96 Brian:
We were played all right, but lets remember who played us up to 2008.
The “guardians of truth, justice and fiscal responsibility,” (formerly known as the republicans) jettisoned all they stood for. They left us with deficits, collapsing banks, a howl for billions of TARP funds and a stench of corruption so strong the GOP couldn’t hold up their heads. To restore our trust, the country club republicans offered us a tired old man with an honorable military career, and absolutely no record of courage or acomplishment in the Senate where he ahd served for decades (oh wait–McCain Feingold–great).
The GOP had controlled congress since 1994; the white house since 2000. They had done nothing to watch the banks, the mortgage markets or even the stupid brokers hyping up house values on historically low interest rates over a senseless period of time. Hedge fund managers were risking our money and insured deposits adding no value.
In the midst of the 2008 meltdown comes a smooth talking guy who promised much, was not tired and does not look like “more of the same.” The media swooned over him and guess what? For the voters that wnated a strong fiscal conservative, a real small government candidate, the GOP had none. It was practically helpless in opposing him: the GOP’s stench of corruption and incompetence was overpowering. There was no one of impressive acomplishment: no one to say “I opposed this stuff.” John McCain was reduced to “me too,” “my friends,” “look at me I’m a maverick” and not much more. McCain couldn’t talk over the media like Nixon or Reagan–he was a D.C. insider who talked to the media who treated him like rubbish on the floor.
You deserved a choice in 2008 and didn’t have one. You deserved someone to stand up for you in 2008 and no one was there.
The GOP played you and us for years. They betrayed millions of people that trusted the GOP to act like adults instead of banana republic ligislators. Its hard to blame the few million voters (politics is not their obsession) that voted the other way. Maybe next time the GOP stalwarts will be more protective of their party. Maybe next time back slapping “what corruption?” politicians like GOP speaker Dennis Hastert will be expelled as an affront to GOP values. Until then, be bitter if you must about 2008, but we were all being played long before that.
