Rat over the side & notes

I think it was John Kenneth Galbraith who once pointed out that while Political courage is greatly respected and grandly celebrated, the beneficial effects of political cowardice are not as appreciated.

Take for example something like Social Security – I’m sure that many members of congress would given their druthers would gleefully aid wall street in gutting the system like a trout and giving most of the money (in exchange for campaign contributions of course) to the tender cares of the same folks who just finished wrecking the economy. And it isn’t just greed these fine folks

What prevents this kind of sell out (at least such a naked one) is that this sweet gang is concerned that if they actually do this they would get slaughtered in the next election and lose their damn job.

This brings us to one Arlen Spector who just announced that he will be running for Senate in 2010 on the Democratic Party line.

After a pause to allow the heads of the right wing to explode (always a pleasant noise) – it becomes pretty obvious that Arlen jumped ship because he wants to stay in the Senate – there was a nasty primary fight coming up between Arlen and, by all reports, a barking mad right wing challenger, but since the Pennsylvania GOP is now mostly barking mad right wingers Arlen looked to lose soooooo

He jumped Parties – now if the head of the democrats in the Senate was anybody but the slinky spined milksop Harry Reid - Arlen’s desire to jump parties would be a met with a gee that’s too bad Arlen – how about you lick my desk clean and we’ll think about it. But Reid acts like the senate is some kind of special boys’ club and his job is to protect those club members from the mean outside world soooooo Arlen’s in without apparently any preconditions – hell he can keep on voting the way he’s always voted.

Now maybe, just maybe, they’re gotten his promise to vote in a helpful manner when health care comes up – and if that gets passed – not a lock there are some very very evil and entrenched interests that need to overcome there, mabye having a rat on our side will be a good thing. We don’t know yet. Still if I was in charge of the GOP I’d be worried – Arlen was and is an unprincipled cad who was only out for himself – but when those people leave you, it’s not a good sign.

The above was written some days ago – recently Arlen learned a couple of lessons in how the Democratic Party differs from the Republican. Arlen made a few comments on meet the press suggesting he’d continue to vote troglodyte on numerous issues and then said he was hoping that Coleman would be named senator form Minnesota (Coleman is the gop candidate who has stretched the recount out to what looks like June now with wave after wave after wave of the finest legal objections money can buy when you don’t have a legal leg to stand on) and weird mouth noises about the Obama’s pick for supreme court.

This did not sit well with the Democratic rank and file and before Harry Reid could stop them they stripped Arlen of his seniority and all committee assignments – which made me understand why they put up with such a milksop as Reid as their leader – democrats as a group rarely like to be told what to do – if they had an effective leader in the Senate well they would have to do what they are told. Having hapless Harry well they really don’t have to listen to him that much.

Anyway a few days later they did give Arlen some committee chairmanship – something having to do with lint I think.

Reid has since tried to explain Arlen’s remarks as either a joke or that he was confused – which is polite code for a senile old man - of which there are enough in the Senate so he won’t stand out much.

Band had a nice gig at the John Street Bar and grill – props to everybody who came risking instant death from the swine flu – which I’m happy to see is a bit over blown on the causing death bit – but it’s still serious – the last time I had the flu I couldn’t move for 3 days – I just lay on the couch in pain watching Charlton Heston as El Sid something like 5 times in a row – only some of the pain came from the flu.

So again thanks for coming we had a bit of ring rust and sadly Mistress B couldn’t make it as she’s directing a play (this is a very talented band I have to say) and was at Rehearsal.

More later

Peace Love No Flu