partiers get in and some get wacked, and we saw how the covert conservative corps in media can stop the few progressive voices in the media.
The minute on Tuesday, during the morning, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi unwittingly had to open her mouth and state "I was just on the phone with people down South, and across the country the early returns are very heavily in favor of the Democrats.", I knew it was over for the House Democrats. I already knew from the number crunching and the media hype the House Democrats were mainly defeated, but this would be the nail in the coffin and so typical of Speaker Pelosi's attitude towards the electorate.
Watching the election Tuesday night from the comfort of my home (adult beverage in hand for medicinal purposes), what I essentially thought would happened but some of what I expected didn't. I had expected the Democrats to keep the Senate but lose Harry Reid and Patty Murray, with Chuck Schumer then becoming the just barely majority leader. I knew the likes of Christine O'Donnell would not win (nor would I even considering telling someone I almost had sex with her), thank god, and certain others of O'Donnell's political ilk.
The worst case scenario would have been a split Senate with Joe Biden getting some opportunity to come in and cast the deciding votes (however the Blue Dogs more than likely would side with their true party the Republicans anyway). However, my hope and enthusiasm for the future 2 years of the Senate isn't as optimistic as the rest of the Democratic establishment. We now see that Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has publicly stated what most have known for some time that his main goal is to destroy the Presidency of Barack Obama and help some future Republican candidate win in 2012. Additionally, John Boehner has also came out now publicly and stated (or not so overtly stated in true Boehner form) that he will not work with the President.
Now to the Wacko Tea Partiers and the rude awakening they are now getting from the establishment GOP. What most would have been able to see has and is coming true. The GOP had hijacked the Tea Party movement solely to get control of the House and next get control of the Senate in 2 years. Did the Tea Party actually think they would or could control the GOP agenda; apparently some did like Michelle Bachman, who now has seen her own attempts at a House leadership post gone with the wind. The Tea Party movement was idiotic and senseless, with it being even more senseless now that the GOP is taking them to the woodshed and showing them who truly run the GOP, the CORPORATIONS. So what does the Tea Party then do, they now threaten any Senator, Republican, who they feel doesn't follow their extremist agenda, with the threat of expulsion through the primary system.
Not only did we see the typical Tea Party wackiness, we also seeing the GOP pundits restating Tea Party propaganda in the form of the size and cost of President Obama's trip to India. Michelle Bachmann, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck repeatedly saying it was going to cost American taxpayers $200 million per day! People were actually believing it, the same people who voted for the Tea Party candidates, even though the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are known not to cost the same. This is the people you chose to run our government!
What are we seeing now from the GOP since they have won the House and control of many State legislatures? We are seeing the Privatization agenda coming back. The Texas GOP controlled legislature is considering withdrawing from Medicaid in order to show the President on health care reform. However, this move will not save money but rather put at risk the millions of Texans who are disabled, poor, children, etc. who require the assistance of Medicaid. Do you think it stops here? No this agenda will carry forward into the House where already Republican House Members are telling the White House to "lawyer up".
Now finally Keith Olbermann. There was more of a shock of "indefinitely" suspending Keith rather than his few donations, actually 3, to liberal Democrat candidates. What further is disturbing is the allowance of former Republican and conservative host Joe Scarborough's ability to donate to Republican candidates, be the main fundraising speaker at conservative events, and promote conservative Republicans thru his show. Also there is the issue of Comcast mergering with NBC and Comcast's support of Republican and conservative candidates. Can you say double standard! To think Keith Olbermann was anything but a progressive is insane and to think Keith Olbermann was objective other than to progressive political philosophy is even more ludicrous. Who knows, maybe this was a publicity stunt to bolster Olbermann's popularity who at least being a stupid move by an organization pressured by the Neocons and the whole thing now backfired making Olbermann a legend and martyr.
Crazier things have happened!