"Never before have so few with so much promised to take away so much from so many and then laugh their asses off as the so many with so little vote for the so few with so much." A James Pence Quote
"American Politics, a sport for the rich and enslavement for the rest of us." A James Pence Quote
We all saw the video of Anthony Weiner blasting the Republicans on the House floor for playing politics with 9-11 first responder healthcare. While that issue was personal to him, the fact of the matter is that every since they lost power for crashing the economy and dividing and nearly destroying this country Republicans have been using political games to try and keep anyone from cleaning up the huge mess Republican control of our government wrought upon this country. Now Weiner, far from backing down is pointing out how nothing not even the well-being of our country is above politics to Republicans.
Weiner on Monday was far from backing down from his emotion filled tirade that quite frankly we need to see more of from Democrats. He was still blasting Republican idiocy and obstructionism on everything that does any good whatsoever for anyone in this country:
Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) kept up pressure on Republicans Monday, pointing to their vote against a health care bill for September 11 workers as an example that "nothing is above politics for them."
"If this was not a noncontroversial bill I have yet to see one," he said on MSNBC's Morning Joe program, "and it would have been noncontroversial had the Republicans not made this a process argument....Frankly, I think most Americans don't really care what section of the calendar it comes up on, what day it comes up on, what the rules are. They want to see their representative vote up or down on some of these things."
"This is Republicans tactics and strategy and nothing to do with the 9/11 bill," he continued. "The 9/11 bill was the evidence that nothing is above politics for them."
And of course he is right. While his criticism is rightly mostly leveled at Republicans some of these things can be said about Democrats too. Sometimes elected leaders must (gasps) take a stand and vote on something on it's merits over whether they believe in it or not and believe it is the best thing for our country. Political games to keep the other party from taking credit are idiocy and should be a thing of the past.
Just look at some of the things Republicans have opposed purely to make a political statement and keep Democrats from getting any credit for addressing the real problems of this country. Republicans en masse said no to helping tens of millions of people attain healthcare leading to a watered-down bill. Republicans opposed fair pay for women. Republicans, after bailing out the bankers refused to try to invest in the average working people of this country by helping to rebuild it.
But it does not stop there. Despite their policies of coddling the bankers and allowing them to crash the economy and run off with almost a trillion dollars in taxpayer money, Republicans opposed financial reform for the banking industry. And looking back in the last few decades one can find many things Republicans have opposed for purely political reasons.
They have consistently opposed higher wages and safety standards for American workers. They opposed American car companies which are now rebounding because those workers in their view had too many benefits and made too much money. They have opposed any attempts to take Corporate money out of the political process. They oppose any attempts to bring our troops home from the middle-east where they belong until a real war emerges. They oppose regulations on offshore drilling and cry "Drill Baby Drill" until we have the Gulf Oil Spill.
These are just a few examples and I am sure many of you have more. The point that Weiner seeks to nail home is this. Sometimes some things are above the political wrangling that goes on in Washington. While Republicans seem determined on gridlock to keep Democrats from fixing the many ills in this country in a shameless ploy to regain power and finish dividing and destroying this country that is not either the patriotic nor the right thing to do.
Sometimes you have to decide if you really love your country enough to make some sacrifices and these Republicans definitely have not. They hold party loyalty to a misled agenda sacred above anything, even the well-being of our country. They will obstruct anything that helps anyone because the do not want Democrats getting any credit. While this in the end may prove a successful strategy to this American it seems sooner or later it must boil down to one choice for all lawmakers. Either you love your country more than your party and want it to succeed over ideology or you don't.
