There is a government/media bubble in which Washington seems to exist. Inside that bubble, liberalism not only makes sense; it is the only way to go. Inside that bubble, all Republicans are crazy zealots whose only goal is to take away healthcare from Americans, drive all immigrants out of the country, and spend limitless sums on military adventures. Inside that bubble, the average American is someone to be told whatever he or she needs to hear in order to vote for the Democrats; there is no truth, just statements that help (or hurt) the Democrats. It is important to keep this bubble in mind when considering the statements that come out of it.
Today we have a column from Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. Milbank tells us that it most likely will be a good thing for president Obama if the Republicans win control of the Senate in November. After all, those crazy Republicans can be counted on to do crazy stuff which will make the election of Hillary inevitable in 2016. It will also let Obama use the veto pen (does he have a veto phone too?) and reassert himself as relevant. Here's a good example of what Milbank expects: he predicts that if there is a Republican senate, none of Obama's appointments will be accepted. Get that? Instead of allowing the hundreds or thousands of appointments needed to run the government to proceed, the GOP will just shut it all down. Only someone with his head totally in the bubble could believe that. Reality has made its way into the bubble by raising the likelihood of a Republican senate come 2015, but the denizens of DC just do not understand how that will work.
It is important to remember that Dana Milbank is not some disinterested suburbanite living outside Kansas City who pays scant attention to happenings in Washington. This is a man who has spent decades observing events in Washington and reporting/commenting on them. That means that his distorted view of reality is not the result of lack of knowledge; it is rather truly a delusion brought on by living in the bubble.
No one knows for sure how the GOP will proceed if it takes control of the Senate in 2015. That will depend on any number of factors. For example, a senate with 58 Republicans will likely behave differently than one with 51 GOP members. One thing is certain, however, there will no longer be an absence of votes by the Senate. After all, it is not the House that has stopped legislating, but the Senate. For the last year, Harry Reid and the Democrats have refused to vote on dozens of bills passed by the House. The Senate has not voted against those bills; instead, Reid has just not allowed them to be brought forward to a vote. This is one thing that will surely change.
Today we have a column from Dana Milbank of the Washington Post. Milbank tells us that it most likely will be a good thing for president Obama if the Republicans win control of the Senate in November. After all, those crazy Republicans can be counted on to do crazy stuff which will make the election of Hillary inevitable in 2016. It will also let Obama use the veto pen (does he have a veto phone too?) and reassert himself as relevant. Here's a good example of what Milbank expects: he predicts that if there is a Republican senate, none of Obama's appointments will be accepted. Get that? Instead of allowing the hundreds or thousands of appointments needed to run the government to proceed, the GOP will just shut it all down. Only someone with his head totally in the bubble could believe that. Reality has made its way into the bubble by raising the likelihood of a Republican senate come 2015, but the denizens of DC just do not understand how that will work.
It is important to remember that Dana Milbank is not some disinterested suburbanite living outside Kansas City who pays scant attention to happenings in Washington. This is a man who has spent decades observing events in Washington and reporting/commenting on them. That means that his distorted view of reality is not the result of lack of knowledge; it is rather truly a delusion brought on by living in the bubble.
No one knows for sure how the GOP will proceed if it takes control of the Senate in 2015. That will depend on any number of factors. For example, a senate with 58 Republicans will likely behave differently than one with 51 GOP members. One thing is certain, however, there will no longer be an absence of votes by the Senate. After all, it is not the House that has stopped legislating, but the Senate. For the last year, Harry Reid and the Democrats have refused to vote on dozens of bills passed by the House. The Senate has not voted against those bills; instead, Reid has just not allowed them to be brought forward to a vote. This is one thing that will surely change.
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