Being constent

I haven't participated here much--last year or so.
There was just too much political wrangling going on
and I found it too hard to ignore. So I largely took a powder.
(no not that kind. all my dollar bills are still in my wallet).

So, exhibiting typical consistency on my part, the following:

The republicans unanimously opposed historic health care
legislation today--watered down and impotent as it was, due
to their unanimous hostility for over a year now. But lose the
battle they did. Or soon will, as the senate was the only
reactionary chance left for them.

All of which reminded me:

Republicans opposed social security, originally and as recently as
a few years ago.

Republicans opposed the Marshall Plan after WWII.

In the early 50s republicans did half-heartedly supported voting rights
for southern blacks, largely because it was Yellow Dog Dixicrats who
supported segregation. But after the civil rights bill passed and it
became clear the new wave of black voters would all vote democratic,
the republicans almost instantly switched camps and became
states-rights reactionaries. They got the Ross Barnett, Bull Conner-like
democrats and they've controlled the redneck south ever since.

The republicans also opposed Medicare.
And now they've done absolutely everything possible to give
Health Insurance corporations the right continue ripping us off, and to
keep upwards of 20 million citizens out of any kind of health care luck
at all.

I'm beginning to think this kind of stubborn
resistance to needed change is a genetic condition. Rational
evaluation of the evidence just doesn't support this kind
of boneheaded behavior.

The only thing non-obstructionist they've ever done is to
drive us into near bankruptcy by slashing revenues (taxes)
and giving most of that the rich, and to start a series of
ill-advised and remarkably expensive wars. And I count Viet Nam
in that category too, even though Johnson started it. Because
everybody knows Johnson did that because he was so afraid of
right-wing reaction.

:-)