"Joy and pleasure are as real as pain and sorrow and one must learn what they have to teach. . . ." -- Sean Russell, from Gatherer of Clouds

"If you're not having fun, you're not doing it right." -- Helyn D. Goldenberg

"I love you and I'm not afraid." -- Evanescence, "My Last Breath"

“If I hear ‘not allowed’ much oftener,” said Sam, “I’m going to get angry.” -- J.R.R. Tolkien, from Lord of the Rings

Monday, September 30, 2013

The Mind Boggles (Update, Update II)

This post from John Amato, on an exchange between Bob Schieffer and Sen. Rand Paul (R-CloudCuckooLand) is a good illustration of the whole "conservative" mindset:

SCHIEFFER: But the law has already been passed, Senator, let me just ask you this question. I am old enough to remember when Barry Goldwater ran for president in 1964, and he said I would rather be right than president. And you know, he got his wish. He lost in a landslide. Aren't you and the other tea party leaders leading the Republican Party to the same fate?

PAUL: Well, see, the thing is is that once things are passed doesn't mean they are set in stone and no future Congress will look at them.

--

PAUL: I think there is a way. And I have been saying all along that we should negotiate. See, historically, Bob, the way it worked is if the House was Republican and passed something and the Senate was Democrat and passed something, you had a conference committee, equal number of Republicans and Democrats, and you hashed out your differences. Why don't we have a conference committee on this? You could appoint one today; they could meet tomorrow and hash out the differences. That is the way it is supposed to work. Republicans and Democrats are supposed to find a middle ground, but right now, it is the president saying my way or the highway, if I don't get everything I want, if I don't get ObamaCare the Democrats passed without any Republican support, the Democrats are saying they are willing to shut down the government.

Point 1: The teabaggers don't like the ACA, which passed the Congress (and went through a conference committee), was signed into law by the president, and was upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional. It's not that Paul is actually ignoring all that -- he doesn't like the law, therefore, none of that happened.

Point 1A: The Republicans lost. Therefore, it's time for the president and/or the Democrats to make concessions. You have to understand that in teabaggerese, "negotiate" means "give me what I want, or else." There's also the absolutely true thing, that the right wing cannot lose, ever. At least in their own minds. See main point 1.

Point 2: Major projection. The Democrats are willing to shut down the government? The president is saying "my way or the highway"? Excuse me?

Rand Paul is not the most dangerous senator we've got, probably because he's so obviously stupid that no one pays any attention to him, except those of the voters in Kentucky who are even more stupid than he is. He is, however, a sterling example of what passes for thought among the teabagger caucus.

There's video at the link.

Update:

It's not just Rand Paul. This from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Himself), latest teabagger darling (let's see, that makes number . . . well, I've lost count) and de facto head of the House teabagger caucus:
"His position is 100 percent of Obamacare must be funded in all instances and other than that, he's going to shut the government down," Cruz said on Meet The Press. "I hope he back away from that ledge that he's pushing us toward."

Cruz also portrayed the spending bill passed Saturday by the House -- which would delay Obamacare for one year and repeal its medical device -- as a compromise, compared to the first bill that the House passed, which defunded the law.

The Senate rejected the House's first bill, and Senate leadership has pledged to turn down the bill passed Saturday.

"If we have a shutdown, it will only be because Harry Reid says: 'I refuse even to talk'," Cruz said. "What have Democrats compromised on? Nothing."

Got that? Harry Reid is going to shut down the government.

Right.

Update II:

More denial of reality: buried in this story is a line I just couldn't pass up.
But this was a good episode. I laughed. I cried. I felt. It moved me like good art is supposed to do. But that's the problem. It moved me. It made me feel joy for Cam and Mitchell after the Supreme Court over-ruled California's Prop 8.

And that is what makes this show great. And dangerous. It relies on feelings which mislead. There is no logical argument in favor of gay marriage, but the sweetness of Cam and Mitchell trying to outdo each other's proposal is touching. Their simple and spontaneous proposal was as sweet as the portrayal of those who don't agree with gay marriage as spitting babies was subtle.
(Emphasis added.)

No logical argument? All the arguments are logical. It's the arguments against that have no logic to them.

No comments: