"An entire political party engaged in a dramatic high-stakes game of chicken"

by: Paul Rosenberg

Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 10:30

Last night, sitting in for Rachel Maddow, Chris Hayes articulated the perfect meme for what the Republican Party is now up to, in sharp contrast to the deluded “center” of Versailles. He described their antics in opposing ratification of START and raising the debt ceiling as “”An entire political party engaged in a dramatic high-stakes game of chicken…. Republicans right now are behaving like adolescent nihilists, willing to drive the family’s Country Squire station wagon off the cliff in some negotiation with their parents. Not people interested in the well-being of this country.”

One segment on cable tv is not going to change the world all by its lonesome, but it is a striking note of sanity in the midst of a sea of mindless babble. And just to provide some serious reality-based ballast to his rhetorical argument in the first half of the segment, Hayes had Dean Baker and Bernie Sanders on to discuss nitty-grittty facts in the second half:

The role of projection in conservative politics is a theme I’ve long taken notice of. When conservative try to steal an election, the first thing they do is accuse liberals of trying to steal an election. When they organize a conspiracy to deceive the public about global warming, they accuse the entire world community of climate scientists of forming a conspiracy to deceive the public about global warming. And so it goes. But now we’re getting down to the most basic level, where, after decades of attacking liberals for wanting to destroy America, conservatives are now boldly right out there in the open with their own boldly stated plans for destroying America, just like they tried to do before back during the Civil War.

In a way, it’s refreshing, really, to have all the pretense stripped away. “Nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists? No, we don’t give a damn about that. Let them blow up half of Manhattan, for all we care. Democrats will never win another election again. Drive the US into bankruptcy now to “save” the US from maybe someday going into bankruptcy (which of course it would never do, except for us)? That’s our version of “fiscal responsibility!” Bernie Maddoff said it was “genius!”

These are the lunatics running the asylum. Any pretense to the contrary is itself a form of lunacy as well.

Paul Rosenberg :: “An entire political party engaged in a dramatic high-stakes game of chicken”

Tags: Chris Hayes, game of chicken, conservative nihilism, (All Tags)

Print Friendly View

Send As Email

"An entire political party engaged in a dramatic high-stakes game of chicken" | 14 comments

There is only one way to deal with the rat fuck GOP traitors now… (0.00 / 0)

… they must be utterly and completely crushed, without mercy. Their supporters must be made to live in the street in refrigerator boxes and beg for food from their corporate masters, before they get the message.

Otherwise America is headed for its own little replay of 1789, where the very people who are responsible for and created the tea party monstrosity will be dragged out of their homes and slaughtered in the streets at the hands of the people who once supported them. They’ve created a monster that will very quickly grow out of their control in the coming years. So if democracy falls and the new American Empire rises to replace it, look for drumhead trials and guillotine parties on the steps of Congress, shortly after the military coup, right around 2089. That’s my prediction if we don’t stop these corporate swine before it’s too late.

by: AaronBBrown @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 11:08:14 AM CST

by: you @ soon

To post this comment click here:

Otherwise click cancel.

you got a nice 'knack' for drama – (0.00 / 0)

but you know what I fear most -(I actually don’t ‘fear’ anything) – So what would ‘welcome’? much more – if the whole thing would end with a whimper and-or some anectodes -(you know like the little anectodes and whimpers Bush gives right now when he shows up at talkshows) – ‘YOU just gotta read my book, dude’ – It’s all in the book -(and nowhere else anymore!) – Now wouldn’t that be the perfect patiotic ending?

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 11:43:20 AM CST

[ Parent ]

by: you @ soon

To post this comment click here:

Otherwise click cancel.

Sadly, this lunacy is a buy-partisan affliction. (4.00 / 1)

There is nothing whatsoever to constrain the actions of the GOP, for the simple reason they positively know the Obama MalAdministration will cave to them in a NY Minute. So they have a free hand to wreak havoc as they please. Likewise, the presstitutes will also support them as best they can.

The American people have been reduced to nothing more than hapless spectators to this mess. So let the games begin!

It seems the GOP is simply more interested in regaining the White House than anything else. They don’t have an agenda beyond that, really. It’s just pure, unadulterated corruption that runs their entire machine and they’d rather self-destruct than do anything remotely sane. They obviously didn’t learn anything from the last round of shutdown extortion. Bully for them, I say, because the results this time will be even worse for them than last. Indeed, they’ll be trashing what little is left of the USGs legitimacy, as the Dems will be going along for that ride as well, being the pissant corporate toadies they are.

Let’s just get this shit over with already!

(Insert the deity of your choice) help us all.

An Obama victory will bring intense pressure on the US antiwar and social justice movements to accept a Democratic administration for all its faults. If that happens, domestic resistance to rapacious America will fall silent. — John Pilger, May 2008

by: Emocrat @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 11:53:27 AM CST

by: you @ soon

To post this comment click here:

Otherwise click cancel.

but this gotta stop – (0.00 / 0)

“The American people have been reduced to nothing more than hapless spectators to this mess. So let the games begin”!

“The American people have been voting in one of the most —-
(check your Nr.)
1. dramatic
2. idiotic
3 entertaining
4 ignorant
— (you get the picture – so pick any adjective you like)—Bunch!

And perhaps they just wanted to prove that every word you wrote about ‘hapless spectators’ is wrong – THEY picked the players for an awesome game – they didn’t have to – they could have picked ALL reasonable progressives – BUT THEY F…. DIDN”T!!

Ahem – and NOW let the games begin”!!

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 12:38:34 PM CST

[ Parent ]

by: you @ soon

To post this comment click here:

Otherwise click cancel.

and I kind of had it – (0.00 / 0)

there were all these voices – about what it means if you pick the type of people the voters picked – but – No!! –
Did they listen?
NOOO!
So snap out of it – this idiotic illusion some kind of mysterious power -(insert the deity of your choice!) – put them in their place -(the US Congress of all places) –
And now people like you try to blame it on… FOX news?

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 12:52:13 PM CST

[ Parent ]

People like me? (4.00 / 1)

I’m sorry. I’m having a really hard time understanding you. I get that you’re pissed off, but that’s about it.

I think you’re taking me much too literally. I don’t believe in “mysterious powers.” I don’t even believe in (insert the deity of your choice). There is nothing mysterious about Power. At all.

My only point, if I dare call it that, is that the election is over and that can’t be corrected in any way. So yes, we’re just spectators now. When 29 million Obama voters stayed home, they still voted in a way (no choice is still a choice, yes?)… by not rewarding those that lied to them. Additionally, it was the right-wing Dems that lost, not the progressives/liberals (for the most part). There’s nothing mysterious about that either.

“Teh left” is back to Square One, in a lot of ways. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but thus far I’m not seeing much movement towards capitalizing on this moment. Hopefully that will change.

An Obama victory will bring intense pressure on the US antiwar and social justice movements to accept a Democratic administration for all its faults. If that happens, domestic resistance to rapacious America will fall silent. — John Pilger, May 2008

by: Emocrat @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 13:20:32 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Oh – then I completely misunderstood you – (0.00 / 0)

I thought you where one of these idiots who thinks that the American people didn’t create the mess they are in – and that they are just these poor and ‘hapless spectators’ but I guess that wasn’t your point at all – Right?

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 14:06:54 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Yes. I guess you could say I have one foot in each camp, as far as that goes. (4.00 / 1)

Of course we’re all collectively responsible. But so are the “leaders” who lie their asses off to get elected and then betray the people who voted for them. I don’t buy into arguments like the one Eric Alterman makes this week, in which the public “should share in their fair share of responsibility,” for the simple reason that it is the common people who are bearing all the consequences. In my book, those who bear the consequences are the ones being held “responsible” by default. And it’s not like the ruling elites bear any of the consequences, is it? They seem to be getting much richer while the rest of us are taking it up the wazoo.

I personally think all this can’t be boiled down into one or two or even three camps. It’s more complicated than that. Alterman sez young voters should accept responsibility for their naivete–well, they are taking responsibility with a 30% unemployment rate. Okay, but then the liars should also take responsibility for their lies that led to those naive votes, right? It’s all too easy to say, “Oh, you actually believed all that crap?”

There’s plenty of blame to go around. Blaming the “little people” comes off all too often as “blaming the victim” to me, which is why I bristle at it, even when it’s a valid point. The real problem in all this is we have a system in which power is given to people with precisely ZERO accountability. As long as that is the case, then blaming the proles’ naivete or sillinesss is remarkably off-point. Because no matter how world-wise the electorate becomes, we’re still stuck with an establishment that views itself as unaccountable and above the law.

This is why I often say we’re in a crisis of legitimacy in this country. When all we have to choose from is “Evil” and “Totally effing evil,” there’s really no way to make any election a result of Rational Choice. Sure, Americans have been asleep at the wheel for a long time, but it’s also true those in power have totally abused the system beyond recognition at this point. In no way shape or form were the ruling elites forced to destroy the legitimacy of our entire mode of governance.

They did that themselves, for their own selfish reasons. That’s why I place more blame on them.

An Obama victory will bring intense pressure on the US antiwar and social justice movements to accept a Democratic administration for all its faults. If that happens, domestic resistance to rapacious America will fall silent. — John Pilger, May 2008

by: Emocrat @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 14:53:24 PM CST

[ Parent ]

thank you for this very reasonable post – (0.00 / 0)

and I agree with not blaming the victim -(that’s why I sometimes have a hard time blaming a pretty reasonable President) – but I think we have a completely different approach concerning ‘ruling elites’ – I would love not to be ruled by idiots -(and did I tell’ya I’m this huge fan of Jefferson) – And because I have myself a lot of problems fighting my own idiocy I don’t see any difference between the idiocy of ‘little’ or ‘big’ people -(besides the ‘power issue) – and like most people who like to ‘feel’ more than they ‘think’ I always first try to check somebodies intention – and – how true – how true – those in power often don’t have the best – but I’m not stupid enough not to recognize when ‘little’ people have even worst intentions than -(it happens believe me) – and that’s all what I’m sayen…

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 15:45:47 PM CST

[ Parent ]

by: you @ soon

To post this comment click here:

Otherwise click cancel.

and If you miss 'the consequences' – (0.00 / 0)

I didn’t want to ‘dodge’ the subject – I just have no idea if it is more painful to realize that you are a failure as a President or to lose your house to foreclosure – but I know this other person I’m a huge fan of – who is this cheesmaker on a Swiss Alm near St Gallen -(and he is truly an ‘elitist’ because the cheese he makes you could die for) – and he once asked me: Why do Americans always first talk about money? – and I told him – They are so stupid they think it’s more important than cheese!

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 16:09:08 PM CST

[ Parent ]

and he had a chuckle (0.00 / 0)

– and if this is hard to understand – I don’t want to deny that the common people are bearing a lot of consequences – but if they believe money is more important than cheese they might have to!

by: pieceofcake @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 16:33:51 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Try on William Randolph Hearst's line: (4.00 / 1)

To comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

It was a good rule of journalism once, but it’s not a bad starting place when talking about power, interests and the mechanics thereof.

And you’re right about cheese being vastly more important than money. Especially really good cheese. I can find a way to do without money. But cheese? Fuck that!

An Obama victory will bring intense pressure on the US antiwar and social justice movements to accept a Democratic administration for all its faults. If that happens, domestic resistance to rapacious America will fall silent. — John Pilger, May 2008

by: Emocrat @ Tue Nov 23, 2010 at 18:00:38 PM CST

[ Parent ]

The Cheese Stands Alone (4.00 / 1)

As they say.

Money? Not so much.

“You know what they say — those of us who fail history… doomed to repeat it in summer school.” — Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

by: Paul Rosenberg @ Wed Nov 24, 2010 at 12:35:56 PM CST

[ Parent ]