They Just Don’t Get It

In 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign focused on a simple phrase to take the White House from an unpopular Republican president named Bush: “It’s the economy, stupid.” In 2006, here’s a useful slogan for Republicans saddled with another unpopular Republican president named Bush: “It’s you, stupid.”

The Republicans just don’t seem to get the fact that they are at the very centre of what Americans are rejecting. Sure, Bush and Co got America into the Iraq debacle based on lies and stupidity and without a clue how to get out, but it was the Republican Congress that failed to exercise any oversight. The Republican Congress gleefully went along when Bush gutted the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the Republican Congress helped Bush abolish habeas corpus.

So I thought it was a bit rich, and pathetic, to see Republican Congressional leaders in a desperate last-minute attempt to smear the Democrats.

Among them was House Majority Leader John Boehner who, according to the AP, told a right wing radio host: “If you want bigger government and higher taxes, vote for Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats. If you do want someone down on the border with open arms welcoming people across the border, vote for them. And, if you want to let the terrorists win in Iraq, just vote for the Democrats.”

His comments share a common theme with other desperate Republican leaders. Here’s a translation in real English:

“Bigger Government:” The Democrats will exercise oversight over the Bush administration and stop its excesses, as the Republicans should have done. In fact, the Republican Congress made government much bigger, especially by making it easier for Bush to spy on law-abiding US citizens without warrant or even a reason. Yet their government could do nothing for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“Higher taxes:” Megarich fat-cats who bankroll the Republican Party might have to pay their fair share. The Republican Congress swindled Americans by ensuring the rich got tax cuts while the middle and lower classes got only a hearty handshake.

“Nancy Pelosi:” Nancy Pelosi is from San Francisco, which as all American know has a large gay population. To Republicans, the city is the symbol of everything they hate: Freedom, autonomy of the individual, care and concern for society and the environment and, oh yeah, gay people aren’t oppressed in San Francisco.

“Welcoming people across the border:” If the Republican Congress was serious about illegal immigration, they’d have cracked down on businesses that employ illegals, but that would have offended and hurt one of the party’s main bases of support.

“Terrorists in Iraq:” This one is just too stupid to even acknowledge. Their desperation is most obvious in that silly statement.

The bottom line is that the Republicans are the problem. The solution is for every American voter to go to the polls on Tuesday and vote for Democrats for Congress, holding their noses if necessary. Better that than more years of these Republican idiots.