A.J. DiCintio
Dissing Emilia
By A.J. DiCintio
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
He knew all too well, Shakespeare did, that aristocrats (of both the political and social variety) are full of pomp and rot at their best and pomp and evil at their worst.
That's exactly why he put so many of his very best lines into the mouths of ordinary folks — you know, the kind of people our liberal noblemen and women love to slime as "bitter," swastika carrying Neanderthals who "cling to guns and religion."
One of those great lines is the one quoted above, in which the earthy Emilia issues a warning to unfaithful husbands, even as she makes a profound, general statement about human nature.
Emilia's admonition didn't, however, just pop into my mind. It came to me because everywhere I turn these days, I encounter reports of how Democrats responded to the passage of Obamacare, beginning with the reaction of Barack Obama, who, according to CNN, "exchanged handshakes, hugs and 'high-fives' with staffers when the outcome of the House vote became apparent."
Since Obamacare is opposed by a majority of Americans, we might wonder why the president would engage in such arrogant, "in your face" childishness — we might, if we hadn't learned long, long ago that Chicago Machine godfathers don't give the damnedest little damn about the will of the people.
To no sane person's surprise, this kind of perverse jubilation wasn't confined to the White House and Congress; it raged across the liberal media, where one headline screamed superficially that "Washington loves a winner" and wishful thinking MSNBC pooh-poohed the "largely symbolic" effort to repeal Obamacare, arguing that "it would require a Republican president with a two-thirds Republican majority in the Senate."
Even Neo-Con David Frum was infected by the euphoric infantilism, as exemplified by his observation (according to MSNBC) that "Legislative majorities come and go [but] this health care bill is forever."
That deeply set in cement?
That profoundly chiseled in stone?
Not if we listen to Emilia, whose wisdom tells us that Democrats have now "instructed" the nation (which includes Republican politicians) in the "ill" called Anything Goes Reconciliation, a tactic that a Republican president, House, and 50 Republican Senators (remember who breaks ties in the Senate) could employ to repeal and replace Obamacare in a matter of a few days.
Or, to hasten the development of a bipartisan climate for repeal, the trio could enact a law that requires, as a condition of office or employment, every federal politician and employee to purchase the most basic policy offered under Obamacare's "exchange."
Along those lines, the Republican president and Congress might also use "Reconciliation" to see to it that a $50,000 tax free award awaits citizens who report to at least 20 websites the name of any federal politician who for himself or his dependants seeks medical treatment at a hospital or clinic whose patients are not at least 90% exchange baseline policy holders.
And while they are at it, Republicans might use Anything Goes to legislate a 20% across-the-board budget cut for 90% of federal departments and agencies. (What a silver lining that would be in an otherwise blackly treacherous cloud!)
Now, how much liberal fist and chest bumping would that sort of reconciliation elicit?
However, while a majority of Americans would likely support the repeal of Obamacare through "Anything Goes" — because they realize it is good and just that a corrupt, ideologically-driven, fundamental change to our healthcare system born of the sword should die by the sword — they wouldn't celebrate their victory with high-fives.
No, in contrast to Obama, Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the liberal gang, most Americans aren't blinded by a centralized power craving, anti-Jeffersonian ideology.
Moreover, they are (to be blunt about it) at least a billion light years above those pretentious aristocrats when it comes to intelligence (five billion when it comes to common sense). Therefore, they realize that making the Senate like the House represents a change that threatens the life of our federal republic.
Why? Because they understand that the filibuster, which was once permitted in the House, exists for good reason: to protect the rights of the minority; to slow down the process of government; to improve legislation by encouraging, even forcing, compromise; and, in more cases than Washington would ever admit, to prevent some bills from ever becoming law — all of those purposes being in harmony with the brilliant thinking of the Founders, who looked upon government as a necessary but inherently and insidiously dangerous institution.
In sum, the American people understand this about the passing of the healthcare bill:
The ideological crusade headed by reckless Obama and his perfidious liberal lieutenants has blithely trampled upon traditions that have evolved over time to strengthen the DNA of our peculiar form of Democracy.
(Actually, every democracy has developed such traditions. For example, in the world's parliamentary democracies, a party that ran on a nebulous platform of "reforming" healthcare and then, when in power, set out to effect a stunning, fundamental change in the healthcare system would ignite a raging firestorm that would quickly flame the "reformers" into political hell.)
However, as the experience of the past five decades in America has shown, there is a vast chasm between what the people understand and desire and what government does.
Yet, this is still a country of "We the People."
Thus, a brave, free, vigorous people who would never dismiss wise Emilia with mocking contempt need not be slaves to the past; for if today and for as many tomorrows as necessary they will devote themselves with an unwavering, unremitting resolve to repealing Obamacare and banishing the tactics used to force it upon the nation, no person, party, or ideology can prevent their ultimate victory.
© A.J. DiCintio
March 30, 2010
Then let them use us well: else let them know,
The ills we do, their ills instruct us so.
He knew all too well, Shakespeare did, that aristocrats (of both the political and social variety) are full of pomp and rot at their best and pomp and evil at their worst.
That's exactly why he put so many of his very best lines into the mouths of ordinary folks — you know, the kind of people our liberal noblemen and women love to slime as "bitter," swastika carrying Neanderthals who "cling to guns and religion."
One of those great lines is the one quoted above, in which the earthy Emilia issues a warning to unfaithful husbands, even as she makes a profound, general statement about human nature.
Emilia's admonition didn't, however, just pop into my mind. It came to me because everywhere I turn these days, I encounter reports of how Democrats responded to the passage of Obamacare, beginning with the reaction of Barack Obama, who, according to CNN, "exchanged handshakes, hugs and 'high-fives' with staffers when the outcome of the House vote became apparent."
Since Obamacare is opposed by a majority of Americans, we might wonder why the president would engage in such arrogant, "in your face" childishness — we might, if we hadn't learned long, long ago that Chicago Machine godfathers don't give the damnedest little damn about the will of the people.
To no sane person's surprise, this kind of perverse jubilation wasn't confined to the White House and Congress; it raged across the liberal media, where one headline screamed superficially that "Washington loves a winner" and wishful thinking MSNBC pooh-poohed the "largely symbolic" effort to repeal Obamacare, arguing that "it would require a Republican president with a two-thirds Republican majority in the Senate."
Even Neo-Con David Frum was infected by the euphoric infantilism, as exemplified by his observation (according to MSNBC) that "Legislative majorities come and go [but] this health care bill is forever."
That deeply set in cement?
That profoundly chiseled in stone?
Not if we listen to Emilia, whose wisdom tells us that Democrats have now "instructed" the nation (which includes Republican politicians) in the "ill" called Anything Goes Reconciliation, a tactic that a Republican president, House, and 50 Republican Senators (remember who breaks ties in the Senate) could employ to repeal and replace Obamacare in a matter of a few days.
Or, to hasten the development of a bipartisan climate for repeal, the trio could enact a law that requires, as a condition of office or employment, every federal politician and employee to purchase the most basic policy offered under Obamacare's "exchange."
Along those lines, the Republican president and Congress might also use "Reconciliation" to see to it that a $50,000 tax free award awaits citizens who report to at least 20 websites the name of any federal politician who for himself or his dependants seeks medical treatment at a hospital or clinic whose patients are not at least 90% exchange baseline policy holders.
And while they are at it, Republicans might use Anything Goes to legislate a 20% across-the-board budget cut for 90% of federal departments and agencies. (What a silver lining that would be in an otherwise blackly treacherous cloud!)
Now, how much liberal fist and chest bumping would that sort of reconciliation elicit?
However, while a majority of Americans would likely support the repeal of Obamacare through "Anything Goes" — because they realize it is good and just that a corrupt, ideologically-driven, fundamental change to our healthcare system born of the sword should die by the sword — they wouldn't celebrate their victory with high-fives.
No, in contrast to Obama, Pelosi, Reid and the rest of the liberal gang, most Americans aren't blinded by a centralized power craving, anti-Jeffersonian ideology.
Moreover, they are (to be blunt about it) at least a billion light years above those pretentious aristocrats when it comes to intelligence (five billion when it comes to common sense). Therefore, they realize that making the Senate like the House represents a change that threatens the life of our federal republic.
Why? Because they understand that the filibuster, which was once permitted in the House, exists for good reason: to protect the rights of the minority; to slow down the process of government; to improve legislation by encouraging, even forcing, compromise; and, in more cases than Washington would ever admit, to prevent some bills from ever becoming law — all of those purposes being in harmony with the brilliant thinking of the Founders, who looked upon government as a necessary but inherently and insidiously dangerous institution.
In sum, the American people understand this about the passing of the healthcare bill:
The ideological crusade headed by reckless Obama and his perfidious liberal lieutenants has blithely trampled upon traditions that have evolved over time to strengthen the DNA of our peculiar form of Democracy.
(Actually, every democracy has developed such traditions. For example, in the world's parliamentary democracies, a party that ran on a nebulous platform of "reforming" healthcare and then, when in power, set out to effect a stunning, fundamental change in the healthcare system would ignite a raging firestorm that would quickly flame the "reformers" into political hell.)
However, as the experience of the past five decades in America has shown, there is a vast chasm between what the people understand and desire and what government does.
Yet, this is still a country of "We the People."
Thus, a brave, free, vigorous people who would never dismiss wise Emilia with mocking contempt need not be slaves to the past; for if today and for as many tomorrows as necessary they will devote themselves with an unwavering, unremitting resolve to repealing Obamacare and banishing the tactics used to force it upon the nation, no person, party, or ideology can prevent their ultimate victory.
© A.J. DiCintio
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(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
