The Victory that Wasn't
I see Rachel Maddow almost giddy over the passing of the START treaty. Like lots of other liberals, she has already succeeded in convincing herself that this represents a tremendous victory over the Republicans.
Wrong. All we have seen here is that the Republican party can tell when it is on the losing end of a public relations battle. They gave up on Don't Ask Don't Tell, because they think it is going to be a great issue to rile up their base in 2012 (they're right) and they gave up on the START treaty because even the endless collaboration of the press could not disguise the fact that they had placed party loyalty above our national security in the most craven way imaginable. So they will have Lisa Murkowski (who they undoubtedly hate because she defeated one of their selected teabaggers) and a few other Republicans, vote for the treaty, not because it is essential to maintaining world nuclear stability, but because their bankrupt political calculus tells them that it's in their own best interests.
Isn't it too late for us to fool ourselves into thinking that Republicans give a damn about this country, or will lift a finger to do anything that is not in the immediate, short term interest of the multinational corporations who are their real constituency?
Wrong. All we have seen here is that the Republican party can tell when it is on the losing end of a public relations battle. They gave up on Don't Ask Don't Tell, because they think it is going to be a great issue to rile up their base in 2012 (they're right) and they gave up on the START treaty because even the endless collaboration of the press could not disguise the fact that they had placed party loyalty above our national security in the most craven way imaginable. So they will have Lisa Murkowski (who they undoubtedly hate because she defeated one of their selected teabaggers) and a few other Republicans, vote for the treaty, not because it is essential to maintaining world nuclear stability, but because their bankrupt political calculus tells them that it's in their own best interests.
Isn't it too late for us to fool ourselves into thinking that Republicans give a damn about this country, or will lift a finger to do anything that is not in the immediate, short term interest of the multinational corporations who are their real constituency?
Comments