As we eagerly anticipate Trump’s final exit and Joe’s inauguration, we all worry about what will be possible with GOP obstruction. We know what the Malign Turtle is thinking: stall 2 years, take the House, and then take the W H from Dems who look helpless and deliver nothing. Just as we did facing Obama. That’s obviously the plan.
Joe will NOT get any cooperation from the GOP. And I personally don’t see him doing much legislatively before 2022. Of course, he CAN do a helluva lot on executive orders. But crucial legislation will stall again.
So, what do I ask of Joe and the Dem leadership?
Make those suckers pay a heavy price in political capital. Make every week of obstruction COST THEM!
My biggest frustration with Dems is not what they have failed to DO. Barack accomplished little domestically and nothing after ‘10. OK, he was obstructed in everything he attempted. Nancy’s House has passed bill after bill that the people would value and all have died at McConnel’s hands.
Is that their fault? Well, not directly. But I do hold them responsible for WHAT THEY DIDN’T DO!
Our side has NEVER made Republicans pay a political price for their corruption.
Ask the average person about the Turtle’s obstruction of Obama and you’ll get a blank stare. No one who doesn’t avidly follow politics had any awareness it was happening. And it continues. The House passed the Heroes Act and the reptile banished it to limbo. And no real AWARENESS of what it could do for people has broken through.
Political tides flow back and forth in response to events and the actions of politicians. When a political interest acts in a way that costs a segment of the electorate, it will COST them influence. They may or may not have enough influence to pay the bill. But eventually they will run out of capital and get hammered.
But what if a political interest’s actions never break through to the awareness of the electorate? Worse, what if it can act with impunity because the OTHER SIDE NEVER FORCES THE ELECTORATE TO REALIZE WHAT THEY ARE DOING?
People talk about the Dems being poor at messaging. Usually, they talk about rhetoric and labeling strategies. I dunno about all of that.
What I do know is that Dems SIMPLY DO NOT SPEAK UP! They endure GOP nastiness … and let it go in silence. They murmur their concern and turn away.
As a result, the electorate never gets what the GOP has done. The GOP gets to act without paying any political capital because Dems don’t force them to pay it.
If we are honest, we need to admit something unpleasant. The GOP acts without restraint in part because, for decades, the DEMs have failed to force them to pay a price for what they’ve done. They’ve become bolder and bolder because they keep getting away with it. They write checks on an empty bank account and no one forces them to make a deposit. Their extremity has been encouraged by the lassitude of our leaders’ responses.
Of course, the MSM is also to blame. Massively. But think about it. If they attack the Dems, what price will they pay? If they attack the Thugs, what will happen? Which side has intimidated them?
So, OK. When I look ahead, I am pretty sure I know what the Reptile will do. The Creeps will keep doing it until they pay a political price they can’t afford.
And I FEAR that our side will let them get away with obstruction that most Americans will never even see because our leaders don’t demand that everyone understand what is happening. I dread a situation in 18 months when we face disaster because no one has forced the jackasses to pay a political price for destruction.
I ask of Joe one thing: hold the GOP to account. Grab that presidential microphone and demand that everyone understand what’s happening, who is to blame. Hell, he can do it nicely. But it has GOT to be loud and consistent and relentless. This is what the Reptile is doing and here is what it costs all of us! Make it cost political capital. Make it so expensive that they can’t pay.
If our side does that, I think we have a chance to make some progress. If not …
Listen. Ask my wife and children and they’ll tell you I was an optimist about this election.
But about our party’s willingness to demand that a cost be paid for GOP evil? Well, I’m not so optimistic about that.