You DON'T Say

You DON’T Say
By Nancy Greggs

Were we living in normal times, we’d be hearing all about the glorious accomplishments of the Republican administration and its party members as we head into the 2008 election. The GOP would be pointing proudly to the strides they’d made in education and health care, national security and the economy, along with bolstering our leadership role internationally through diplomatic efforts and strengthened ties with our global neighbors.

Of course, these are not normal times at all. And more to the point, there are no such accomplishments to be bragged about, to be proffered as a reason for wanting Republicans in charge of anything more intellectually taxing than – well, than clearing brush in Texas.

The Great Kahuna, Newt Gingrich, has already laid down the rules for GOP hopefuls in terms of what subjects shouldn’t be talked about, lest the populace be reminded of the failures of the Bush presidency, aided and abetted by a Republican majority.

And the list of unmentionables is rather substantial.

The first rule of what is now becoming the Flight Club is: Don’t talk about the War. It appears the Republicans who cheerleaded this major fiasco are gearing up to distance themselves from it come September, and it will be amusing to see how they plan to accomplish that feat. In other words, they’ve set a timetable for pulling the plug – but alas, still have no exit strategy when it comes to explaining away their support for the past four years. Way to go.

What about discussing the unprecedented national debt, the unsecured borders, the price of gas and the profits of Big Oil? Don’t, don’t, don’t and definitely don’t.

Even the traditional GOP talking points have to be discarded, given the unpleasant reality associated with each of them.

Supporting the troops? Walter Reed. Integrity brought back to D.C. politics? Jack Abramoff. Moral values? Mark Foley. Competent government? Michael Brown, Alberto Gonzales. Fiscal responsibility? Billions missing in Iraq. Smaller, non-intrusive government? Wire-tapping of citizens. The party of law and order? Signing statements, the US attorney scandal.

And that’s just the story so far. As subpoenas are issued and investigations proceed, there may be a whole lot more that can’t be mentioned in the months to come.

It would seem that the GOP is down to talking about the weather, but even that’s off-limits in these heady times when the topic might lead to a discussion about global warming. Immediately one thinks of the old adage that it’s better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.

As we saw in the recent Republican debate, there is always the option of pretending the current administration never happened, and instead harkening back to the halcyon days of St. Ronnie – when the country was in the hands of a half-wit instead of a full-fledged idiot. And no doubt those who are still waiting for that famous trickle-down theory to work to their advantage will be just as anxious to vote GOP as the deliriously happy residents of New Orleans.

So if you see a man or woman standing utterly mute on a stage in your city or town over the next year, staring mindlessly into space, that’s not a mime – that’s just a Republican campaigning on the strengths of their party’s past performance.

Boo fucking ho.

This would be like Ford rolling out a new model and hyping it with references to the Edsel and the Pinto. They're sellin'; hard to imagine anyone but the brain-dead buyin'.

You've hit another home run with this one--when is a syndicate picking you up? Your opinion is needed on the editorial pages of every newspaper in the country!

Nancy is such a treasure. She needs to be read by every good American- and maybe the bad ones, also!

A while back, tbyg52 and I tried to get together a campaign to get her syndicated. Well, it kinda fizzled, but I am thinking the same thing. She is good- really good- and she fills that void since Molly passed.

I think what we all need to do is to keep sending one of her choice articles to various publications, especially the ones that you might subscribe to. If we all constantly barrage them, they will read her stuff. And once they read it, they will be hooked.

So anyone game? It isn't really fair to keep her to DU- she needs to be read by everyone.

It's incredible that a man who knew nothing became president, presided over a decade of greed and indifference, was surrounded by zealots who ran amok, tripled the deficit, wrecked the economy, ignored all domestic problems, was guided by his wife's astrologer, visited a Nazi cemetery, sold arms to terrorists, conducted a secret war that everyone knew about, forgot everything, and left office as one of the most beloved president in decades.

The sickness that currently inflicts our country began the day St. Ronnie took office.

I was still in my teens when America voted that rat bastard into office and for the life of me I couldn't understand why the people couldn't see right through him. I wanted to scream, "The sonofabitch is an actor! How stupid can you be?!"

:grr:

Some of it (our foreign adventurism) dates back at least to McKinley, and some probably farther than that.

"Anti-Intellectualism in American Life" by Richard Hofstadter is an interesting - if sometimes chilling - book; it traces the ugly undercurrent of willful ignorance that's been part of this country from its inception.

And yet, I wonder if all these scandals will result in a kind of "scandal fatigue".

I especially liked "...harkening back to the halcyon days of St. Ronnie – when the country was in the hands of a half-wit instead of a full-fledged idiot." You really know how to turn a phrase! Well done!!

Cluckety cluck...all those melamine-laden chickens coming home to roost.

Nance, you may be a DU phenomenon right now, but next year I would so like to see you up against Keith Olbermann for the second annual Molly Ivins award...and winning it...:patriot::applause:




:kick:

Excellent article, Nance.

I got a campaign mailing from Romney today. Actually, it was sent to a previous homeowner at my address. I was curious so I opened it. The letter was 4 pages long and the only thing it talked about were tax cuts and his desire to cut spending. No mention of what would be cut or the money pit in Iraq. He only emphasized his business accomplishments. Whatever. :eyes:

I wonder what the others are saying.

Greg

He didn't accomplish much.

Last year, as the gubernatorial campaign began to heat up, I was eating lunch with a staunch Repuke cow-worker. I asked him, "What, exactly has Romney accomplished as Governor?" His response was, "He got rid of Billy Bulger." A dubious accomplishment, at best. Billy Bulger had been the President of the Massachusetts Senate, who left politics to become President of the University of Massachusetts. He quickly proved to be a great leader and fund raiser for the University. One could argue that his efforts on behalf of the University had a significant role in the research which led to the Nobel Prize which was awarded last year to Craig C. Mello. I'm no fan of Billy Bulger, but if that's all Romney's supporters can point to, he doesn't have much.

in awe of your posts. I don't know whether to face the future with dread, because of the kool-aide swilling people who think of Reagan as a great president, or in optimism, because so much corruption has been uncovered thanks to the inept, bumbling Bush administration.

In either case, our democracy is hanging on by a frayed thread. We simply can't afford any more conservative rule, if we want to have the Constitution upheld, and our liberties to be restored. We can't afford the lives, the money, or the eroding of our civil liberties.

At my age, almost 64, I have never been more frightened about the America my children and grand-children will inherit. I have never been more ashamed to be an American.

Lordy I love me some Nance.

The worst thing that can happen to Republicans is that they get into power.

and the only way that I see that happening is if they steal another election.

Welcome to DU! Isn't Nancy the best?

Could we impeach THEN?

This is my happy thought for the day. Thank you.

... only this time the Dems are bringing a gun to the knife fight.

Don't rely on handouts from the govt. Election Fraud.


Sorry, this is my new (and old) pet project. Reminding everyone how we got to where we are at.


Kudos to another well targeted "hit" piece!