Okay, so I'm reading this screed by Erick Erickson frighteningly entitled "I Have Seen Shameful Things" rightfully expecting ruminations on his bathroom mirrors' reflection or perhaps travel notes from a winger junket with Rush Limbaugh to the Dominican or some/any kind of Republican man on dog action. The subject, regrettably was more mundane: Republicans on Republicans who want to pass actual legislation action. They apparently hate that. In this case it was immigration but the hatred is policy-blind. However, before it could bore me into clicking away to another land Erick stunned me with one sentence that boiled down the Republican legislative scorecard:
They are proposing a plan that thus far appears to be unworkable, is wholly too complicated, and is a distraction from issues that we could all agree on in the name of getting a plan acceptable to Democrats.
I could never have put it so clearly. Erickson probably doesn't recognise the honesty it shows. This sentence could be applied to any sausage making that has required the slightest sliver of bipartisanship over the past twenty years. Heck, plug this logic straight into the gun background check and all the talking points apply.
Think about it: I anyone can think of any issue that might be more important we are "distracting". If it is too long to fit on one of Hammarabi's tablets it's too "complicated"... or maybe it's "unworkable"... DAMMNITT, KEEP THIS SIMPLE STUPID!! And don't even let a Democrat in the room, period. Yep, that seems to sum up the Red strategery for a generation.
Throughout American history big legistlation has always faced the same constituent difficulties. On any issue those far left on an issue will always scream, "This Bill is a total cave! We are giving them everything they want!! WE'RE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ANYTHING!!!" While those on the far right will always scream, "This Bill is a total cave! We are giving them everything they want!! WE'RE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ANYTHING!!!" The cooler heads in the middle, who are less likely to think that Dems are Maoists and Repubs are Nazis that usually come together to make the sausage. Erickson seems to think he is in that "middle" and, unfortunately, he is probably right. Thus, no sausage at the end of the day.
So using this paradigm here is the first scoring any Capitol staffer should look at:
1. It must be the single, consensus, most critical issue, affecting every human in the United States to the degree of halting immediate destruction, death and dismemberment on a horrific scale.
2. It's verbiage must be concise enough to fit on a fortune cookie. Really.
3. It must be simple enough to be understood by any mammal capable of differentiating between left and right.
4. There can be virtually no concession or exemptions for anyone on the left of this policy.
NONE.
Under this scrutiny there could only be one law in the land:
ALL TRAFFIC MUST STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE ROAD
And that concludes todays "Legistlation For Dummies"