Stupidity & Hypocrisy Bedevil our Politics

Buzz Flash's Ann Davidow had, last week, an excellent post discussing the breathtaking level of delusion that passes for politics on the right in this country. Called Finding a Voice, she talks about how easily our GOP leaders stand before us making outrageous claims, vicious attacks, and presenting themselves as holier than thou and thus much abler leaders. Her point, however, is that,

"At some point during the trickle-down years portions of the electorate, preoccupied with abortion and gay marriage, seemingly failed to grasp the fact of stagnant wages and the huge transfer of wealth and control of capital that had become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. People who often benefit least under a corporate umbrella that provides enormous advantages to some at their expense are the loudest proponents of a system that often shuts them out. Duped into believing that "Socialism" is the devil’s work, they are oblivious to the devil on their doorstep."

She goes on to discuss the fact that not only are the electorate deluded by the politicians,

"There is a level of delusion that is hard to fathom and a shamelessness on the part of the politicians who represent the deluded that is even harder to understand. Who can forget George Bush declaring, at the beginning of his second term, that he had garnered political capital and intended to spend it. Perhaps just not losing the popular vote was, for him, a sign of electoral significance, his political capital a myth in the making."

But even when caught out, again, and again, and again,

They continue to stand before us and preach the most rank hypocrisy. David Vitter apologizes for his involvement with prostitutes - after voting to impeach President Clinton for sexual misconduct (that, by the way, was not illegal). Senator Ensign behaves as if it's business as usual and campaigns for re-election dollars despite the fact that his family paid off his mistress's family to the tune of almost $100,000 and he got her husband (both of whom, by the way, were both his staffers) a job as a lobbyist.

The Senate Finance Committee and others think we don't understand their connections to big pharma and other health care lobbys, or Senator Kyl's demands to continue being heard in committee despite he fact that he is repeating, again, what he said the day before, and the day before that, and so on... a minority party delaying tactic.

The difference, she says, between those leaders and progressives? It's not that progressives are without fault, or that they never cheat on their wives or husbands, or don't accept contributions from the health care lobby. It's just that they don't make their morality the centerpiece of their campaigns. They don't pretend to be more pure or more Christian than the other guy. They actually campaign on policy, not on having a prettier family.

Thanks for stopping by. Come back soon.
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