Just a few thoughts about yesterday's "political stunt" in the House and underlying issues . . . .
. . . . it was designed to keep at the fore of national discussion.
First, anyone who thinks this was a political stunt for the sake political stunting, with no expectation of advancing things, let me say, politely, you're probably not very good at political strategy. Deep in my heart, though, I really want to tell you to fuck off. But I will not. I am not telling anyone to fuck off. :snort:
If anyone thinks there was any expectation of the sit-in causing a gun bill to pass, you really need to rethink your thinking. Ya think? It was designed to draw attention to the do-nothing House leadership and their roles as butt-boys to the steel phallus of the NRA. Their marching (bending over?) rule is REAL SIMPLE. When a gun bill of any sort comes to the House you . . . . do nothing.
That was shown in all its glaring, full color and good sound Periscope video. Video carried by C-Span, ferkrissakes.
For those of who say they should have actually done something other than political wilding, gimme a fucking break. Please. That "stunt" WAS doing something. It perpetuates the dialogue. It keeps the issue alive. It vilifies the NRA. It shows the GOPee to be the gun industry lackeys that are, it shows it all.
John Lewis led this thing. Think about that. In many ways it took a man who is a national treasure back to his roots. Doing what needs to be done to move the agenda forward.
Let me say THAT one again.
Doing what needs to be done to move the agenda forward.
I guess we could say the march on Selma was a stunt. Crossing that arched steel bridge was a stunt. I guess we could say many civil disobediences were stunts. But what they really accomplished was moving the agenda forward.
If yesterday's actions are the last we hear of this, then yeah, maybe it was a stunt. And so would be Chris Murphy's filibuster, for that matter.
You see, those of you who call this a stunt, the political reality is quite simple, actually. The minority party in the US House of Representatives is utterly and absolutely powerless. They don't even have the right to speak on the House floor. They could send postcards in once a week and be pretty much as effective as showing up. That's the absolute fact. Minority party Senators are only slightly better off in that they have a right to blather on as long as they wish, pretty much whenever they wish. But like their House brethren, they have about as much power as a fart in a windstorm.
So these "stunts" WERE doing something. They really were.
Think about it. They were . . . .
Doing what needs to be done to move the agenda forward.
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