Political Armageddon? Please?
I've been reading more about the whole situation surrounding Harry Reid's antics today, and the more I read the more I am delighted with how things are turning out, although not at all in the way Democrats are delighted.
A lot of the smooth operation of Congress is completely dependent on a traditional agreement of cooperation between the majority and minority parties, and what Reid did earlier today amounted to firing a warning shot towards the Republicans in response to 1) their stalling regarding the Iraq intelligence inquiry, and 2) their recent discussions of using the "nuclear option" in response to a Democratic filibuster of Samuel Alito. This warning might make Republicans a little more conscious of how fragile that traditional agreement can be if things get messy. Of course it was a political stunt, with which Reid hoped to appeal to Democrats and show anyone who cared that he was "taking things seriously," but it could also have some serious consequences.
The first, and less interesting possible effect of this would be the Republicans finally getting serious about an investigation into the Bush administration's pre-war intelligence manipulations. Of course this would be great to finally get some answers, but the committee doing the investigating would be headed by Republicans, and it seems pretty likely nothing too exciting or truthful would come of the inquiry unless the Democrats somehow overpower the Republicans (which is unlikely).
The second and most delightful possibility is that the Republicans will sense that they are being made to look weak, and will respond in kind to Reid's forceful actions. That would mean exploiting their position as the majority party and making Democrats' lives miserable. If this happens, most likely the Democrats will respond with a filibuster of Alito (which they are discussing anyway), and if things are heated enough, Republicans might go to the "nuclear option" of changing Senate rules to prohibit filibustering. The Republican base certainly thinks they are owed a solid conservative judge after the Miers scare, and Republicans may be willing to go very far to re-invigorate the party. Needless to say, if this happens Democrats will gladly break the tacit agreement that allows Senate to function smoothly despite partisan differences, and the whole system breaks down. No more laws, no more idiot Senators meddling with our lives, and no more ridiculous spending. What could be more perfect than the entire corrupt, incompetent, absurd system being brought to its knees by the squabbling of these two worthless parties?
Of course this second option is probably unlikely since both parties are no doubt well aware they would look like absolute fools to let things get that out of hand, but if something like this was to happen, now would be the time. With Bush as weak as he is, the weak Democrats smelling blood in the water, and the Republicans trying to re-assert themselves in the face of all the crippling events they are facing, the entire situation is ripe for some sort of heated exchange.
By now everyone knows that the Republicans have abandoned any claim to being a party of "limited government," and the Democrats are just as bad as they've always been, so it seems our only hope of rolling back the growing state is to let the entire decadent system collapse on itself. If both the Democrats and Republicans are shown to be the fools they are, the stage would also be set perfectly for a third party to take the stage and (possibly) do some good. And if we get a month or two reprieve from the constant hacking away at liberty of Congress, all the better.
Such an extreme turn of events would of course necessitate some amazing turns of luck, so I suggest we all start praying to the gods of liberty for some miracles. I guess things aren't all bad when the worst-case scenario is Bush getting investigated finally for the whole Iraq debacle.
(For the record, this is all just wishful thinking, but if it really happens I think we'll have a new national holiday to celebrate.)
A lot of the smooth operation of Congress is completely dependent on a traditional agreement of cooperation between the majority and minority parties, and what Reid did earlier today amounted to firing a warning shot towards the Republicans in response to 1) their stalling regarding the Iraq intelligence inquiry, and 2) their recent discussions of using the "nuclear option" in response to a Democratic filibuster of Samuel Alito. This warning might make Republicans a little more conscious of how fragile that traditional agreement can be if things get messy. Of course it was a political stunt, with which Reid hoped to appeal to Democrats and show anyone who cared that he was "taking things seriously," but it could also have some serious consequences.
The first, and less interesting possible effect of this would be the Republicans finally getting serious about an investigation into the Bush administration's pre-war intelligence manipulations. Of course this would be great to finally get some answers, but the committee doing the investigating would be headed by Republicans, and it seems pretty likely nothing too exciting or truthful would come of the inquiry unless the Democrats somehow overpower the Republicans (which is unlikely).
The second and most delightful possibility is that the Republicans will sense that they are being made to look weak, and will respond in kind to Reid's forceful actions. That would mean exploiting their position as the majority party and making Democrats' lives miserable. If this happens, most likely the Democrats will respond with a filibuster of Alito (which they are discussing anyway), and if things are heated enough, Republicans might go to the "nuclear option" of changing Senate rules to prohibit filibustering. The Republican base certainly thinks they are owed a solid conservative judge after the Miers scare, and Republicans may be willing to go very far to re-invigorate the party. Needless to say, if this happens Democrats will gladly break the tacit agreement that allows Senate to function smoothly despite partisan differences, and the whole system breaks down. No more laws, no more idiot Senators meddling with our lives, and no more ridiculous spending. What could be more perfect than the entire corrupt, incompetent, absurd system being brought to its knees by the squabbling of these two worthless parties?
Of course this second option is probably unlikely since both parties are no doubt well aware they would look like absolute fools to let things get that out of hand, but if something like this was to happen, now would be the time. With Bush as weak as he is, the weak Democrats smelling blood in the water, and the Republicans trying to re-assert themselves in the face of all the crippling events they are facing, the entire situation is ripe for some sort of heated exchange.
By now everyone knows that the Republicans have abandoned any claim to being a party of "limited government," and the Democrats are just as bad as they've always been, so it seems our only hope of rolling back the growing state is to let the entire decadent system collapse on itself. If both the Democrats and Republicans are shown to be the fools they are, the stage would also be set perfectly for a third party to take the stage and (possibly) do some good. And if we get a month or two reprieve from the constant hacking away at liberty of Congress, all the better.
Such an extreme turn of events would of course necessitate some amazing turns of luck, so I suggest we all start praying to the gods of liberty for some miracles. I guess things aren't all bad when the worst-case scenario is Bush getting investigated finally for the whole Iraq debacle.
(For the record, this is all just wishful thinking, but if it really happens I think we'll have a new national holiday to celebrate.)
posted by Dan at 1:23 AM
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