The disingenuous, divisive right

They refuse to learn

Yesterday found me prepared for disappointment… and I was not disabused. While the President’s State of the Union message was patriotic and rousing, it offered little of any substance not found in the day-to-day rhetoric of modern politics.

Still, as insubstantial as was the President’s offering, the GOP response stole the show with their tepid behavior, not even showing any emotion when the bin Laden operation was mentioned. Mitch Daniels offering the "official" response could have been a Chuck Norris wind up doll for all the originality he displayed while reciting worn out talking points with a face as grim as I've seen. Even the goper’s staunch allies over a Faux News couldn’t buy yet another ration of the cold gruel that has become the well-practiced response to anything the President says or tries to accomplish.

There are a bunch of folks in this country who vote Republican by principle and for the most part these are genuine, caring humans wishing only the best for this country and the world. It is unfortunate that they cannot see through the smokescreen raised by the powerful few who would rather see the nation lost and our people ruined rather than to offer even the slightest hint of cooperation with the current administration. 

To this element of our society it seems they feel that so long as there is a [fill in the blank] in the White House… the country is already lost. So they wrap themselves in the flag and point to any attempt at compromise as unpatriotic.

This describes a significant segment of America’s politicians, who find ready support from an under-informed electorate and a smattering of nationalistic terrorists. Add to that a religious right faction with the notion of bringing the country down so that they can rebuild it as a theocracy and you end up with a GOP so blinded that it offers a response that can be called nothing short of worthless.

The only surprise was that Michelle Bachmann didn’t appear to offer a follow-up to the Republican response.

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UPDATE: Awaking to the news that American forces had pulled yet another coup, rescuing an American and a Dane from the clutches of Somali pirates rather cheered me up from the post-State of the Union funk.

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UPDATE 2: Apparently there was a Tea Party response following SOTU, offered by none other than Herman Cain and broadcast only on the Tea Party Express website. I'm certain this will enliven the base.

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