The National Period Stain Is Over

Wow, did I pick a bad week to start a new job. On that note, what an economy!

WaaaaWaaaaWaaaah (horn sound)

I have actually been logging nonstop 12 to 18 hour days, mostly in front of a computer since I started my new job, so the last thing I wanted to do was come home and sit in front of another computer and type. But, now that my hell week is over.... and an understatement for sure, but what a day for the Democrats. I think besides the neverending days I have been doing, I have been hesitant to post because I wanted to wait until George Allen finally conceded and also, I wanted to kinda take it all in.

Its pretty sweet moment when you look at it all... for science, the working class, hopefully the lower class, the uninsured, college students and graduates, habeus corpus, warrentless wiretaps, torture as an acceptable American value, actual Christianity, protecting women's rights, protecting voter's rights, protecting the internet, and for those of us that want to investigate the sick thugs in the White House for their lies getting us into Iraq and their absolute defiance of the reality on the ground there. Also, the environment won big on Tuesday, and that fucking rocks. On that note, I'd like to personally thank everyone who voted against Richard Pombo, a complete pollution industry-loved douchebag representing a district just north of where I am (CA-11) who was one of the worst evironmental congressmen in history. This man would drill for oil in a school for lepers if you'd let him and he was about as intelligent a speaker as the love child of Christopher Moltisanti and Andrew Dice Clay. The GOP spent tons trying to save his seat and a little known candidate not even supported by the DNC in the primary named Jerry McNerney beat him. Yes!

Anyway, I hope the Democrats can do something in every one of those areas above and with both chambers, it will be much, much easier. Thank God that Reagan's former Navy Secretary took back the Senate for the Democrats. (A note to any right wingers that may have stumbled here, I must say, the irony of that victory was not missed by this snarky bastard, let me tell you. And watching Allen's concession speech, I literally cried tears of joy. I was also masturbating at the time, and I was calling my the guy filming me a "macacca," but seriously, I definetly felt something salty falling from my eye while I was laughing hysterically. So, yeah, I was crying, call me a liberal.)

I predicted this kind of wave shortly after the 2004 "election" and was scoffed at by a Republican sparrring partner, who just didn't see any sort of Dem takever in the cards, especially in the Senate. At the time, I predicted a backlash to the Republican's wave and said that the momentum would swing back and the Dems would take the house and senate. After laughing that thought off, this person sent me an excel sheet with all of these GOP senators that were safe and said there was no way they'd be knocked off. On that list were Burns, Talent, Santorum, Allen, etc all listed as "safe." I gotta think, this has to espescially hurt for him and the rest of the Kool Aide drinkers that backed "future presidents" like Allen and the third most powerful man in the Senate, Rick "Man On Dog" Santorum.

So, like a good liberal, I'll pray for that guy, because he's gotta be hurtin right now.

And for those of us that backed Howard Dean and his 50 state strategy, I gotta say, "Briahhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaahiiiiiiihahhhhhhgggghhghghggh!!!!!" Remember how he was going to destroy the party and how he would alienate more voters than he would bring in? Well, he completely fucking dominated and in doing so proved yet again that conventional wisdom is the currency of retards. It wasn't just Dean of course, it was everyone, but to think of how widespread the criticism of Dean was, is just so mindblowingly comforting today.

But, of course, with this feeling of hope and proud gloating comes that prickly little sense of negativity that only a true liberal could muster at a moment like this. Here are my reasons for not really feeling like the left won as much as it could have.

They won control of Congress at one of the worst moments in our nations history. Iraq is a complete disaster. Sure, I would much rather have them in charge right now, but being half in charge of a quagmire is not an enviable posistion. The situation there is so beyond winnable that pulling out may be the only option and when that happens, the Democrats will be painted as the chicken shits who lost Iraq. I can already see the McCain for Prez commercials showing how he fought to send more troops but Nancy Pelosi said no way because we needed the troops home to defend gay marriages. Maybe the public is smarter than that, but its happend before. My opinion, set a timetable and withdraw. Give the Iraqis no more than 6 months to get their forces together and quell this civil war, (I know, how can you ask a man to die for a mistake) and then start withdrawing to the perimeter, and take as many forces as possible and put them in Afghanistan, which, btw, is falling apart.

Also, the Democrats won with a few people I would rather never hear from again in my life, most noteworthy of course, Joe Lieberman. His ego is actually bigger as a result of his defiance of his party. Now, he'll caucus with the Democrats, keep his seniority and will be a nonstop pain in the ass as he attempts to get both sides of the aisle to kiss his ring. He will destroy the Democrats on critical issues in the future I can almost guarantee it. On Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats who abandoned Ned Lamont in that contest, shame on you. I almost hope Lieberman fucks with you just to teach you a lesson.

Rummy resigning is almost certainly a blessing. But in typical Busha Nostra fashion, they've nominated a man who is a treasonous mass murdering criminal to fix Iraq. Bravo! Who feels safer?

The oversight issue is huge, and maybe its too huge. I am pumped that there will finally be a Congress that investigates and oversees this sociopath, but with sooooo much criminal activity to look in to, some things will actually get ignored as a matter of time and prioritizing. Henry Waxman, who will chair the House Government Reform Committee said, "The most difficult thing will be to pick and choose." I take this to mean that maybe war profiteers will be nailed, but maybe not evironmental criminals. Not everyone will pay for their sins.

The overall media narrative of the Democrats win has been pathetic. They were so swept up by Gates' day after doomsday nomination that some almost forgot that a week previous Bush straight up lied about Rummy to "get to the next question." They threw around words like "pragmatist" and "problem solver" while they should have been using words like "mafia" and "treason." Also, there is a lot of talk about how conservative all the new dems are. And while there might be some moderates in the bunch, I can't stand the fact that even in defeat, the media keeps trumping Tuesday's blue tide as a victory for conservatism. (Atrios nails it.) It proves once again that the media are not even remotely liberal.

But don't let the media spinmeisters fool you: there doesn't need to be a era of nicely tied bipartisanship in Washington. The Democrats destroyed in the House. They won big across the country in state and local offices. They won big in governors races. And, most importantly, they won overwhelmingly in the Senate. It was close in a few states that put Dems over the top, but nationally it was an 11.6 percent whooping. Add to that Bush's 31 percent and the only word you should be thinking of is "mandate."

Let's roll.