Monday, March 10, 2008
I watched no news over the weekend, as I was taking care of a friend stranded in Atlanta by snow in Columbus, OH. This morning, while walking the treadmill at LA Fitness, I saw this bit about Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois.
I never thought much of Hastert. He always seemed to me like a machine politician who got to the House speakership because he was next in line, not because he was particularly able or energetic. In fact, he always struck me as the acme of sloth, venality, and brute stupidity.
Under him, Republicans became addicted to Congressional Pork, to the point that they happily spent all the extra income generated by the tax cuts implemented during Dubya's first administration, and then some. The only thing to distract from robbing the till was protecting perks, as demonstrated by the case of William Jefferson (D, Louisiana).
You'd hope this would wake up the Republicans, but I doubt it will. We're probably not going to see another Republican House or Senate until the Democrats become more venal than the current crop of Republicans. That shouldn't take long, but I am concerned that the US Imperial Federal Government seems to be engaged in a race to the bottom.
I never thought much of Hastert. He always seemed to me like a machine politician who got to the House speakership because he was next in line, not because he was particularly able or energetic. In fact, he always struck me as the acme of sloth, venality, and brute stupidity.
Under him, Republicans became addicted to Congressional Pork, to the point that they happily spent all the extra income generated by the tax cuts implemented during Dubya's first administration, and then some. The only thing to distract from robbing the till was protecting perks, as demonstrated by the case of William Jefferson (D, Louisiana).
You'd hope this would wake up the Republicans, but I doubt it will. We're probably not going to see another Republican House or Senate until the Democrats become more venal than the current crop of Republicans. That shouldn't take long, but I am concerned that the US Imperial Federal Government seems to be engaged in a race to the bottom.
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