The Senate has finally passed, well, everything. They passed (by unanimous consent) the defense authorization bill that Republicans filibustered over the DADT repeal included therein, thereby endangering our national security and making themselves traitors. They passed by a voice vote the 9/11 First Responders Health bill that the evil Republicans also filibustered until John Stewart of all people shamed them and the media. And now, they have passed, by a 71-26 vote, the New START nuclear treaty, after Republicans had delayed it for eight months. I suppose most GOP senators just want to get the hell out of town to finish their shopping, which means of course that their so called principled objections were never principled in the first place.
Prior to that vote, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry took to the floor to lambast Satan’s minion Bug Eyes McConnell, the Republican minority leader in the Senate. And all I have to say after watching the video, is where was this Senator Kerry in 2004?
Democrats, when in government, tend to take their responsibilities seriously. Democrats are always much better at actually governing than campaigning or communicating. And with governing responsibly comes the necessary notions of compromise, negotiations and accommodations of the other side. Republicans, on the other hand, have never shown any willingness to take their governing responsibilities seriously. They delay, obstruct, lie, and confuse everything and anything, so long as it benefits the Republican Party politically in the smallest of ways. They reject compromise at the starting gate, and if they take part in negotiations, it is only to do so in bad faith, so that they can further delay, obstruct and defeat whatever the negotiations are about. Republicans do not campaign to win elections so that they can govern. No, they campaign to win elections so that they have power. Power to enrich themselves and their supporters. And power to screw over everyone else.
And yet, no matter how many times this lack of good faith is demonstrated on the GOP’s part, Democrats in Washington continue to give Republicans the benefit of the doubt. It is high time, and long past time, for all Democrats everywhere to stop presuming that any Republican anywhere acts in good faith. Indeed, the reverse assumption needs to be adopted. We, and they, must always assume that the GOP is out to fuck us over.
The words of James T. Kirk are quite applicable.
Don’t believe Republicans.
Don’t trust Republicans.
Fuck them.
Merry Christmas.