I’m fascinated with the press coverage of the government
shutdown.
I’m always looking for examples of media dysfunction, and
this is a big one.
I came across the following two stories that make it obvious
who’s to blame for the shutdown. Yet the media can’t quite come out and say it.
Based on polls, the public is getting it,
loud and clear.
CNN: Forty-three percent of those questioned say they have a favorable view of the Democratic Party … the GOP rating (is now) 32%. 31% percent say they see the tea party in a favorable light.
Yes, it looks like the Republicans are now as popular as the
least among them, the idiot tea party.
Republicans are to blame, no question about it. In this almost comical
statement, Rep. John Boehner whines Obama won’t negotiate, won’t give an inch, all the while saying his party won’t back down or give an inch. It’s
only unfair when Obama does it.
TPM: "It's my way or the highway. That's what he's saying. Complete surrender and then we'll talk to you," he said Sunday, referring to President Barack Obama's refusal to make concessions simply to keep the government open. He repeatedly insisted the shutdown won't end unless Obama and Senate Democrats back down, and repeatedly hammered Obamacare.
But then I read this article:
WonkBlog: Members of the Republican establishment are agog. Cruz “pushed House Republicans into traffic and wandered away,” said conservative stalwart Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. The reason the establishment has such trouble with the tea party is that the tea party really, truly means it. They don’t want to cut a deal. They don’t want to get the most that they reasonably can.
"My way or the highway?" So instead of calling it a draw, and ending the shutdown, anti-government
tea party Republicans win by ending government as we know it, piece by piece,
six weeks by six weeks, funding bill by funding bill, debt ceiling to debt
ceiling.
Talk about uncertainty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pc9u5N1O9zQ
ReplyDeleteIt must be really confusing to still be trapped in that left/right paradigm. The Hegelian dialectic matrix of duality convincing you that you have to pick one side or the other without ever just taking a moment to pull back the curtain and think for yourself. Why do you still waste time blogging about the things that separate us, rather than the things that could unite us?
ReplyDelete"the things that unite us" is really a ridiculous idea. It means nothing, and leaves huge gaps where the important stuff never gets done. I don't pick sides, I choose to come up with answers. Pointing out the flaws or just flat out lies is one way to warn everyone that one side isn't serious or credible, and should get credit for saying dumb things.
ReplyDeleteIt also points to the solution, like health care, where change forced the current system to try something different. It's never a waste of time unless those who are hung on cliches like "things that could unite us" have nothing to offer. And that's what I see in your response. I believe Gov. Walker's working on the "divide us" agenda, ask him the same question.
Thanks