DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH MIKA

I had a chance to tune into Morning Joe yesterday only to catch Mika Brzezinski spin a “sky is falling” story for Democrats when she announced that “several Democrats” were not seeking reelection and citing Senator Dodd’s announcement that he will not be running for the Senate in 2010 as proof of her position. Did I miss something? I know Senator Dorgan, an alleged “moderate Democrat” from red state North Dakota announced he was going to run but when did two Senators amount to “several Democrats”? The explanation provided by this overrated bobble headed ditz was that they resigned because they sensed an “anti-incumbent mood” in the country and since only mentioned Democrats the implication was clear – it was an “anti-Democrat mood”.

Last I heard Kit Bond a Republican from Mo, Jim Bunning a Republican from KY, Sam Brownback a Republican from KS, Judd Gregg a Republican from NH, George Voinovich a Republican from OH all announced they weren’t running in 2010 either. In addition the Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez a Republican from FL is also open in the 2010 election begging the question: if two Democratic Senators not running in 2010 constitutes “several” what word does one use to describe five Republican Senators not running in 2010?

Mika didn’t use any word to describe the Republican Senator retirements. As a matter of fact Mika didn’t even mention that five Republican Senators weren’t running in 2010. Mika wasn’t alone she was just somewhat more hysterical in her so-called reporting. Indeed by the end of the day even David Shuster and Chris Matthews were also so caught up with two Democrats not running they completely forgot about the five Republicans who resigned. I guess that wouldn’t fit the mainstream media story line about the “anti-incumbent mood” in the country that they’re trying to pass off as reality without ever asking why anyone would vote for a Republican.

Seriously this is the same Republican Party that was on vacation for a solid month before 9/11, claimed premature victory in Afghanistan, let Osama bin-Laden off the hook, waged war on Iraq based on deceit and deception of the American public then proceeded to violate our own Constitution, the U.N. Charter, international law, and the Geneva Convention on torture to conduct an unjust, immoral and illegal war in Iraq where over 4,000 Americans gave their lives and for what? Nor does the mainstream media even ask why would any rational individual vote for a party that was incapable of governing during Katrina or a party whose economic policies resulted in the near total collapse of the American and indeed the global economy?

In November of 2008 the American people voted for change and one year later the press wants us to believe that now the country is in an “anti-incumbent mood” without ever speculating out loud where the hell was the country’s outrage since that fraudulent election of 2000? No such foul mood in 02 or 04. The current administration inherited a country that was left in a state of decay domestically by the Republican Party that offered nothing but the trickle down nonsense of “less taxes” for the wealthy who fattened their financial portfolios instead of creating more jobs at least at home. In addition the current administration inherited a country that was threatened by an increase in terrorism created by the predatory foreign policy of preemptive strikes spawned by some of the most reptilian minds in the previous Republican Administration.

One year later not only has that unimaginable mess not been cleaned up but the Republican Party that was in large part responsible for the serious issues facing this nation today e.g. an increase in joblessness, personal bankruptcy, mortgage foreclosures, etc. has now become the Party of No which obstructs any solution but even the attempt to accept an issue as a problem e.g. they deny that health care is a problem because they believe their own rhetoric that we have the best health care system in the world when facts suggest otherwise. Meanwhile the press is trying package some story line that there is an “anti-incumbent mood” i.e. “anti-Democrat mood” in the country without even asking what the Party of No is now bringing to the table to address the crisis they created at home and abroad during 28 of 40 years in power.


It seems like the press would better exercise its freedom by serving the interests of the common good by defining the problems that face the Republic, describing why they should be considered problems, reporting the genesis of those problems and identifying the politicians who participated in the creation of those problems so the public can hold those incumbents responsible for the mess we are in accountable in the voting booth rather than fabricating a story line about an “anti-incumbent mood” from a self serving figment of their limited imagination and repeating it ad nauseam until it becomes accepted as the conventional wisdom that convinces the public all our problems will be solved by replacing the incumbents especially the Democrats who now control Congress with members from a political party that created those problems.

Such shoddy and irresponsible journalism generates the false belief that replacing one party in power with members from another party, perpetuates the myth and monopoly of a two party system which is incapable of escaping the grid lock imposed when one party says “No” merely to obstruct the problem solving approach of the other party, and unwittingly participates in this Republics two step forwards one step back from the edge of the abyss by creating a story line absent of fact and spinning it for public consumption without any regard for the consequences of such a monumental and systemic failure that awaits our future. Time for Mika to wake up and smell the coffee.