Interesting. I just noticed something.

You’re making a post praising the DNC, and I’m going to respond by, well, not really knocking them but by pointing out that they DID “cave”.

Two days/week I spend 2 hours (depending on traffic it can be 3 or more) driving into or out of DC. DC, or as people who live there call it, the district, is the only city in America with a CSPAN broadcast station. I almost always listen to it while I drive.

Tonight, part of the programming was the floor speeches on this bill. Sorry, the only name I caught was Nancy Pelosi, but the 3 Democrats I heard speak before the vote were all unanimously opposed to it. Or, more correctly, 2 urged a vote for it and 1 said he couldn’t vote for it, but they all panned it.

Why?

Among other things, it defunds future funding for Federal workers. As Nancy Pelosi put it, and this is a paraphrase even though it’s in quotes, “We can pass all these wonderful laws we want to, but without the public sector to administer it, they won’t be enforced or made available to the public.” She also said something about UI payments being one of the most stimulating things the government can do in a bad economy, but the way it was “paid for” diminished that effect. The Dem who wouldn’t vote for it said it was because, among other things, “we won’t be able to attract the kind of high-quality workers in the future that we’ll need to administer these wonderful programs.” They mentioned lots of programs that people like and/or need; the DC police that keep people safe, people who administer medicare, SS, and the UI payments that were passed. NHS, which does “worthless” things like curing diseases and keeping people healthy. Their list was better than mine.

See, it’s a continuing theme. The GOP wants to cut the government down to the size where it can be drowned in a bathtub. They REALLY do. And, in order to get anything critical, like the continuing infusion of cash into the economy things like the payroll tax cut and UI give us, they have no choice but to give in, at least a little, to the GOP’s ongoing campaign to destroy things that overwhelming majorities are in favor of.

So, I’m not really dissing the DNC for doing it. I think they have no choice. But I sure hate the GOP for forcing them to choose between things that not only help people, but the country as a whole, and future cuts that will only make things worse.

On the bright side, the speeches were definitely of a tone that “we’re putting you on notice.” I know, “lip service”, but I can tell you that if the GOP attacks Federal workers much more, no one’s going to take the jobs. Living in DC is EXPENSIVE. Why do it for minimum wage? And when it starts taking 3 years for people to start receiving their SS when they retire, I predict they’ll notice it and punish the “Federal employees are scum and we should pay them less” crowd for it.

Public servants really do deserve better treatment from the public servants who set their salaries.

OK, so maybe I didn’t diss the DNC at all. But I will say this. It’s hyperbole to accuse you of “all Obama bashing all the time”. I noticed a few days ago that you were “trying”, and posting other stuff. My earlier post was about me, not you, when I said I felt like I was hosting a “make sure Obama doesn’t get re-elected” board, and I was referring to my little hissy fit a month or two ago, not anything in the past few days.

So, you and peen BOTH need to realize that I value BOTH of your opinions.

And, I’m not drunk.