Not sure that you care being Canadian and all, but as the U.S. government goes into another week of shutdown, the Daily News' Mike Lupica has compared the ongoing fight in DC to a Vince McMahon production, replete with Republicans heads photoshopped on wrestlers' bodies.Could be fun for Blog discussion.
I think this shutdown is a better booked storyline than WWE right now.
Shades of grey.
ReplyDeleteI think the group shutting down the government and walking away from their duties are the heels.
ReplyDeleteSo, everyone?
ReplyDeleteDon't get me wrong, I'm a pretty left-leaning dude who would love to see this end up with some more Democratic seats in the House of Reps., but the Dems are just as complicit in this stupid turn of events (although, I blame the GOP more...).
Woo! Scott posted an email of mine! Day made.
ReplyDeleteI don't know see how they are complicit, since Senate Democrats passed the continuing resolution that Republicans keep rejecting.
ReplyDeleteFuck Mike Lupica. Saw him at a Barnes and Nobles when he was doing a book signing (I wasnt there for him) and was flipping out at the lady who worked at the Starbucks.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds about right.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a big fan of the Dems' strategy of, "Just fucking do it," especially when the GOP wants to sit down and negotiate. Even if the negotiation goes bad, you say, "We sat down with them, they continued to hold guns to our heads, we walked" and you look better. We likely could have had a compromise by now if not for that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I believe the constant continuing resolutions instead of an actual budget has a little something to do with this mess, which means we'll probably be back in this fight in 90 days, or whenever the CR they finally agree on runs out. Just a holding pattern til the next shutdown at this point.
The worst crime committed by the Dems, however, was being a pack of spineless jellyfish for the better part of the decade and letting Republicans walk all over them, setting the stage for a situation where, as far as I'm concerned, the Dems are just going to roll over again because no one has the balls to tell the GOP to stop (other than Jon Stewart...).
Yeah, he's an asshole.
ReplyDeleteOverrated book.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. government is the WWE.
ReplyDeleteNo, sometimes, the WWE blows off it's feuds.
ReplyDeleteThe shutdown is better booked than anything WWE wise.
ReplyDeleteThis event wasn't booked on a napkin, the plan to "weaponize" spending and then the debt ceiling had been written out for months if not years by interests funded by the Koch brothers.
Even in the face of public opposition, the Tea Party isn't changing their tactics. WWE changes storylines on a day to day basis because 10 guys in the front row weren't cheering hard enough.
Boehner is playing the Big Show's character better than Big Show is and he doesn't even need to cry to do it. He knows that the Tea Party is a bunch of lunatics holding him hostage, but he can't defy them or he won't be Speaker anymore. He isn't even intellectually affiliated with that segment of his party but he does their dirty work because he wants to keep his job.
There's nothing to negotiate though. The news media is being intellectually dishonest by portraying this (and the upcoming debt ceiling crisis) as a failure of the Republicans and Democrats to compromise.
ReplyDeleteThat compromise has already been reached. The Democrats lost that battle despite holding the Presidency and the Senate. They gave Boehner everything he asked for. The GOP got all the cuts they wanted and Reid said he'd push that through and get the votes it needs and Obama said he'd sign it. There are enough Republicans who aren't stupid who will join the Democratic caucus to pass it comfortably in the House. The compromise has been reached. The Republicans won. If Boehner called for a vote on this right now (3:15 PM), the vote passes.
But Boehner won't call for the vote.
That's because the 80-100 "minority of the majority" coalition has Boehner by the balls and won't allow for a vote to be held, a vote that the majority is in favor of.
The media needs to be reporting this critical aspect of it but because the media is so obsessed with appearing non-partisan they are actually acting as a mouthpiece for the extreme right wing fringe.
There isn't anything to negotiate, A law was passed by the supreme court and the Right said too bad and shut down the government.
ReplyDeleteIf the Left caves here, it sends the message to both parties that anytime a vote doesn't go their way then they just say "fuck it" and refuse to govern.
I think it's more like the Bill Alfonso vs. ECW storyline...
ReplyDeleteShane Douglas (frustrated, angry Republicans) brings Bill Alfonso (Tea Party) into the promotion to enforce law and order and traditional pro wrestling rules in a promotion (pick your favorite social issue and why various Tea Party groups want THEIR America back)
So there's chaos. Fonzie stops one brawl for blood but has to attend to an even worse brawl in the back. And a power struggle between Fonzie and Tod Gordon develops and the ECW faithful are waiting for Fonzie to get his. And to prevent his comeuppance, the chokeslam is banned. (no vote on funding the government, causing a shutdown)
I can only hope the payoff to the shutdown is as satisfying as the ending to the Pitbulls vs. Raven/Richards dog collar match
The budget held in abeyance, and holes in logic you could drive a car through?
ReplyDeleteYup. RAW IS GOVERNMENT.
And Repulicans keep passing CRs that the Democrats reject.
ReplyDeleteNo, there IS something to negotiate. Ideology aside, a bill won't get passed without compromise. That is the position that Obama put himself into by running a government that cannot function without massive amounts of debt and Fed funny money.
ReplyDeleteBarricading the national memorials and telling kids they can't tour the WH ISN'T being complicit????????
ReplyDeleteUnlike some WWE storylines, I expect there'll eventually be some closure to this one.
ReplyDeleteAnd better yet, Big Show isn't bawling his eyes out over the fact that the Smithsonian is closed.
But that's the whole point of this. What can the Democrats give which isn't ACA? The Republicans WON the budget shutdown despite holding 1/2 of the House and nothing else. The Democrats did what they always did, they bent over and gave the Republicans everything they wanted.
ReplyDeleteThe Republicans LITERALLY can't name something besides ACA that the Democrats can give them because the Democrats already gave them everything else!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/marlin-stutzman-government-shutdown_n_4034123.html
Because they're not the ones who have cut off the money for 'non-essential' personnel.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, White tours are not 'essential'.
" especially when the GOP wants to sit down and negotiate."
ReplyDeleteHa! That's one of the funniest things I've read on the blog all day. Thanks man, I needed some humor.
", a bill won't get passed without compromise."
ReplyDeleteExcept the bill ALREADY PASSED Congress. it passed the Legislative Branch. It got signed by the Executive Branch. The Judicial Branch said it was constitutional.
To paraphrase John Stewart - when the Giants lost a game by 30 points a couple weeks ago, they didn't turn around and threaten to the shut down the NFL unless they got to re-play the game again with a 30 point lead.
The Obama administration & Democrats reached out to include the Republicans in Health Care. They included several things that were initially proposed by conservatives. The Republicans, for political reasons, decided they would unanimously vote against it, and this is now the result of that political decision.
I really should have put quotes around negotiate to stress my point...
ReplyDeleteI just fucking hate all politicians. Left or Right doesn't matter, they all just want to make as much money as they can before they get disgraced or retire. My voting these days is based more on who will fuck me over the least, rather then what good they promise to do.
ReplyDeleteWhite House tours were considered non-essential......A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE SHUTDOWN!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't even waste my time voting. Its just like wrestling
ReplyDeleteHhh > mike lupica >congress
ReplyDeleteI once sat next to him on a plane and acted like I didn't even know who he was. Because fuck him
ReplyDeleteI just do it to keep the lunatic fringe parties out.
ReplyDeleteNo they pass CRs that delay the ACA. Not going to happen, and the GOP can fuck off.
ReplyDeleteI have to disagree. Even if you vote for yourself as a write-in candidate for every seat available (you can do this, BTW), you have to vote. I'm a firm believer in the "If you don't vote you have no right to bitch" principle.
ReplyDelete