Bewildered

Perhaps I am just too old. Maybe I am just too stupid. I guess I haven’t been paying close enough attention, watching enough news, reading enough, talking to enough people, I don’t know what the problem is, but I am completely bewildered by what seems to be going on. I understand that Republicans won 60 seats in the House, enough to wrest control of that body from the Democrats. It was a foregone conclusion they would win seats, but I was surprised they won so many, especially with such a collection of strange candidates. But I was (am) bewildered by what I am hearing now. Republicans want to undo what they call Obamacare. Okay, I can understand that much, even though it seems ridiculous to me why anyone would be so against health care. And they want to preserve the absurd tax cuts for people and corporations that are already so rich they sweat money out of all pores. Republicans always want that, I understand they do, although I continue to think it is somewhat to the right of obscenely greedy. I also understand they would like to defeat Obama in 2012, it is always the goal of the opposition to defeat those in power and win elections.

What I am at a loss to understand is why they want to shut down the government. I guess they believe this will harm Obama and work on their behalf, but when they tried it before it seriously backfired. It seems a strange thing to try to do, aside from the fact that it strikes me as near treasonous. But what is worse, and what truly bewilders me, is all the talk about investigations and using their subpoena powers. I guess Issa has said he wants 7 investigations a week for 40 weeks. Pardon me, what is it he thinks he is going to investigate? What illegalities, moral or ethical failures does he have in mind? Has Obama been charged with anything? Don’t you need to have some kind of charges before launching all these investigations? I don’t get it. He’s not a citizen, wasn’t born in the U.S.? This has already been shown to be completely groundless. He’s a Muslim? He’s not, but what if he was, it’s not against the law to be a Muslim. He’s a socialist? Again, it’s not against the law to be a socialist, or a communist, or even a fascist as far as I know. Has Obama been accused of stealing? Not that I know of. Perhaps adultery? Not a matter for impeachment. Oh, by the way, some are calling for his impeachment, on what grounds I have no idea. I tell you I am truly bewildered by all this stuff. I guess they wouldn’t dare accuse him of war crimes. That might actually make people recall the true war crimes of Bush/Cheney. Frankly, I have no idea what the hell these newly empowered Republicans think they are doing, except, of course, for their obsessive concern with causing President Obama to fail. But that is like wanting our country to fail. Would any decent patriotic American want out country to fail? Would anyone be so concerned with gaining power they would willingly sacrifice the nation? Apparently the current Republican Party is willing to do just that, and more. At the very moment it is being claimed that voters have sent a message they want some cooperation on the important matters facing us, Mitch O’Connell has announced the sole goal of his Republican Party is to bring down Obama. How’s that for cooperation? I confess all this sounds like madness to me.

As this has me completely bewildered, as I cannot understand it at any level other than a kind of quasi-treason, I am going on another three day retreat to contemplate the situation. I will not blog again before Saturday, the 13th. In the meanwhile I suggest everyone think deeply on this matter and I would hope better minds than mine might explain it in some other terms. You might also reflect on the fact that Obama has consistently refused to investigate the Bush/Cheney administration that is already known to have been criminal, I guess Republicans have never heard of returning favors, hypocrisy, fair-play, or even common decency. Try to be of good cheer.

Jack be nimble,
Jack be quick,
Jack was neither,
and burnt his ?