Stark condemnation, and some funny spoken word for geeks

[drwex]

For all you geeks who want to avoid politics: http://www.ernestcline.com/spokenword/
Ernie Cline is one FUNNY individual and that is some excellent geek spoken word. Hat-tip to taura_g. Anyone who loves Airwolf and Buckaroo Banzai not to mention nerdy chicks is my kind of guy. Which is to say, a raving unrepentant geek.

Now for the ugly politics stuff. Health-care reform. Dear Congressional Democrats: Get off your sniveling backsides and pass something.

it is the job of elected officials to pass legislation, not to get re-elected

Can I buy a billboard opposite the Capitol building and paint that sentence on it? Please? WTF. I mean, really, WTFF is wrong with the spineless, cowardly, hang-dog excuses for Democrats these days? First it was throwing women under the bus on the abortion issue. Then it was ass-kissing Joe Lieberman who (a) isn't even in your damned party anymore and (b) supported the OTHER party's candidate or did you fail to notice that. Then it was giving up ridiculous amounts of crap to f'ing Nebraska, like their Senator should be allowed to hold the entire legislative process hostage. Then they threw the shriveled lifeless husk of what used to be something vaguely resembling a public option under the bus.

All that pales in the face of the craven whining, backpedaling, and out-and-out self-destructive quitting at the finish line that the party is engaged in now. Someone, somewhere out in LJ-land, asked why someone like myself who most often votes with the Democrats wouldn't enroll as Democratic. I give you the last week's worth of pell-mell retreat in the face of a handful of teabaggers as exhibit A.

Actually, that's wrong. It's something like Exhibit Z, coming well after the party's despicable defense of DOMA, refusal to repeal Don't Ask/Don't Tell, continuation of torture at Bagram, support for endless warrantless wiretapping, and on and on and on.

Here, read more from people who are angrier and funnier than I:
http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=01&year=2010&base_name=the_surrender_of_the_democrats
http://www.mnftiu.cc/2010/01/21/5-jokes-about-the-apparent-eagerness-of-certain-democratic-members-of-congress-to-abandon-health-care-reform-in-light-of-scott-browns-electoral-victory/

Comments

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's the job of elected officials to uphold their oath of office, which generally means upholding the Constitution.

But you summarize quite succinctly why I support term limits.

That seems awfully silly

[drwex]

Would it make sense to say "The job of a corporate board member is to run the corporation to best effect and profit, but we're going to limit the number of years you're allowed to do that."

Unless term limits can somehow be linked to effectiveness (which is what the damned voting system is SUPPOSED to do) then they're completely irrelevant to the problem.

Re: That seems awfully silly

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Unlike you, I do not believe in a government which requires a ruling elite (be that elite by merit, popularity, or what-have-you).

Democracy is a popularity contest, pretty much by definition. And as you've noted, popularity and merit are orthogonal.

[adrian-turtle.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure about term limits. Without term limits, the failure mode is corrupt politicians we can't get rid of. WITH term limits, the failure mode is politicians who don't know how to deal effectively with government. Running a business (even a large business), or organizing a charity, or commanding a military unit, is *different* from running a state or a country. Government has become more complicated than it used to be, and I think it calls for skills and specialized knowledge as well as intelligence and good intentions. When politicians don't have time to develop those skills and that specialized knowledge, they are more dependent on the subject-matter experts and civil servants that work behind the scenes. I don't know how much better that is, when it comes down to policy details. As it usually does.

I think the real question is whether we think corruption or incompetence is more of a threat these days. And then, whether we think corruption or incompetence will be more of a threat ten years from now, or twenty. As I said, I'm not sure.

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Okay, stop. I'm not suggesting that the bureaucrats who perform the actual nuts-and-bolts work of government be fired along with some legislator or executive; I'm saying that elected officials, in elected offices, be citizens and not some ruling elite.

We've had Presidential term limits since the FDR debacle, and they've served us well. They kept the Reagan Cabinet from propping up that very popular president for a term he could not possibly have served (if you recall his Alzheimer's time-line, which actually started in 1988). And you know that Karl Rove would never give up on his figurehead.

Congressional term limits have been proposed for ten years' worth of House and 20 years' worth of Senate (which would amount to five and three terms, respectively, in typical practice). Speaking solely for myself, I have yet to hold a job for ten years, and yet I'm fairly competent.

The real question is neither of corruption nor incompetence, as the electorate seems to be quite accepting of both. The question is whether a legislator will focus on legislation or reelection when they know they don't have a life-time sinecure. Judging by the presidents from Eisenhower onward, and by state legislators and governors who are already subject to term limits, the results are apparently quite supportive of limits.

[ringrose.livejournal.com]

I read lots of Democratic blame in what you say there. Some of that should splash on the Republicans. If any of the Republican senators had give or wiggle room in their positions perhaps the senator of Nebraska wouldn't have been able to extort those concessions - there would have been a different set of concessions to get a Republican or two on board.

It's true

[drwex]

At some point the Republicans are going to have to define what they are _for_ rather than just being The "Not-Barack Obama" Party. But that won't affect my feelings on Democratic spinelessness.

[mrw42.livejournal.com]

For all you geeks who want to avoid politics: http://www.ernestcline.com/spokenword/

I love this guy! And, not just because he wants to make me a star... ;-) "The Geek Wants Out" is Airwolf. I have a few friends who just have to hear this!

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

nerd porn auteur!!! i laughed so hard!

[gsh]

If the Democratic party invented sushi, they'd market it as "cold, dead, raw fish".

I've heard that before

[drwex]

but it's particularly apropos here.