Monday, January 17, 2011

Preview of the New Civility

Out of respect for Tuscon victims, House Republicans have downgraded their designation of health care reform from "job-killing" to "job-crushing" and "job-destroying."

But with this new verbal sensitivity, John Boehner is insisting, "No act of violence is going to keep us from doing our jobs and representing the will of our constituents. The American people have made it clear they want us to focus on cutting spending and removing barriers to job creation."

This would be impressive if it were not for the tiny drawback that the Republican drive for repeal is all sound and fury, signifying nothing but political posturing and that the decision to go charging ahead, with less lethal verbiage, is in contradiction to Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' admonition before she was shot to ""stand back when things get too fired up and say, 'Whoa, let's take a step back here.'"

As a new poll shows Americans across the political spectrum approving of the President's conciliatory response to the Arizona mayhem, the Washington GOP hacks convene for the weekend and come up with the decision, to coin a phrase, to put lipstick on their pit bull drive to undercut the Obama White House.

Health care reform is a serious issue with many aspects worthy of discussion to find common ground on improving the abortion of a bill that Congress passed in a disgusting display of partisanship and parochial self-interest.

But John Boehner, who breaks into tears at his own fulfillment of the American dream, seems to have little understanding of what it means to millions of others in distress. This week, he will be leading his House pack in a degrading show of insulting the electorate's intelligence, no matter how much he tones down the bloody verbiage.

2 comments:

Fuzzy Slippers said...

Well, the "new civility" is only a leftist tactic designed to stop the GOP from doing what it was elected (resoundingly)in November to do. Most of us in the conservative camp have been holding our breath and hoping against hope that our new House does NOT fall for the trap. It's with a sigh of relief that we watch them move forward with the people's business. But yeah, I can see how that would be a disappointment to many on the left given the way that the left has dictated the terms of discourse for decades. Happily, that's changing.

Erin said...

I have heard the position espoused by Fuzzy Slippers before, and I guess what I don't get is why people would want the House to move forward with a repeal vote on health care. It seems clear that a repeal isn't even close to a reality, and no amount of rhetoric revamping will make it any more likely for the next two years at a minimum. So why insist upon starting the year with this vote? Is that what the voters were asking for in November - hugely symbolic but largely meaningless legislation?