Redheads Can Whine, Too

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain couldn't stiff arm former Sen. Phil Gramm (R-TX) fast enough after the McCain economic adviser provided a little of his own brand of straight talk, dubbing the United States "a nation of whiners" in a "mental recession."

"You've heard of mental depression; this is a mental recession," Gramm said in a Washington Times editorial board meeting. He went on to say that "We have sort of become a nation of whiners... You just hear this constant whining, complaining about a loss of competitiveness, America in decline..."

Gramm later said that he meant the nation's leaders were whiners, not its citizens. (That's ever so much better, isn't it?) But after that helpful clarification, the former presidential wannabe went on to illustrate why his own ill-fated campaign sputtered right out of the gate by repeating his assertion and stating, "I'm not going to retract any of it. Every word I said was true."

So, I thought I might take ol' Phil's suggestion -- or at the least make this a self-fulfilling prophecy -- because, when I really got to thinking, I realized I had some things to whine about. Here's just a few.

• I'm going to whine about Democrats in the House and Senate who have yet to figure out that, yes, Virginia, they are in charge. They don't need to check with the Republicans before taking a bathroom break. Here's hoping that if we whine enough, they'll actually act like the Majority party.


• I'm going to whine about cynical Senate Republicans, who've introduced impostor Ledbetter bills in an attempt to evade the grassroots pressure they've been feeling to fix the Supreme Court's dumbass decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear. As one Republican staffer's email went, the bill was introduced at least in part because "many of our members took some heat," and the bill was dropped just before the July 4th recess so Senators would have an opportunity to brag about their co-sponsorship to constituents over the holiday. (Read: CYA)

• I'm going to whine about the Democrats who abrogated their stewardship of our civil rights and liberties in favor of CYA on FISA. (CYA activity does not favor one party or the other, it seems.) Yes, I'm going to whine about Barack Obama's FISA vote, and write a check to the ACLU for their lawsuit against Uncle Sam.
  


• I'm going to whine about a President who thinks it's a good idea to consider new regulations, six months before he leaves office, that pervert federal funding designed to prevent unintended pregnancies by redirecting it instead to providers who refuse to offer comprehensive birth control and reproductive health care services. And oh yeah, the proposed rule just happens to redefine abortion to so that it includes some of the most common methods of birth control. I'm guessing this is not a coincidence.
  


• I'm going to whine about the fact that the Higher Education Act reauthorization bill is stuck in a seemingly never ending conference loop. The House bill is much better, but Senate Democrats have pretty much refused to agree to anything that wasn't their idea first. Meanwhile, the conferenced bill won't be as good as the House version, and it still isn't done. Hmmm... wouldn't that be a nice achievement for the fall elections??
  


• I'm going to whine about the fact that, after the nation's capital put up $611 million in public money to build their stadium, the Washington Nationals baseball team is now refusing to pay their measly $3.5 million rental bill. They say the stadium is not yet complete -- funny, though, they have been holding games and charging full price for tickets.
  


• I'm going to whine about the fact that I've not had time to blog for a month. Life got in the way. That sucks. I've missed it, and hopefully you missed me too. I'm also going to whine about the fact that it's mid-July and I've still not been to the beach -- that's just wrong.
  

Wow. That was cathartic. I feel better already. Never underestimate the power of a little whining. Thanks, Phil.

Copyright 2008. The Zaftig Redhead. All Rights Reserved.