This debt talk is working Mama’s last good nerve for a list of reasons, not the least of which is it confuses the living daylights out of me. Is nationwide finance so impenetrable? Or do they actually like keeping the country in this state of overwhelmed vertigo? One of them says, “Only A will save us. B will kill us dead.” The other says, “B is the real deal! Shoot A! A is the evil one!”
The President addressed the nation last night on the “3-ring circus this has become,” a 3-ring circus he appears powerless to stop. To further the appearance of what a Goddamn circus this has become, Speaker of the House John Boehner performed a major slight breach of etiquette and immediately addressed the nation right after, dragging the President’s speech into the public square to be dunked in the horse troughs. It reminded me of when the Joker took over the news stations, interrupting the Mayor’s attempts to assure the citizens of Gotham that they had nothing to worry about.
I just can't read about this crisis anymore!
This would all be so much less frustrating if it weren’t so transparently about the 2012 election. All you need to know about the real motivations of this bickering is to look at the two proposed plans: The Right have been criticized for having too short-term of a solution, one that will stave off default for at least another 9 months. What happens in 9 months? The start of the Big Race for the White House. The Left have a plan that will put off worrying about the debt limit for a tad longer than that…say, 2013. Like Neve Campbell in “Scream,” I’m so unsure who to shoot, I’m gonna say “fuck you both,” and lock you both out on the porch.
The outcome of this affects gays in two ways: 1) We’re tax-paying Americans (actually we pay more taxes: often have to file separately, and our shared health benefits, if we even get them, are taxed as income), and 2) If Obama can be defeated for re-election, it will be because of this.
Instead of re-posting the dueling videos of Obama and Boehner, I will instead post this video of an argument, which I feel says the same things except in a much briefer, less contrarian, and far more interesting way.
Obama has fallen shy of all his gay campaign promises. Obama has not been able to pull us out of this debt. Obama has not been able to change the way politicians conduct themselves. But don’t forget– Republican politicians got us into this debt. They took an unprecedented surplus under Clinton and sunk it. Republican politicians have set the mean-spirited tone. Republican politicians are spreaders of chaos. And Republican politicians will not get us out of this debt. You cannot become a millionaire by shopping at the 99 cent store. If their true beliefs were really about cutting extraneous spending, they would not be spending half a million dollars to hire a private legal counsel to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. They would be seriously looking at ways to belt-tighten the military. They are only looking at cutting spending from social programs (Social Security and Medicare) and left-leaning organizations (NPR and Planned Parenthood). They are accepting no middle ground bargains the Senate and the President are proposing. They are not interested in bipartisanship. It’s smoke screen.
Obama has ended Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. He has improved life for LGBT people, without doubt. He has given us hospital visitation rights. He has opened the windows necessary to unravel DOMA. There is more to do, but he has lent a positive, powerful voice. No other President or serious presidential candidate ever has done this. And certainly no Republican will. Thinking otherwise is horribly foolish.
We will get out of this recession, which has already been prevented from becoming a depression, but we have to remember to keep it cool. Like this…
1 comment
Michael Russo says:
Jul 28, 2011
Yes. Yes. Yes! Nothing more truthful has ever been written. I am so glad I wasn’t drinking anything because when I saw the first video I BURST out laughing.
It is such a shame how frankly obvious the government is trying to show us they really don’t care.
–breathes long sigh–
–optimistically crosses fingers–