Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Some Disappointment and An Overdue Apology

As a resident of a state that usually has no real power in DC, I should probably be pleased with the power wielded recently by my two Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.  Instead, I am truly ashamed of them for their recent activities.  Snowe for her helping to snuff out a sensible law, called the Dream Act.  And Collins for holding up the vote on "Don't Ask Don't Tell" while she arm twisted 15 amendments into it so her cohorts would be happy.  All in all, the most shameful display of DC politics at its worst from any legistaor sent to DC from my state in my recent memory.

I refused to vote for Collins this last election not because she had gone down there and become a classic party hack, but because she lied to me when she was elected the first time.  Part of her platform was term limits back in 1996.  She promised to only serve two terms and then retire.   Now, I have never been a fan of term limits other than the ones provided by our regular voting system or when a candidate uses the notion of term limits to get elected.  They talk the talk, they should walk the walk.  She ran again this year for a third term.  She lost me for sure.  I am holding her accountable for that one lie.  Whatever else she has done or not done matters little now.  She is on my shit list.  Let her stay in DC.  The two deserve each other.

Olympia is my biggest disappointment.  I actually had hopes the intense polarization that has overcome DC would not spoil her no nonsense  and cool Senatorial deportment.  I was wrong.  She may still be considered a moderate by her bretheren, but she is now just another party wolf in sheep's clothing.  Her spewing of the party line on the Dream Act -

"Millions of illegal immigrants could attempt to become legal residents as a result of this proposal, according to some estimates, and it is incumbent upon the Senate to ensure our policies never again lead to a situation where we are confronted with upwards of 12 million illegal immigrants residing within our borders."


What moron came up with this logic?  I would assume it was not her, but more than one source uses this quote.  The Dream Act is the first sensible legislation I have seen in quite awhile to begin to address our huge problem of illegal immigrants.  Start some clean up on the mess made from our not dealing with it in the past.  Set some time frames for the children of illegals who want to stay and make the process tough enough that when it is all said and done, they will have proven their love of this country.  And in the meantime, one old hanging problem is taken care of and we can move on to the more pressing problem of keeping the flow of new illegals down to a dull roar.

Instead of attacking the Dream Act on the actual merits or lack there of, she reads from the Republican playbook a half cooked response that plays on what might happen if...........  

Well I know what happens if we don't.  We lose maybe a hundred thousand or so potential good citizens who have a proven track record of good citizenship.  What a moron.  She is now also on my shit list.

Now the Apology

I don't even remember when it was...............Uh, let me back up some for some background.

I think I have mentioned before that at one time in my life I was semi related to Senator Dick Lugar.  My brother married his sister back in the early 1960s when Senator Lugar was mayor of Indianapolis.  I was I think about 10 or 11.  Hell it was a long time ago and it was just another road trip among many I was always taking with my gypsy parents. 

My brother got on with his career and his marriage to Senator Lugar's sister.  I continued the haphazard struggle to grow up.  Senator Lugar became a Senator.  Being twenty-something at the time and  prone to duck any family conversation that even smelled of politics, I was not impressed.  "So what", I thought.  "I know a guy who knows a guy, blah, blah blah."

It was also at this time I made the discovery that open bars and I were not good together.  Friends had begun to marry and when the free likker flowed, I usually ended up flowing with it.  Had I been coherent, I am sure I would have died of embarrassment over the tales told to me as I recovered the next day covered in mud, sticks, and my own puke.  Weddings and I did not get along.  I found I could drink most anyone under the table and still stand.  Problem was I never remembered it.

Fast forward to my nephew's wedding in California in the 1980s.  Big shindig and yes Senator Lugar was there in all his glory.  After all it was his sister's son.  And there at the back of the reception hall was ............yep, an open bar.  It had been many years since I lost control.  I was sure I would be able to handle it.  I was wrong.

I got stinko very fast as I had not been working my drinking muscles for several years.  Yeah, I was obnoxious.  With Reagan still in power, I was also not feeling very kindly towards Republicans, which meant 99% of my family.  And though the exact memory of what I did still escapes me, I do remember shouting something about "Fuckin Republicans in Senator Lugar's general direction.  Apparently my just shy of Limbaugh brother who had married Dick Lugar's sister wanted to kill me.  I guess my mom saved my life that night.  The next thing I remembered was sitting on a curb outside of our motel and my brother driving by.  I am guessing he had no firearms, because I was able to make it back to Maine somewhat intact.

Senator Lugar - if you should ever happen to run across this blog or these comments, I want to apologize for my behaviour that night.  You have always been one Republican I respected and my lashing out at you was just stupid and I have no excuse.   Your recent backing of the Dream Act has caused me to remember how unfair I was to lump you in with your other brain dead party members.  I always said that if you had ever run for President, I would vote for you.   You are a decent man who did not deserve the tirade of a drunk.  It is one moment of my life I wish I could do over.

Later.......................................

9 comments:

BBC said...

Okay, so you are disappointed in two women with some political positions in your state. What in the hell did you expect?

That women would be able to do a better job of running things and do it honestly?

Get over it. I'm all for putting women in all offices so that when things go to hell we can blame them for it.

They think they can fix this mess, they can't. Get right down to it, women are more scatter brained than men are.

BBC said...

On the bright side, my lawn tractor will go faster than yours. :-)

The Blog Fodder said...

Don't we all have memories of something we did that embarrasses us the rest of our lives.

I'm betting on BBC's lawn tractor. he likely has it turbo-charged. You, being green, likely run your on pedal power?

Kulkuri said...

In '97 I worked on Cape Cod with a guy that claimed Maine as his home and he said both of the Senators were too 'librul'. Yes he listened to Rush.

As for Lugar, I still wouldn't vote for him if I ever was in a postion to do so. He toes the party line too much to ever get a vote out of me. I mean he is supposed to be there to work for the people not play silly-ass political games!!

Yeah, you definitely had the right adjective for his party!!

BBC said...

Don't we all have memories of something we did that embarrasses us the rest of our lives.

Speak for yourself.

MRMacrum said...

BBC - I know you have a hair across your butt about women. They are pretty much next to useless like fiction is to you. My opinion of the poor performance of my two senators has absolutely nothing to do with the fact they happen to be women. But I am sure you knew that. Any excuse to rag on the female half of the species is a good enough excuse for you.

As I don't have a lawn tractor, yeah, I would guess you can mow your lawn faster than I can. You got me there by God.

Blog Fodder - It's obvious some of us will never be embarrassed.

Kulkiri - i disagree with Sen.Lugar on many things, but I respect his steady and faithful support of the issues he believes in. Political expediency used by him seems to only happen if his values don't have to take too big a hit. I think his representation of the state he comes from actually does a good job of covering their general political outlook.

El Cerdo Ignatius said...

My opinion of the poor performance of my two senators has absolutely nothing to do with the fact they happen to be women.

Based on what you have written here in this post and on a post in the past, having to do with a great big lardbucket of a stimulus spending bill, I'd have to agree with you. It matters not one fig that the Maine senators are women. What does seem to matter, based on what you have written, is do the Maine senators vote with or against issues supported by President Obama?

And look, there's nothing wrong with that if you have determined that you like the president and his agenda. But I don't see why you have to assume the worst about someone in office just because she opposes things that you and the prez support. I try to grant an assumption of good intentions to those with whom I disagree, even when presented with evidence that might suggest otherwise, such as President Obama's many ill-considered pronouncements on economic policy. But that sort of thing is apparently unbecoming if you reside on the left. Instead, arguments are all assumed to be made in bad faith, from the Republican playbook and not based on the merits, a contributor to the "intense polarization" of Washington, and justification for addition to the shit list.

And furthermore - Have a very Merry Christmas, Mike. All the very best to you and your family.

BBC said...

I don't have a bone to pick with all women, but I'm damn sure not impressed with any of them that are in politics.

They're just political power mongering whores. :-)

MRMacrum said...

El Cerdo Ignatius - That Obama and I support many of the same issues has nothing to do with it. These are issues I felt strongly about. Don't Ask Don't Tell is not Obama's issue, it is our country's issue. What angers me is that it is even an issue at all. And to listen to one of my favorite legislators repeat her partty's line without even a hint she had thought about it any further than her party's line truly disappoints me. My assumptions of Snow and Collins have come from watching them for the last many years. Their intentions are probably good, but that does not give them a free ride when it comes to my shit list. I voted for them in every election they ran in with the exception of this last one for Collins. I will not vote for them in the future.

As always El Cerdo Ignatius, I welcome your comments with respect even when I disagree.

You have a wonderful Christmas too.

BBC - I gues all the men down in Congress are just "power mongering Johns - ;)

Be happy this Season - Merry Christmas.