"If a man harbors any sort of fear,
it makes him landlord to a ghost."
~Lloyd Douglas
Forget Halloween, the world of American politics is plenty scary these days! Can you feel surprised, and not surprised at the same time? Because I have been feeling that way when it comes to the latest Washington doings, specifically in regards to John Boehner and the issue of who will replace him as Speaker of the House. I was genuinely surprised when Boehner stepped down as speaker, and truth be told, I felt sorry for him. I really thought when he rose to that position, he would be strong enough to serve, well, until things changed through the people's voice. I never thought in a million years he would resign the office due to pressure from the wingnuts in the GOP, AKA the Tea Party teabaggers, and their demands for the selfish and unreasonable. You know... things like shutting down the government until we make Dixie the national anthem, and Sarah Palin their Goddess.
His resignation wasn't good for anyone, but lets be clear, I am not a fan of Boehner. Nope. But he did have something going for him, he was a Reagan republican, meaning he didn't go about bashing members of his own party, and he did the best he could to represent all of the GOP, and not just the agendas of a few, crazy, unreasonable, selfish individuals. I think the time of the true Reagan republican has probably come to an end. Since the rise of Sarah Palin to the national stage, we have seen a dark time in America. The age of the stupid and mean spirited agenda is upon us. It's never again going to be enough to have accomplished something, no, now you have to have a political kill on your resume, even, and sometimes especially, if the kill is within the GOP's own party. And the GOP has no one to blame for this current predicament but themselves.
They built the house of cards that will come down upon them.
It also didn't much surprise me when House Majority leader, Kevin McCarthy, took himself out of the running for replacing Boehner. He, again, is a lot like Boehner in political style, and in his speech yesterday, he hinted strongly that his decision to step back was based at least partially because he wasn't willing to bow to the far right of his party, when it comes to the fight over the debt ceiling. The Tea Party has already said they would not support Boehner or anyone else who votes to raise the debt ceiling again, which means, in effect, they plan to shut the government down when the vote comes up again in December.
Sigh.
The ignorance is simply unbelievable. The possible damage will be deep, and far reaching, and once it happens it will be devastating and difficult to repair. America will never be the same again, and when it happens it will happen to all of us, not just those who hunger for the downfall that's coming! I fear watching that devastation. I hate that those selfish tea party politicians are serving themselves, while deceiving their own constituents into thinking they are representing their best interests. After it happens, and the devastation is felt by all, their every day voting supporters will see them for what they are. I hope. But I do wonder what will happen when the Tea Partiers in office finally realize the consequences of what they are about to do? Will they suddenly grow a conscience? Or is it possible that the ghost of Ronald Reagan visit them in the middle of the night just prior to the debt ceiling vote and warn them of the imminent visitation of 3 more ghosts of the past, present and future?
Who knows?
All I know is these are scary times. And their is a lot to fear.
And that means ghosts are everywhere!
Hold on, it's going to be a bumpy, scary ride!
Leaf Of The Day
October 9th, 2015
Mood: Curious
~Me :)
