Congressional Republicans, the pundits say, are running against fascism, which, of course, doesn’t exist in today’s world. That’s OK. The same buffoons are waging a war against terrorism, which they can’t even define.
My fondest hope for this political season is that every Republican senator and representative up for re-election is defeated. It’s not that the Democrats are any great prize, but they are marginally more intellectually honest than the Republicans.
Most Democrats are leftists and socialists, and most of their rhetoric reflects that, as do the issues they support. Most Republicans, however, are big fat hypocrites who campaign as conservatives when in fact, judged by their actions and their votes, they are no more conservative than Pol Pot or Karl Marx.
A true conservative would balance the budget, would vote against all foreign aid and would practice an isolationist foreign policy. A true conservative would make sure corporations pay their fair share of taxes, would cut out all subsidies to big business and would take whatever steps were necessary to stop the shipping of manufacturing jobs overseas and the import of vast numbers of illegal aliens, who are a source of cheap labor.
Most of these windbags in both parties have only two skills: conning voters and raising money from lobbyists. Most of them couldn’t manage a small law firm or even run a successful hot-dog stand. As for foreign affairs, most of them don’t have a clue as to what’s going on outside their own country club and favorite fancy restaurants. They are mental and moral midgets.
Most of them neither speak nor read a foreign language. If they have traveled overseas it’s usually on those paid-for VIP tours arranged by special-interest groups. They don’t read, most of them. In fact, aside from raising their own already bloated pay, they spend the majority of their time raising money for their next campaign. Very few of them have ever served in the armed forces.
There are a handful of good men and women in both parties, but if in doubt, always vote against the incumbent. If you judge contemporary politicians by their record, it’s abysmal. Congressional hearings have become largely a farce, where panel members make speeches rather than ask intelligent questions. They usually don’t start work until Tuesday and are out of there by Thursday afternoon or Friday. They have more holidays than Santa Claus. Therefore, it’s no surprise that they never, ever get their work done on time.
We are a nation of 300 million people. It’s shameful that these 535 nabobs are the best we can do to run the government. Actually, they don’t run it. Special interests and the corporate elite run it. Congress has allowed both the judiciary and the executive branch to usurp most of its authority. Can you imagine a member of the executive branch telling a senator or representative that he or she can’t see something because it’s classified? Congress and the executive branch are coequal. Under our Constitution, the president is not a higher office than that of a senator or a representative.
And all of them, Americans must never forget, are just the temporary hired help. They are not our lords and masters. They are hired help who are supposed to work within the strict limits set by the Constitution. Under our system, sovereignty rests with the people, not with the government. It’s too bad Americans have allowed government to encroach on their freedoms to the point that, according to some polls, some Americans are actually afraid of their own government.
Ah, if only the American people would dump 200 or 300 incumbents, which would send a 50-megaton political shock wave to Washington that would rattle the Washington Monument. You’d see a sudden and big change in the attitude of the surviving politicians.
These politicians don’t respect you. They think you are dumb (after all, you keep voting for them). Well, if they won’t respect you, then the next best thing is for them to fear you, and the way to do that is to demonstrate their jobs are in perpetual jeopardy. Election Day can be a revolution if the American people choose to make it one.
Charley Reese [send him mail] has been a journalist for 49 years.
