It's All Bad
If you’re looking for hope and optimism, this ain’t the place to find it. Here’s how I pretty much feel right now:
“I’m OK. We’re all good.” I feel like I’ve been hit by a car and am trying to convince the world I’m OK. But I’m not.
Yesterday and throughout the evening, Democrats tried in vain to get voting rights legislation passed. And since it’s the Democrats, they failed at it. Sure, you could blame the obstructionist Republicans who don’t compromise or negotiate on anything. But we know who they are. Nope. This could have been passed if two Democrats, The Testicle Twins as I’ve taken to calling them, Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema voted to pass it. Not even pass it, as the legislation wasn’t even up for a vote. The vote yesterday was to change the filibuster rules so there could at least be some semblance of taking a vote on democracy.
It’s incredibly disheartening that two days after people publicly flagellate themselves over MLK and his legacy they would vote against ensuring equal voting rights. It would be a hilarious absurdity if it weren’t so serious. This is just par for the course for this crop of Dems. Sinema and Manchin have acted like Republicans all year. They love them. Don’t believe me? Here she is getting congratulated by the GOP right after she casts her vote to stop voting rights from passing:
It makes me sick. It infuriates me. She’s wearing a red dress for goodness sake. She is deliberately telling the people who supported her and got her elected that she does not give a flying F about them. I don’t know if she’s evil, mentally unwell, or just another greedy cynical politician. I don’t really care. What I do know is that she’s not a Democrat or a progressive.
And she needs to be treated as such. It’s time for the party leaders to get tough on Sinema and Manchin. Kick them off every committee they serve on. Deny them funds for re-election. Kick them out of the party altogether. What difference does it make? If they aren’t going to support the party’s president and the Democratic agenda, then what good are they in the party anyway? Short-term consequences be damned. It’s not like Democrats are ever going to have power again. Might as well send a strong message about toeing the line.
Without federal regulations reigning in some of the obvious voter suppression laws that have passed around the country, it will be easier than ever for the unpopular Republicans to win back power later this year. This goes beyond policy. It is an attack on democracy and everything our country is supposed to stand for. It’s wrong and immoral that people who represent a much smaller number of Americans can deny people the opportunity to vote.
The Senate was designed this way for a reason. The framers thought it would encourage debate and the chance for people to make compelling arguments. That hasn’t happened in a long time. Republicans are not interested in governing or compromising. They made that clear during the Trump administration when they did nothing but pass tax cuts for rich people, aka their benefactors. This is simply about power. The version of the Senate that used to exist (if it ever did at all) is a myth.
In another gut-punch of bad news, Biden said at a press conference yesterday that the Build Back Better plan would probably need to be broken up into things that can pass and things that can’t. This would be really bad and totally predictable.
Remember a few months ago when progressive Dems were holding out their support for the infrastructure bill because they wanted BBB to be passed at the same time? Their reasoning was that if they caved on infrastructure without BBB then they’d be denied the chance to pass BBB. Also, the two bills worked together to solve problems. And once they decided to believe what their president and Dem leadership told them, what happened?
(narrator): They did not.
Republicans set their sights on power and ruthlessly pursued it. They bent and broke rules to give the Supreme Court a huge conservative majority. And now they are changing laws on the state level to ensure they will be able to hold power by gerrymandering districts and making it as hard as possible for people to vote. They WANT voter suppression. Don’t take it from me, they openly say it:
The GOP is gradually taking over state and local elections so that they can pick whatever electors they want to represent them. Even if a Democrat presidential candidate in a state like Wisconsin wins the majority of votes, the laws they have in place would allow Republicans to send a different result to Congress for certification. Their plan is simple:
1) make it as hard as possible for people in cities and people of color to vote.
2) even if people somehow overcome the obstacles there, have backup measures to ensure that the correct (read: GOP) candidate wins. That means gerrymandering and being able to choose an alternate slate of electors.
3) if all else fails, obfuscate the truth and muddy the waters enough that your supporters will show up to Congress and violently take it over (hey, they already did that one!)
Things are bad. Real bad. Biden could be doing more. The Democrats could be doing more. But keep in mind, they are paid to be weak. We were sold a barrel of progressive agendas that turned out to have nothing but special interest money-monkeys inside. So far, the 2020 election has been an empty gesture.
I don’t worry about the Democrats ever losing total power. They will still be around to give the appearance of choice. Powerful monied interests will make sure there is always another side to show support to so that the GOP doesn’t get too powerful. Without some major policy victories in the next few months, I don’t think the Dems will be able to generate enough support in 2022 to keep Congress. And then, it’ll be game over.
Democracy died a little yesterday. It reminded me of a scene from one of the Star Wars prequels:
Emperor Trumpatine will be back. And our nation will cease to exist as we know it.
Hey, I warned you it was going to be bleak.