I'm watching Republican Congressman Jo Bonner (a good ole boy from Alabama) make an "opening statement" in the punishment phase of Charlie Rangel's ethics trial -- he's crying crocodile tears about his sad duty to publicly judge Charlie's malfeasance. I'm not an apologist from Charlie - he's behaved badly, arrogantly and without remorse. But Bonner's pomposity and poorly disguised partisan glee at Charlie's fall from grace is sickening.
Equally disgusting was Republican Senator John Kyl's decision to block immediate Senate consideration of the proposed New Start Treaty with Russia. New Start is a top priority of the Obama White House and a treaty that would impose no discernible disadvantage on our national security. In fact, the White House has been courting Kyl's support for weeks, providing him with reams of information and delivering big bucks for the maintainence of our nuclear weapons systems in anticipation of Kyl's assistance in shepherding the treaty through Senate ratification. Nevertheless, Kyl took a photo opp this week with Republican worthies including Sens. Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn to announce that the Senate would not have time to consider New Start in this lame duck session. Score one for McConnell's self-announced agenda to block Obama's every initiative. Meanwhile, I'm sure we will see New Start added to the media's list of President Obama's foreign policy failures.
Finally, I was sorry to see the Democrats elect Nancy Pelosi as their new Minority leader. I have nothing against Pelosi or how she did her job as Speaker. However, she has been a remarkably polarizing figure on the Hill and among the electorate, and her election by House Democrats can only exacerbate the continuing partisan dysfunction in the next session of Congress.
So I'm grateful for Thanksgiving - an excuse to take a break from the depressing disharmony that rules our country these days. Despite the pressing problems that face our government, I have absolutely no confidence that our partisan legislators will allow anything to be solved or accomplished over the next two years. I'll be back in December, if I can haul myself out of the slough of despond.
Meanwhile, Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Take solace in the companionship of family and friends, and eat lots of turkey. The tryptophans will elevate your mood. And don't ruin it by watching the news!
Re Pelosi - I do not agree that she was polarizing...Rather, the Speaker could have been Mother Theresa, but if she was a Democrat, she would have been called every name Pelosi was, including polarizing. And, it is not our "legislators" who are partisan - it is the Republicans, who have made it clear that they will do everything possible to hurt Obama, whether or not the USA is also damaged...and they will do everything for corporate America and nothing for the middle class (and of course, less than nothing for the poor).
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