Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The View From Neither Aisle

While I'm sure that the good old days weren't nearly as good as the prism of my current memory makes them out to be, I can in fact say one thing with certitude: Everett Dirksen (Republican leader of the Senate from 1959-1969) and LBJ had an extremely good working relationship - on civil rights, in particular.................................................................................................I site this, folks, simply to underscore that the current toxic framework in Washington is far, far from an intrinsic reality. The two parties can work and have worked well together. In more recent times you had Reagan and the Tipster. And even in the 90s (1994-2000), you had Clinton and Gingrich - a couple of guys who, while they seemingly had a fair amount of disdain for each other, put forth balanced budgets year after year.....................................................................................................As to who in the hell's to blame for the current high-charged/partisan environment, it's really kind of hard to say. On the one hand, you have the Democrats adding trillions and trillions to the national debt. On the other hand, you have the Republicans (who, when they were in power, spent like absolute madmen themselves) opposing initiatives (Obama's health-care plan, for example) that are exceedingly similar to some of their own. How 'bout we simply say that they're all a big bunch of stark raving mad lunatics and be done with it? Work for you?

5 comments:

Commander Zaius said...

I think it goes deeper that the partisan divide. While I am sure I would disagree with him on many issues U.S. Senator Tom Coburn recently said on Scarborough that both sides are incompetent and dammit I think the man is dead right on that one.

We can blame wacko right wing political extremists, socialistic special interests, simple desire for power, lust for money, or little green men from Mars but the people we elect come from us so that is why I have come to think much of the partisan crap is show for the masses.

It’s also why I largely feel "America" is a walking zombie right now. We have had three major wake up calls (9/11, banker meltdown, and the Gulf Disaster) and we still have a bunch of people telling us everything is just fine.

Rusty Shackleford said...

What I find absolutly amazing is now the far left is preaching that deficits dont matter.The stimulus that did nothing was'nt enough for them....they now feel we have to pump more billions and trillions into the sagging economy.Never give a thought to reducing the tax burden on small business or corporate taxes,but lets just print money and give it to the SEIU or the teachers union.Yea,thats the ticket...that should work.Whats that idiots name Katrina Vaden Shovel...yea,she's one of the fools preaching that fiscal policy.I think they are ready to try anything,stupid as it may be to save thier black Jimmy Carter from a one term disaster.

Vigilante said...

Rusty, until you say we should end the fool's errand in Afghanistan tomorrow, I cannot hear a carping word you say about deficit funding. Until you say that, you are part of the problem.

Rusty Shackleford said...

I could care less about Afghanistan,Buttheadistan or any other Stan.Let them kill each other.If they come here again turn their sand into glass.

If we keep spending like we are we will be a third world country.

Will "take no prisoners" Hart said...

Both parties are knee-deep in Wall Street money. Both parties pander. And just like double b stated, the public is basically illiterate on all of it. We've got some very difficult choices to make in the future and everybody/every special interest group (the military industrial complex, big industry, unions, the AARP, etc.) is going to have to compromise. Good luck on that, huh?