Friday, January 16, 2009

Republican Party R.I.P: Senate Bailout Vote Fraud

The Senate vote on releasing the next $350 billion in Federal bailout money (on top of the trillion (maybe, ultimately, trillions) in proposed Democratic (Obama) stimulus money, was a complete fraud. Nope. The vote does not confirm the Republican Party is "back". It confirms that the Repubican Party is DEAD (R.I.P.). You can tell this vote was a total fraud when you realize that John "Bailout" McCain (who lost the Presidency primarily because he jumped on board the bailout bandwagon, while faking that dramatic gesture of coming back to Washington to "save" the country) voted AGAINST the release of the additional money. It meant nothing. As both Democrats and Republicans knew, the $700 billion dollar original bailout bill was a blank check. The protestations to the contrary were mere political window dressing. It meant absolutely nothing that 42 Senators voted against releasing the second half of the $700 billioin. The original baiout had no oversight. Congress had to vote to STOP the rest of the bailout money, once the President (President Bush, in his socialist, outstayed his welcome, hat) requested it. Even a filibuster would do no good. There was never any chance of stopping this money (as those of us who knew what was happening said at the time). Everyone knew that. So it was political game playing time. Thus, Mary Landreaux voted AGAINST the first bailout bill. In complete contradiction, she voted FOR releasing the second $350 billion (against the bill stopping that release). What explains those contradictory votes? The same thing that explainst the Republican reversals. Landreaux (sp.? who cares), a Senator from conservative (relatively) Louisiana, was in a fight for re-election (John McCain and the socialist Repubicans doooming her opponent in that fight, along with socialist hat President Bush). That totally explains her cynical vote. It also totally explains the cynical vote of the Repubican Senators now (and the votes likely in the House, if the House even bothers to hold a meaningless vote, since they can't block the money anyway). Republicans knew they could not block the money. They did not want to block it. It was a political vote, pure and simple. Problem: It convinces no one. Without the mainstream media on your side, which is the advantage the Democrats have, this kind of cynical politics gets you nowhere. Your (Republican) Party is DEAD. You (Republican establishment that came up with all of these bailouts) KILLED the Republican Party. What this vote does illustrate is how good a thing it is that McCain lost. Republican politiicans now feel it is their political hide if they don't at least pretend to stand up for principles in which their conservative constituents believe. So Republicans suddenly appear to be developing a backbone. It is not a rel backbone. It is too late and too cynical. However, even an ersatz backbone is better than the terrible betrayal of conservatives that has been happening. Nope. I undestand to much for this to bring me back to the Republican Party. It merely reaffirms my (correct) view that McCain needed to lose, along with all of these other "establishment" Republicans who voted for/advocated the original bailout (and many who voted against the original bailout were really just pulling a "Landreaux"). I stand by it: Republican Party, R.I.P. Either we need a new conservative party, or we need a coup in the Republican Party (a Rush Limbaugh type coup and not a Bill Crystal/David brooks/Larry Kudlow type coup).

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