Senate Republicans Refuse To Call Deli
For about nine months, starting in early 2008, I ran a political satire site called ReallySeriousNews.com. As I graduated college and entered the real world, this was my pride and joy, and I loved it and took it seriously and worked my ass off on it. Then came the real world, and as President Obama got elected, I more or less shut down RSN.
Looking for another creative outlet, and still angry over politics, I decided to bring back ReallySeriousNews yesterday. I’m going to make a real go of building the site and making both political and comedic statements.
The greatest joy in political satire is when the ridiculous story you write gets scraped by reality. My first article has already proved me prescient. Here’s an excerpt from what I wrote:
Senate business came to a grinding halt on Monday, as the Republican minority obstructed a voice vote over the chamber’s daily lunch spread.
Generally a voice vote and mere formality, the shock scene came as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) announced he was placing a hold on the spiced ham in the traditional cold cut spread that the legislative body had enjoyed every first Monday of the month for the last 24 years.
Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted the move, but came up short in backroom negotiations when Coburn’s fellow Republican, Jim DeMint, of South Carolina, motioned that he would filibuster the bread selection for its lack of sour dough.
Goofy, sure, but how far from the truth is it? This morning, I see this headline:
In a particularly pugnacious move, the GOP insisted Monday evening on 60-vote threshold for a fairly middle-of-the-road nominee to be solicitor general at the Department of Labor. To be sure, Patricia Smith, the New York State Labor Commissioner, wouldn’t be nominated by a Republican president and has the support of the AFL-CIO. But she also has the backing of New York business groups and local Chambers of Commerce, as well as GOP members of the New York House delegation.
Still, for Senate Republicans, she might as well have been Karl Marx and Van Jones wrapped into one.
Every Republican who showed up voted to sustain a filibuster against her nomination. As a result, it took every member of the Democratic caucus to end the filibuster, on a 60-32 vote. In a normal legislative body, a 2-1 vote is a rout. In today’s Senate, it’s a squeaker.
And when Scott Brown takes his newly-won Senate seat, the GOP will have the votes it needs to block nominees like Patricia Smith.
Just when I was feeling bad that I had missed out on lambasting a ridiculous year in politics, I’m reminded the crazy never stops. It sucks for the country, but for me, this is gonna be fun.
