Alone In The Universe

While I'm not a big fan of his, Charles Krauthammer had a column today regarding the odds of intelligent life in the universe and the fate of humanity. What struck me was one of his conclusions; that the contentious and exasperating art of politics is ultimately the crucible on which all of humanities accomplishments rest. To survive, art, music, mathematics, all of man's achievements are dependent on our ability to manage our own relations.

Well said..... The magical world of voodoo ‘economists’ By Steven Pearlstein, Published: September 10 If you came up with a bumper sticker that pulls together the platform of this year’s crop of Republican presidential candidates, it would have to be: Repeal the 20th century. Vote GOP. http://www.washingtonpost.com/the-magical-world-of-voodoo-economists/2011/09/07/gIQARBiEIK_story.html And if there was ever any doubt about the hijacking of the Republican party by the reactionary right and their fault in the increasingly dysfunctional government, these studies document it...... http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/what-the-tea-party-is--and-isnt/2011/09/10/gIQABcVQIK_story.html

The Irresponsible Lunacy

Here's a good editorial from the Boston Globe on the irresponsibility of the orthodox neophytes in the House. More importantly, it highlights the naivete of the public that buys into simplistic ideas about government with slick and easy "sloganized" solutions.

Actually, I should be cheering them.....they are sowing the seeds of their own, and their party's, destruction.

The Fallacy of "Balance"

I've often fallen victim to the notion that in political matters there is equal blame on all sides. But like many, I've now come to the conclusion that that equanimity has been exploited by bullies who don't understand the meaning of democracy and are single-mindedly dedicated to running rough-shod over anyone or group that opposes them. They are not fair or gentlemen, and those of us on the other side should quit accepting some measure of blame for impasses that are clearly not of our making. Paul Krugman had an excellent column on this in today's New York Times.

Liberal Lament

The current situation in Madison, Wisconsin is a microcosm - or emblematic -- of the larger cultural-political conflict being waged on the public on a larger stage. The Wisconsin governor is not only insisting on dramatic wage, pension and health care concessions from public employees -- he's also bent on revoking their collective bargaining ability. He apparently has not talked to them, doesn't want to and just wants them to roll over.

This strikes me as similar to the attitude dominating the right wing in Washington and in states across country. They are not interested in discussions with opponents, they are not interested in compromise. They are, instead, more interested in burying their fellow citizens; in vilifying their character (and patriotism) in denying them any democratic rights to negotiate. How ironic they hold themselves us as such staunch defenders of American democracy when so often their agenda is to limit it for anyone who doesn't adhere to their world view.

Speaking of the Paranoid

Per that last entry about the emptiness of the right's agenda and its domination by bizarre paranoid fantasies; today Harold Myerson had an editorial in the Washington Post on the very subject -- Land of the Paranoid. This is especially relevant as it comes on the heels of the Tuscon shooting which, despite their denials, is a direct result of this kind of demonizing and polarizing ranting.

The Vapid Right

Two columns recently together offered a wonderful illustration of what's so seriously wrong with the Republican party -- especially as dominated by the delusional right wing. Steven Pearlstein in the The Washington Post on Jan 6 published Let's Kill This GOP Canard in which he wonderfully itemizes the complete lack of common sense, financial and employment sense, public health sense, and even decency that animates what passes for Republican policy. He notes that much of the intransigence smacks of McCarthy era redbaiting and "rather than contributing to the political dialogue, it is a substitute for serious discussion. And the fact that it continues unabated suggests that Republicans are not ready to compromise or to govern." The reason for that disposition was wonderfully described by E.J. Dionne in The Post on the same day with "Conservative Advice for a Congress of Professors," in which he observes that the Republican leadership (and especially their grassroots) is animated by abstractions; idealized theories that are worshiped with no practical value. As Dionne says, "Their rhetoric is nearly devoid of talk about solving practical problems - how to improve our health care, education and transportation systems, or how to create more middle-class jobs. Instead, we hear about things we can't touch or see or feel, about highly general principles divorced from their impact on everyday life." We hear the same old canards....cut taxes (even while ignoring ballooning deficits), cut spending, tort reform as a remedy for health care. There seems to be a complete and overriding denial of anything that is inconvenient or conflicts with the ideology -- whether it is factually based or not. The Speaker, unbelievably, adheres to this notion the America has the best health care system in the world, when in fact it repeatedly rates below at least a dozen other countries and at double the cost! The best we can hope for is that their rhetoric is pandering to their base (as insulting as that is) who rally to fantasies of an idealized past that never existed and paranoid demonizing of enemies who they need "to take our country back from." If that's the case, maybe there's hope that there's some rationality lurking under the vapid surface.