Hey, Congress: Here’s how to raise your approval ratings by 30 %.

As you may have heard, Congress’s approval rating just hit another record low: only nine percent of Americans think they don’t suck. It is hard to be disliked to a greater extent than that, but hey, they might be able to pull it off.

Of course, they COULD look at that chart up there, and by making a single change, raise their approval rating by 30 percent. That change? Why, doing their f***jng jobs, that’s all.

The 39% approval rating they had back in 2009 was not earned by their moral goodness; nor was it a result of diligence, comity, or even treating each other with much dignity and respect. It was earned by passing bills that needed passed, confirming appointments that needed confirmed, even though they were acting like ill-tempered toddlers much of the time. They worked, fought, debated, argued, and then compromised for the good of the country. You know, what COngress is supposed to do in the first place.

How about it, boys and girls? Would you like an approval rating close to that of Obama’s? Act like you did in 2009, and you’ll get ratings like you did in 2009. Or, keep on f***ing off and f***ing up, and see if you can get down to a 1 % rating.

Which would be weirdly appropriate, if you think about it.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

John Boehner’s Fear of Losing Power (again) is why the Government is Shut Down.

Lots of people and pundits overlook this bit of history: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/us/politics/15boehner.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Indeed, it gets scant attention even in the above article. Here’s the relevant bit:

When Republicans took control in 1994, Mr. Boehner became chairman of the House Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking job. Just as he had in Ohio, he formed close ties with industry and developed a tight circle of advisers, many of whom have moved on to become lobbyists. Mr. Boehner’s taste for parties and fine wines also soon became evident; his Republican Convention-related soirees are a legend.       

Mr. Boehner lost his leadership position in 1998 after his fellow Republicans decided to clean house after losing seats.

Got that? Speaker Boehner got the axe once, and he is scared it’ll happen again. THAT is why he won’t cross The Thirty and allow the CR to be voted on in the house. He is so attached to the gavel, he’ll let children starve and die, deny Americans health care, weaken our national defense, and bankrupt the nation. The narcissistic son of a bitch.

Not that this writer is the only person to have had this thought: http://wosu.org/2012/allsides/government-shutdown-whos-affected/ Jack Torry and Jonathan Alter have said similar things in the past.

When one man’s lust for power can hold an entire nation hostage,  we need to make some changes. De-jobbing Boehner would be a good start.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

 

When You Feel Like Giving Up…

William Allison kept this sign for 50 years. In 1963, he was 42 and participated in the March on Washington for Jobs and Justice. Now he’s 92 and did it again. With the same sign.

On the one hand, it’s depressing that such marches are still necessary, and the sign is still 100% relevant, a half century later. On the other, it’s uplifting to see someone with that much courage and determination.

Either way, it is a lesson to us all: when we feel like giving up on a cause, a task or a dream, look at Mr. Allison and realize that it is possible to keep fighting for what you believe in. Even when the struggle started long before you were born, and will continue after you will pass away. If we truly believe in something, we have to give it that kind of consistent devotion and unwavering commitment – and it can be done. He is living proof.

Let’s all take a breath, nut up, and keep working for what we believe in, love, and cherish. The only way to win is to keep showing up. And the only guaranteed way to lose is to give up.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Something to Smile About in these Dark Times – The Bulwer-Lytton Awards have been announced.

http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2013win.html  The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Competition is a yearly contest to judge horrible opening sentences to  horrible novels, and crown a “best of the worst”.  Every year, it provides amusement to many, while providing writers everywhere with an indication of how low the bar may be set for someone wishing to call one’s self a “writer”.

One example of the “dishonorable mentions” :

When the slinky redhead slunk into the throbbing, strobe-lit nightclub, Elwood’s eyes fastened on her the way a toilet plunger will fasten onto a hard surface if you shove it down just right, but her returning glance, while smoldering, was actually more caustic and burned his tender ego the way liquid Drano can burn your hand if you spill some on it, having disregarded the manufacturer’s warning. — Jeff Treder, Springfield, OR

That is truly, magnificently awful. Lots more at the link. Go there to see the winner, and the many other contenders. A laugh is a good thing.

Mr. Blunt and Cranky