Kevin McCarthyism

 

He finally made it. After the most contentious House Speaker election since about thirty years before the dawn of the war between the states, Kevin McCarthy - after about fifteen tries - holds the gavel that was once held by Sam Rayburn. It was indeed a costly victory. In fact, it was not really a victory at all. In fact he had to deliver so much power to the bat-shit-crazies within his party that he has literally been rendered impotent. He was so desperate to become Speaker of the House of Reprehensibles that he delivered to the Marjorie Taylor Greenes and the Matt Gaetzes the power to remove him on a whim - which they probably will do before too long. Of this you may be absolutely certain: Kevin McCarthy's speakership promises to be among the shortest and most disastrous in the history of this once-great-nation. Fasten your seatbelts, kiddies!

The 118th Congress will be one of the worst, most incompetent bodies of lawmakers to gather in Washington in American history. I'm fairly confident that they will make "that good for nothin' 80th Congress" of 1947-1949 (Harry Truman's description) look like the Founding Fathers. The disaster the United States is headed for in the next two years cannot be downplayed. It's going to be bad, folks. And two very long years from now, when this nightmare is finally a thing of the past, the nation as a whole will rise as one person to ask: "What the fuck were we thinking?" That's probably wishful thinking on my part. Given their history, the voters od Idiot Nation will more than likely be perfectly content to go down this road again in 2024. It only stands to reason. Isn't life strange?

Barry Goldwater

I can't be bothered getting worked up or being angry and upset about this latest turn of events in our national train-wreck. To be honest with you (and I have mentioned this in the past) the lower this country sinks into the ideological cesspool, the higher my stock rises. Watching one's country being imploded by half-wits and crazy people is always an amusing thing to behold. I never dreamed that things would get this weird. Forty-three years ago, when the electorate sent a feeble minded, failed B movie actor to the White House, I thought we had fallen as low as it's possible to fall. That was then. This is now. Compared to what's come along since then, Ronald Reagan is starting to look like George Freakin' Washington. Barry Goldwater - who seemed so extreme when he sought the presidency in 1964 - now seems reasonable. He famously said in his acceptance speech at the GOP convention that summer, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice and....moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. In'64, Goldwater could not have imagined the extent of the extremism his party would have reached for. At the end of his life, he was utterly disgusted by the direction the Republican Party was taking. 

FUN FACT: I watched Goldwater's 1964 acceptance speech at my Uncle George's home in Campbell Hall, NY. It's the first political event that I can remember.

So, let us all get used to living in a nation and ruins and hop aboard for what promises to be an interesting two years - to say the least.  As Hunter Thompson used to say, "By the ticket. Take the ride. That works quite well for me.

Tom Degan

Goshen, NY

SUGGESTED LISTENING:

Sleepwalk

by Santo and Johnny

I didn't discover this 1959 recording until I was in my forties - but I love it so much! I'm happy to be able to tell you that both Santo and Johnny are still living. Here is a link to listen to it on YouTube :

(30) Santo & Johnny - Sleep walk [Original instrumental] - YouTube

Beautiful stuff!

AFTERTHOUGHT, 1/13/23, 6:10 PM:

Tonight would be a grand moment to stop drinking. It's no fun anymore. Seriously.