A country in shambles, under GOP rule

[one...two...tree 2,762]

There are few things that make political coverage more unbearable -- and more distorting -- than The David Brooks Syndrome: the extremely patronizing and ill-informed pretense, shared by media and right-wing elites alike, that they can study the Little Common People like zoo animals, and then translate and give voice to their simple-minded and ignorant though good-hearted, salt-of-the-earth perspectives. Rarely has this mentality been so transparent as it has been in the wake of the Biden-Palin debate, as pundits and right-wing polemicists like Brooks, Peggy Noonan and Rich "Starbursts" Lowry rushed forward to proclaim giddily that Regular Americans would love Sarah Palin and this love could even help McCain win, despite -- or, really, because of -- her vapid, content-free telegenic presence.

Actual empirical evidence -- called "polling data" -- has almost uniformly demonstrated how false these condescending pats on the head are, as every single poll conducted thus far (at least that I'm aware of) found that Americans believed that Biden won and is the far more serious and knowledgeable candidate, and huge numbers continue to have profound doubts about Palin's fitness for office. And the first tracking poll to report a full post-debate day of polling -- the Research 2000 poll for Daily Kos -- finds Obama with a 13-point lead, his largest ever. This joint right-wing/pundit claim that Americans would swoon in the face of Palin's empty chatter, self-conscious folksiness and chronic, seizure-like winking says much more about those making the claim than it does about their Regular People subjects.

As polling data conclusively demonstrates, the mindset of the voting public is infinitely more rational and substance-based than the pundits and the Right fantasize when they lyrically praise the Regular American -- at least it is in this time of perceived (and actual) crisis. What's happening in this country, and in this election, is rather simple and easy to see: (1) the country is in total shambles -- possibly far worse than what people even realize; (2) we have lived for the last eight years under virtually absolute GOP rule; (3) the public knows this; (4) the Republican President and his party are therefore intensely -- historically -- unpopular; and (5) the voting public doesn't want to continue living under the rule of the same faction and same political party that has driven the country into the ground. Having Sarah Palin drop her gerund endings and desperately trotting out the standard, tired GOP attack ads to depict Obama as a radical, fist-pumping, America-hating, unhinged socialist -- when everyone can see with their own eyes that he isn't -- won't change any of that.

That the Right believes in the fundamental stupidity of the American voter while simultaneously pretending to revere and speak for them them is reflected in their belief that they can successfully blame the financial crisis and the country's woes generally on Democrats, who -- while hardly covering themselves with glory -- haven't had any meaningful power in this country for as long as one can remember. Ponder how stupid you must think Americans are to believe that you can blame the financial crisis on the 2004 statements of House Democrats about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac when that was a time when the GOP controlled all branches of the Government and nothing could have been more inconsequential than what Barney Frank or Maxine Waters, languishing in the minority in Tom DeLay's tyrannical House, said or did about anything.

In sum, Americans hate the way the country has been ruled, the economic crisis is making them hate that more by the minute, and the country has been dominated by Republican rule for the last eight years -- at least. It's just this simple:

And the reality is even more imbalanced than that graph illustrates: between (1) the tiny margins the Democrats have had when controlling the Senate, (2) the true functional majority of "GOP + Blue Dogs" in the House, (3) the extraordinary centralization of power in the White House, and (4) Democratic complicity and fear, it is GOP policy which ends up prevailing in virtually every instance of alleged "bipartisanship" even during those tiny slivers of ostensible Democratic control.

The overarching reality of the country is that we've lived under unchallenged Republican rule and the country has virtually collapsed on every level. No matter how dumb Rich Lowry and David Brooks fantasize The Regular People to be, those facts are far too glaring to suppress.

UPDATE: In comments, Harksaw suggests adding the Supreme Court to the graph, based on which party appointed the justices. Doing so produces this:

We've been an overwhelmingly Republican-dominated country for the last eight years (at least) and the results of that couldn't be clearer -- or more devastating.

Rasumussen Report today has a new poll finding that Americans, by 8 points, believe Biden won the debate with Palin. Moreover, Gallup's first tracking poll to include post-debate results finds Obama equaling his largest lead yet -- 50-42, while Rasumussen today continues to show Obama over 50% and thus concludes: "The stability of these results suggests that the McCain campaign faces a very steep challenge in the remaining few weeks of Election 2008." So much for

that Sarah Palin would electrify The Normal Americans and change the face of the race. If anything, McCain has sunk further in the wake of Biden-Palin.

-- Glenn Greenwald

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/200...inion/greenwald

[Ban Hammer 12,897]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

[Ban Hammer 12,897]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

care to explain the total train wreck in the last two years with a democratic controlled congress?

[Sofiyya 1,687]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

care to explain the total train wreck in the last two years with a democratic controlled congress?

You have to ask, Chuck? You already got the explanation - it's the GOP's fault that the Democrats are an amoral, ineffectual, clueless bunch of leaders losers.

Edited October 5, 2008 by Virtual wife

[IAMX 3,055]

It needs to be explained to me why Democrats are so different when they held a majority in Congress and helped pass through the PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind Act, Authorization for Iraq War, and the FISA amendments which included telcom immunity to save Bush's (and likely Congress') a$$(es).

There's some difference of ideology, but the same rule of screwing the average American applies.

The only thing I can really credit Democrats for is stopping the Gay Marriage amendment from passing and filibustering a ton of stupid Bush federal court Justice picks (not enough though).

Edited October 5, 2008 by SRVT

[one...two...tree 2,762]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

care to explain the total train wreck in the last two years with a democratic controlled congress?

Ring Wing pundits are blaming Democratic majority in Congress for this whole financial crisis. If we're going to play the blame game, let's be honest about it. Both parties have failed the American people on this issue, no doubt, however, the policies and viewpoints of less government and regulation has been the main staple of the Republican Party. This is has been failure of bad policy - deregulation.

[Tsup2 0]

Plenty of blame to go around for the mess in Washington. Obama is tapping in to all the discontent to get himself elected. But he is not the cure. His "hope and change" mantra is nothing but empty promises. If he is elected you wont see universal health care, the war in Iraq end, or fiscal responsibility. What you will see is an expansion of government, higher taxes, inflation and more unemployment. He has never voted against his party and has never demonstrated an ability to bring people together for change. Wake up people. Don't vote with your emotions. Look at the facts.

[IAMX 3,055]

Ring Wing pundits are blaming Democratic majority in Congress for this whole financial crisis. If we're going to play the blame game, let's be honest about it. Both parties have failed the American people on this issue, no doubt, however, the policies and viewpoints of less government and regulation has been the main staple of the Republican Party. This is has been failure of bad policy - deregulation.

This is true, sort of, but keep in mind Democrats have also been pushing for deregulation on the state levels too, with Republicans.

California is a perfect example. Mostly Democrats control what laws are made, the telco and media industry (movies, music) have lobbied Democrats to help eliminate fair use, help the RIAA/MPAA act like gestapo agents, using fear tactics trying to arrest people in public for selling infringing music that's not theirs, and the greatest bullshit of all, the state franchising laws, which eliminates regulations and gives far less emphasis on ILECs to give fair pricing to CLECs, meaning competition goes out the window for empty promises of better service. Services have improved for sh!t on the telco front. It's obvious less competition means less money spent on investment, more money spent on controlling the medium. Both parties kowtow to the "if it's good for business, it's good for America" mantra first. And this is why we're in so much trouble.

This is the epitome of the people not being represented, but the rich private interests in collusion with government. They are even tricking people who are for all-out capitalism without regulations, because they are regulating the industries so certain companies succeed, and thus control their markets, control the prices, rather than the market, and so forth. This is not called Democracy. This is an oligopolistic plutocracy.

Edited October 5, 2008 by SRVT

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Plenty of blame to go around for the mess in Washington. Obama is tapping in to all the discontent to get himself elected. But he is not the cure. His "hope and change" mantra is nothing but empty promises. If he is elected you wont see universal health care, the war in Iraq end, or fiscal responsibility. What you will see is an expansion of government, higher taxes, inflation and more unemployment. He has never voted against his party and has never demonstrated an ability to bring people together for change. Wake up people. Don't vote with your emotions. Look at the facts.

The facts are that - over the past couple of decades - government has grown the most under Republican Presidents and that there hasn't been a fiscally responsible President other than - you guessed it - William J. Clinton. So, make sure you look at the facts rather than vote with your emotion.

[dalegg 143]

Plenty of blame to go around for the mess in Washington. Obama is tapping in to all the discontent to get himself elected. But he is not the cure. His "hope and change" mantra is nothing but empty promises. If he is elected you wont see universal health care, the war in Iraq end, or fiscal responsibility. What you will see is an expansion of government, higher taxes, inflation and more unemployment. He has never voted against his party and has never demonstrated an ability to bring people together for change. Wake up people. Don't vote with your emotions. Look at the facts.

The facts are that - over the past couple of decades - government has grown the most under Republican Presidents and that there hasn't been a fiscally responsible President other than - you guessed it - William J. Clinton. So, make sure you look at the facts rather than vote with your emotion.

The fact is that Bill Clinton had Newt Gingrich and the contract with America to keep him in check. A Democratic president with a Republican congress has proven to be successful, but we can all see from the last two years what the opposite yields, and unfortunately we're about to see what a Democratic President with a Democratic Congress can do. Hold on to your seats people..its about to get really bumpy.

[HAL 9000 96]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

care to explain the total train wreck in the last two years with a democratic controlled congress?

trains don't wreck unless they've been speeding before wrecking. Blaming the last two miles out of eight is a bit 'tarded.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I'm wondering if we can now come to a consensus in this country that deregulation was not such a good thing afterall? I realize the Right Wing pundits are biting their lips on that long held belief because they know it will kill McCain's chances, but are any of them ready to own up to that reality?

[IAMX 3,055]

I'm wondering if we can now come to a consensus in this country that deregulation was not such a good thing afterall? I realize the Right Wing pundits are biting their lips on that long held belief because they know it will kill McCain's chances, but are any of them ready to own up to that reality?

Er, the belief that deregulation is what's best for American citizens wasn't realistic to begin with.

The only people spewing that ####### was corporate marketing Joes and the politicians they own. Edit: And mouthpieces who parrot everything they're told by people who have their party affiliation.

Edited October 5, 2008 by SRVT

[Ban Hammer 12,897]

A country in shambles, under GOP rule

The GOP has dominated in all 3 branches of government for the better part of the last decade...something the Right Wing pundits seem to overlook when dishing out the blame.

care to explain the total train wreck in the last two years with a democratic controlled congress?

Ring Wing pundits are blaming Democratic majority in Congress for this whole financial crisis. If we're going to play the blame game, let's be honest about it. Both parties have failed the American people on this issue, no doubt, however, the policies and viewpoints of less government and regulation has been the main staple of the Republican Party. This is has been failure of bad policy - deregulation.

i'll strongly consider being honest when you do that. however, given the topic title "A country in shambles, under GOP rule" i don't foresee that happening.