The Kobayashi Maru

The Kobayashi Maru
By Emma X

Emma X
The Ship of State is being reprogrammed
one legislature at a time, because ultra-
Conservatives are in denial about 
ideological death.

I didn't intend to mention Rob Ford in a blog again.  Once was necessary, as he was the large coked-out elephant in the room, so to speak.  But the situation with Mayor Ford, who with brother Doug continues headlining his "Five Star O Canada Grandiose Denial Variety Review", has caused reasonable questions to be asked.  “Why not just remove the bum from office?” for example.  The answer is, under current Toronto law there is no mechanism to do so.  Common sense says that one should exist.  Canadians are struggling with that problem as we speak.

Ford Nation, The Ford brothers' news and
information show, was cancelled after one
episode.  Sadly, viewers may never know who
won the Shrek look-alike contest.  While Mayor
Rob Ford remains firmly in denial, amused
American observers may not realize it could
happen here.  The American version of Ford
Nation may be playing in a political venue
near you very soon.

Cut to the great State of Wisconsin, where Conservatives in the State Assembly last week very quietly passed a proposed Constitutional amendment that would limit the recall power of constituents.  Currently, Wisconsin’s constitution allows for the recall of any elected official for any reason that the voters see fit, including no confidence.  The proposed amendment would limit the recall right to only cases where an elected official is convicted of a felony or an ethics violation.  Republicans deemed this move necessary after Governor Scott Walker came narrowly close to recall last year as a result of his changes to collective bargaining rights, a successful union busting push.  Voters felt betrayed by Walker, who was elected on a ‘jobs and job creation’ platform.  They initiated an unsuccessful recall move against Walker and several State Senators.

The same Cheesehead politicians
who censured a fellow legislator for using the word
 'vagina' are now pushing to protect unpopular Conservative
policies and politicians by limiting voter recall rights.
 Cheese + Football + Beer + An Inattentive  Electorate
could equal a permanent Republican foothold in control of
Wisconsin State politics.  The same statute would
limit recalls for county and municipal officials and school
board members also.  The proposed Constitutional change
will come up for a vote in 2014.

As you might imagine, the proposed Wisconsin constitutional amendment was passed on party lines.  All Republicans voted for it, and all Democrats voted against it.  Once again party politics threaten the legal power of voters to keep elected officials from running rampant through the ideological mine fields of political territorialism.  And as we have seen before, what is successful in one Conservative State is often repeated in others.

Hail, Columbia!
Florida Congressman Trey Radel admitted to buying
and using cocaine this week.  His long term drug use
was helped along by taxpayer subsidized trips to
Columbia.  The Tea Party Representative admits to
a problem and says he is getting help.  But he did not
resign, nor did his Party ask him to.  A Conservative
vote with a monkey on its back is still a Conservative
 vote.

So we should not be too critical or even amused by the plight of our Canadian brothers and the Bacchanalian carny show they are trying to deal with up North.  It may turn out to be a Grace of God situation.  Not only have we reached a point where scandalized Western politicians are not willing to consider stepping down from office for any reason,  rational voter recourse may soon be a moot point as well.

Boldly going where no man has
gone before.  Wisconsin State Legislators
are pleased with their efforts to entrench
Conservative rule for the long term.  Ultimately
it will come down to the voters, as Republicans
are the majority in both State Houses.  That's
why they continue to focus on Gerrymandering
also.

Republicans are abandoning the 'Southern Strategy' in pursuit of the 'Kobayashi Maru', which is to say, if you can't win the game, change the rules.  Forget that the rules are there to protect constituents against the possibility of an American Rob Ford, or worse.  In this war the most important thing is to take and hold strategic ground, and make no mistake, it is a war. One in which voter rights are acceptable collateral damage. So we can expect more politicians like Rob Ford or Trey Radel, because things like character and purpose are not even worth lip service when facing full-out ideological battle.  But having a partisan ass rooted in a powerful chair that will always vote the Party agenda, now that's government by the people!

Integrity was always overrated anyway.  And what's a little aberrant recreational behavior among well meaning friends? Go Badgers.

The voter nuclear option.  This week Senate Democrats voted to allow the 'nuclear option' in clearing Republican filibusters.  In so doing they violated their own ethical concerns about precedent.  After the government shutdown Americans thought politicians had learned their lesson, but in fact they are opening their arsenals and expanding their offensive.  The only option their constituents have is to nuke them at the polls in 2014 and 2016 in hopes of curtailing a longer ideological war.