Master Plan

After today’s swearing in of Scott Brown as the new Junior Senator from MA, look for Congressional Republicans to double-down on the same obstructionism they have been pushing over the past year on any legislative plan offered by Democrats (which, of course, is incredibly ironic as the GOP remains the minority party by a large margin). This, in an ongoing ploy to neutralize Obama’s presidency by filibustering any major policy he proposes long enough to get more Republicans into Congress in 2010—followed by (they hope) a Republican presidency in 2012—and initiate the very same policies (e.g. tax cuts for the rich, relaxed regulation of banks, using the military as world policemen, etc) which failed spectacularly under George W. Bush.

Thus, in one respect, the GOP and Wall Street bankers have one thing in common: both are unwilling or utterly unable to learn from past blunders.

Better You Than Me

As discombobulated as Democrats are right now, the following poll of Republicans on the question of “Who would be the best nominee to face Obama in 2012?” is even more muddled with “Unknown” leading the pack by a huge margin (42%), followed by Sarah Palin in a distant second (16%) and Mitt Romney in third (11%).

Incredulously, Darth Cheney scored 10% as well.

In the same poll, 53% of respondents also claim that Palin is more qualified to be president than Obama which begs the obvious question of how many were piss-drunk when questioned.

Nevertheless, as much as the GOP is still swaggering over Scott Brown’s upset Senate win in MA, these results—albeit a long way out from the ’12 Iowa Caucuses—paint a vague and troubled picture for the party’s near-future.

For The Record (Part II)

Just saw an amazing segment on “Hardball” on the topic of DADT (Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell) including Peter Sprigg of the Christian conservative Family Research Council during which Mr. Sprigg claimed that gays and lesbians should: a) not be allowed to join the US military, and; b) contrary to Lawrence v. Texas (2003), states should be legally able to criminalize homosexual conduct.

I’ll give Mr. Sprigg credit for one thing: unlike many of Chris Mathews’ guests who often duck direct answers to direct questions, he openly did so when asked his stances on DADT and homosexual behavior as a legal concept.

Sprigg is also fully entitled to his First Amendment rights.

However, by the same token, I am free to retort that Mr. Sprigg’s statements above are rooted in the fucking Dark Ages, or Berlin circa 1938 (whichever you prefer).

For The Record

The absurd Clinton era policy known as "don’t-ask, don’t-tell" should be abolished immediately.

In a time when the US needs all the best-trained, best-equipped soldiers and pilots it can get to help defend our security, expelling any personnel from service strictly based on their exposed sexual persuasion is at best a self-defeating act.

Kudos to President Obama for finally pulling this issue back into the light where it can be properly swept away by Congress ASAP.

Yes, We Have No Platform

After spending the past year bellowing for fiscal discipline only to reject a Senate measure establishing a Deficit Commission that would have defined methods to cut state spending, the GOP has upped its own inconsistent ante by voting across the board against a PAYGO plan similar to that used in the Clinton era which mandated that for every hike in government spending other programs must be cut to compensate.

Therefore, if a billion dollars is required for “New Program A,” existing spending plans must take a loss to span the gap.

The good news, however, is that PAYGO passed the Senate – albeit by a razor-thin 60-40 vote with not even one Republican crossing over to support the measure.

I’ll give the GOP one thing: they are amazingly consistent in their dedication to obstructionism no matter if it even means rejecting a measure the party backed just weeks beforehand. Thus, the "Party of Lincoln" has utterly sold out its principles by rejecting even basic steps toward national progress in favor making short-term political jabs at their rivals.

God knows that Congressional Democrats are hardly a model of efficiency, but I genuinely wonder why their Republican colleagues bother to show up for work anymore. They are useless.