...aaaaannnnd the Senate is expected to vote on... and pass... the Stimulus package tomorrow with only minor changes. I guess maybe we'll have to give the guy another week before we can call his Presidency an abject failure of a flaming train wreck that's falling off a cliff right into a gasoline factory.
I'm probably as guilty of this as the next guy, but it's important to realize that our legislative process is inherently ridiculous and aggravating, and also involves unfathomable amounts of kabuki... which is why most sane people ignore it except in times of crisis... and it's kind of important not to lose sight of the forest in such times. People like Susan Collins and Ben Nelson were always going to vote for the Stimulus because while they're sort of conservative, they're not complete idiots... but at the same time they can't look like Obama stooges... so hence we get lots of hair pulling and gnashing of teeth about the horrors of spending while the cameras are on, but it was and will never fundamentally change anything.
photo by flickr user danpeters used under a Creative Commons license
I'm probably as guilty of this as the next guy, but it's important to realize that our legislative process is inherently ridiculous and aggravating, and also involves unfathomable amounts of kabuki... which is why most sane people ignore it except in times of crisis... and it's kind of important not to lose sight of the forest in such times. People like Susan Collins and Ben Nelson were always going to vote for the Stimulus because while they're sort of conservative, they're not complete idiots... but at the same time they can't look like Obama stooges... so hence we get lots of hair pulling and gnashing of teeth about the horrors of spending while the cameras are on, but it was and will never fundamentally change anything.
photo by flickr user danpeters used under a Creative Commons license
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