I would love to claim credit for coming up with that clever acronym, but I first heard it emerge from the mouth of CNN’s loquacious dreamboat Chris Cuomo, he of the “Let’s Get After It” phrase, and get after it he does.
With all that’s going on, a nettlesome little pandemic that won’t play nice and just go away, a former president, weeks after he mercifully was forced out of office, still clinging to inane and insane claims that the election was stolen, blizzards, melting ice sheets, wildfires and countless other hard scientific examples that this earth is indeed burning up like that marshmallow you left over the fire too long, damnit! Small business owners closing doors right and left, a vaccination roll out that proved more like an out-of-control out; even with all that there is the quite troubling news that the GOP is splintering.
If I were a less generous soul I would cackle gleefully at this self-inflicted implosion, but I am … oh hell who am I kidding? My instinct is to cackle loud and long, enjoying this formerly grand old party unravel before my eyes.
However …
Seeing one of our major parties hijacked by the lunatic fringe, the QAnon apostles, gives me paws…. strike that, it gives me pause. Giving me paws would just be silly.
The encroachment of this group so fringe they give fringe a bad word, sends a chill down my spine. Wait, that was just that grape Otter Pop I misplaced. Yet it does rattle me to my very political core, which is much like the chewy center of a Tootsie Roll Pop. Mmmmm … Tootsie Roll Pop ….
Anyway, I held my nose and watched da bit of video on that QAnon woman (I will not soil my keyboard by typing her name). I saw an array of clips with her:
Implying that the Clintons are murder masterminds and were responsible for JFK Jr.’s death, questioning the existence of the plane that flew into the Pentagon on 9/11, saying no one has ever seen evidence of such a plane, casting doubt on the veracity of the shootings at Parkland and Sandy Hook, chasing one of those Parkland survivors down the street yelling at him that she was carrying a gun. Now I could go on, but stop and think about that for a second. This … person … who obviously has the morals of a guttersnipe, chases down a young man who survived a school shooting, for some reason thinking it was critical for him to know she was armed.
What kind of immoral, repulsive lowlife does that? Why I haven’t seen that kind of shameless (or shameful, take your pick) behavior since what’s his name was in the White House.
Oh.
See, you know, and I know that these callously shallow creatures are desperately grabbing and clawing at anything they can for attention and approval. I watched the QAnon woman give a half-ass “apology” before Congress, saying that she didn’t believe any of the things she said she believed and besides, all those things were said before she was elected to Congress. Like that makes it okay.
“Hey, I haven’t murdered pre-school children and eaten their intestines since Nov. 3, so get off my back!”
Her apology, of course, was perfunctory, well-rehearsed and about as convincing as your soon to be ex saying, “It’s not you, it’s me.”
Worse than that, (if there could possibly be a worse than that) is the so-called leadership of the Republican Party and many rank-and-file House members who, astonishingly, keep finding ways to sink to new lows.
The House majority “leader” Kevin McCarthy refused to strip QAnon woman from her committee posts (among them the Education committee if you can believe it) because he said she was properly apologetic, and he had a talk with her about her past behavior.
Is he not a parent? Has he never seen a movie? A stern talk and warning are about as effective as a rice paper condom.
And 199 of her Housemates supported her in a vote.199. Start with the 147 House members who voted to overturn the results of the last election, throw in 52 more jackanapes and you have the recipe for either a political disaster, a national disgrace, or a new Christopher Guest movie.
Back to my point, and indeed I do have one buried somewhere. I can rail at these events, I can rant, I can laugh at the absurdity of it all, but ultimately this is not a good thing for the Democratic Party, or the country. We need contrary opinions and healthy debates; we need people with disparate views able to share those views without fear of violence. Heck, sometimes people even disagree with me. And I allow them to live.
Our system has devolved from two (and sometimes more) parties who all want the same thing – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, to coin a phrase – but disagree on what paths to take, to a system that is no longer a system at all, it is Prom Night on steroids, a ruthless popularity contest where votes can be bought and sold and the more noise you make the more attention you get. Substance? Who needs that? Just keep repeating the same lie often enough – The election was stolen! All immigrants are rapists! Titanic deserved the Oscar! – and people believe it. It is not even partisan politics anymore; it is personality cage matches to the dearth.
We admire leaders not because of their eloquence or their actions on our behalf, we admire them for the clever tweet insult they just hurled from the safety of their bathroom. We admire them for the nasty little nicknames they concoct. We admire them for refusing to compromise, for treating anyone who disagrees with them as the enemy. We embrace the hypocrisy of a party that didn’t blink an eye at spending $1.9 trillion dollars on a tax break for the 1% that, let’s be honest, had zero positive effect for the vast majority of Americans, while these same blowhards scoff and hurl pejoratives at the party that wants to spend $1.9 trillion (where have I seen that figure before?) to provide immediate – and critically needed – aid to all Americans in the midst of that little aforementioned pandemic.
Perhaps they should rename the party Harvey Dent. I’ll wait while you Google that.
These pathetic and literally pale imitations of citizens have also gone strangely quiet about the insurrection of the Capitol just a month ago. The outrage and pledges of unity and a joint effort to hold these seditionists accountable for their treasonous behavior has gone the way of the bi-partisan deal, civil discourse, and the Pet Rock.
So, GOPQ, spare me your justifications. Spare me your empty statements of empathy for those suffering. Spare me your tortured theatrics and insulting face masks (I’m looking at you QAnon woman, though I can’t stand the site of your smug face). Spare me the high horse speeches about the media picking on you and giving the Democrats a free pass. Spare me all this and get back to work doing your damn jobs. Remember those?
Spend the money necessary to help our citizens. Denounce (and mean it) lunatic conspiracy theories. Stand up and say out loud and clear that the last election was won fair and square. You wonder why a lot of Democrats don’t want to work with you? Start there. By the way, you might want to take note that the sky is blue, and rain is wet – if you can handle the subsequent uproar from your QAnon jokesters back home. Speaking of which, cut QAnon out of your party. Let the Proud Boys know they are not welcome. Send the Oath Keepers packing. You are so afraid of the big liar who took over your party you won’t even admit the Big Lie. You cower in fear of someone who has tied up your formerly formidable party to his hefty ankle and is preparing to take you down with him as he dives deeper into the swamp he claimed to drain.
We need two strong parties in this country. Right now we have one strong enough to embrace disagreement and diversity within its ranks, and one cowering in fear while kowtowing to an overgrown bully boiling over with lies, paranoia, insecurities and just plain nastiness.
I know there are strong, principled Republicans out there. Take back your party before it’s too late. A one-party system, even if it happens to be my party, is not the way this is supposed to work.
And please stick that Q where the sun don’t shine.