Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Bad election results do not an apocalypse make...
True, I may just be steeling myself for what I believe to be the inevitable crowning of Katherine McPhee as the next American Idol. (Seriously, America, what the hell?)
I'm also steeling myself for the Democrats potentially retaking Congress this fall. Plenty of GOP true believers have come to the conclusion that the Republican Party has been performing like Bucky Covington on Opera Night, and is considering either not voting, or taking their votes elsewhere. (And if you can picture Bucky torturing an aria from Cosi Fan Tutte, you can kind of see their point.) Disenchantment over immigration, the war in Iraq, spending, and premature exit of Mandisa have all led plenty of hardcore GOP'ers to wonder if their party needs an electoral ass-whupping to get their heads on straight. (For Pete's sake - Katherine half-asses it like three weeks in a row and she's still around. Mandisa has one bad performance and she's gone?)
In any event, other groups of true believers are aghast at the prospect, with Jim Geraghty taking point. If you're any kind of a conservative, you have to vote Republican, because the only alternative is the Democrats, and they'll make it illegal to be conservative or something if they win, and also reinstate Kevin Covais. A frightening prospect, to be sure - but does it follow that those unimpressed with the GOP's recent efforts are to blame if they just can't muster the energy to vote for the fools? Geraghty has a list of helpful suggestions the frustrated can use to make their party better. (First on the list - obviously, song choice, dawg.)
As Dave Justus points out, though - the Chicken Little act doesn't help anyone who uses it. Which brings us back to Kevin Covais, I mean, the Democrats. Dave's money quote:
I don't know if I'm going to take revenge on anyone at the polls, personally. I haven't made up my mind on the statewide offices, and we don't have a Senator up this year. I did vote for Democrat Rick Crawford in the U.S. House race in 2004, but he was fairly conservative, and this year, Phil Gingrey will apparently be opposed by this goober. (He stops by, I'll listen, but the website suggests a tough sell.) But if this is the year the "good guys" finally lose - hopefully their hardcore supporters will consider the possibility that maybe, this year at least, they weren't that good.
I'm also steeling myself for the Democrats potentially retaking Congress this fall. Plenty of GOP true believers have come to the conclusion that the Republican Party has been performing like Bucky Covington on Opera Night, and is considering either not voting, or taking their votes elsewhere. (And if you can picture Bucky torturing an aria from Cosi Fan Tutte, you can kind of see their point.) Disenchantment over immigration, the war in Iraq, spending, and premature exit of Mandisa have all led plenty of hardcore GOP'ers to wonder if their party needs an electoral ass-whupping to get their heads on straight. (For Pete's sake - Katherine half-asses it like three weeks in a row and she's still around. Mandisa has one bad performance and she's gone?)
In any event, other groups of true believers are aghast at the prospect, with Jim Geraghty taking point. If you're any kind of a conservative, you have to vote Republican, because the only alternative is the Democrats, and they'll make it illegal to be conservative or something if they win, and also reinstate Kevin Covais. A frightening prospect, to be sure - but does it follow that those unimpressed with the GOP's recent efforts are to blame if they just can't muster the energy to vote for the fools? Geraghty has a list of helpful suggestions the frustrated can use to make their party better. (First on the list - obviously, song choice, dawg.)
As Dave Justus points out, though - the Chicken Little act doesn't help anyone who uses it. Which brings us back to Kevin Covais, I mean, the Democrats. Dave's money quote:
What isn’t silly is the result of believing these arguments. When faced with an all or nothing situation, it is reasonable, and perhaps even necessary, to employ any means possible to get one’s way. Eventually, belief in this type of arguement may in fact result in it coming true.A steel cage match every once in a while is a great way to settle a long-term rivalry, but when it's employed for every match on the card, it gets a little tedious, and it results in more injuries than you really need. (Note to TNA Wrestling - Lockdown was not really that good of an idea.) Besides, the occasional Aegean stable-sweeping isn't such a bad thing for the body politic. The recent bloodbath in Pennsylvania will hopefully teach a lesson to every politician who forgets who they work for. (Someone send a copy of those results to the Atlanta City Council, by the way.
I don't know if I'm going to take revenge on anyone at the polls, personally. I haven't made up my mind on the statewide offices, and we don't have a Senator up this year. I did vote for Democrat Rick Crawford in the U.S. House race in 2004, but he was fairly conservative, and this year, Phil Gingrey will apparently be opposed by this goober. (He stops by, I'll listen, but the website suggests a tough sell.) But if this is the year the "good guys" finally lose - hopefully their hardcore supporters will consider the possibility that maybe, this year at least, they weren't that good.
