PUNKING THE GOP
Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:12:17
The day before the President spoke to the nation from George Washington University, I predicted that the GOP was about to get a lesson in the Art Of War-Obama style. Sure enough, in forty minutes, the Prez set the stage and the rules for any further budget and entitlement reform; and Paul Ryan got a front row seat to the punking of his seriously flawed and heartless Path To Prosperity.
Tax the rich, boldly spake the President, and get off the backs of senior Americans and the unfortunate. He drew a line in the wet concrete (setting as we speak); Medicare will not be crippled and Medicade will not be abolished during his watch. In doing so, he wound up his watch to run another four years.
And the Republican response ?
"He's too partisan!" Like the Republicans have been anything but partisan for the last two years, declaring Obama's defeat in 2012 their top priority.
"He's poisoning the waters for any future deal!" Those waters were poisoned long ago by all the precious bodily fluids that the GOP dumped on Obama's agenda, refusing to meet him half way on anything that didn't reflect their misogynistic, Bible thumping, plutocratic game plan.
"He's running for office instead of running the country!" You bet he is. He's up early, giving the reasonable souls in the electorate a clear choice between an articulate, unflappable and evenhanded candidate and the collection of fools, freaks and desperate back peddlers playing capture the flag for the Republican nomination.
You only have to look at the faces of Boehner, Cantor, McConnell and Ryan to see how thoroughly spooked they are. They expected the President to offer them the well worn olive branch so that they could snatch it, break it and throw it back in his face. Instead, he put them on the wrong side of the American Dream, where they are doomed to remain until the voters throw the bums out.
Since the Midterm shellacking, the GOP have been the toast of the town; now they're simply toast.