In 2000, prior to that year's presidential election, I read a nifty little volume by the late columnist Molly Ivins called Shrub: The Short But Happy Political Life of George W. Bush. The book wasn't a conventional biography, although it did cover much of W's business and political career. As a retired state employee I'd already learned to despise W, but reading Molly's book brought things to my attention I hadn't realized. W's whole existence was a long string of messes, fuckups and failures, one after another. He had what's commonly known as the Reverse Midas Touch - everything he got his hands on turned to shit. And he cheerfully walked away from every single mess, leaving them for other people (usually his dad's powerful friends) to clean up.
As I observed W's first presidential campaign, his controversial "election" and the complete disaster of his first term, it was obvious his pattern was continuing. One fuckup after another, and other people having to deal with the bailout or fallout. The list of people, places and things W ruined over the last eight years is too long to rehash, but it's amazing.
Now it looks like W ruined the Republican party, too. I've been thinking about writing that sentence since Mutt Obama started pulling ahead in the polls. The Dems may screw up badly enough to give the GOP a pathway to regain power at the federal level, but unless they do I can't visualize the Repubs as anything more than a regional obstructionist minority for the next few years. That crowd honestly thinks their whole problem is they aren't rightwing enough...
The conservative commentariat is running things into the ground as usual. Among the dead horses they're flogging is the peculiar notion that even though Mutt won 53 percent of the popular vote and 364 EC votes, the most one-sided victory since 1988, he has no mandate. Unlike W's mandate in 2000, after he lost the popular vote and only won the EC because of Clarence Thomas.
They're also warning that if the Democrats raise taxes on the American aristocracy, all those millionaires will lose their incentive to amass additional wealth; they'll all quit their jobs and go on welfare.
The Alaska Senate race still isn't decided. The convicted felon is behind by a few hundred votes according to the news this morning, and Wasilla Wonderwoman can't wait to park her ass in that seat. The media monster that created American Idol can't seem to let her go, and SP's recent taste of hero worship addicted her to the spotlight. She still thinks God is working his will through her, so anything she says and does is just God being on the job. I've been observing those disturbed thought processes for eight years, and I'm sick of it.
Besides fucking things up, the main characteristic of W's two terms was the consolidation of power in the White House and the VP's office. W and Cheney grabbed every piece of privilege, authority, and control that wasn't nailed down and quite a few that were - Congress and the federal courts stood aside and allowed them to do it. I stayed pissed off reading about each new power grab and every time, I asked myself how loudly the Repubs in Congress would be howling if it was President Hillary Clinton doing the grabbing.
Hillary didn't make it, but we've got the next best thing. Mutt may not try to retain all the so-called executive authority that W hoarded but if he does, brace yourself for the racket coming from the GOP congressional shitbirds.
Added 8:09 am, Friday 14 November:
This isn't worth starting another post about, but the Wall Street Journal reports the latest stock market losses are all Obama's fault. As if we needed more proof that conservatives are a bunch of delusional candyasses.
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