Randi Rhodes: Debt Deal

Well, at least we finally have a deal with these morons. But then I have a feeling that’s how the Lenape Indians of Manhattan felt when they struck their deal to sell the island to the Dutch. Of course, the Dutch were probably pretty relieved too. It remains to be seen who are the Lenape and who are the Dutch in this deal. But most of all, it should be noted that neither the Indians nor the Dutch ended up with Manhattan. Ironically, the people who own Manhattan now are also the only ones likely to profit from this latest situation, if only because they find a way to profit from every situation.

Political deals are like Christmas gifts—in general, the longer you put off getting one, the crappier it’s going to be. And if this deal were a Christmas gift, it would be one that was purchased Christmas morning from the convenience store down the street. Which is not to say it’s necessarily bad. There are some Christmases when I could really have enjoyed a Slurpee and some beef jerky.

Democratic Congressman Emanuel Cleaver said of the deal “on the surface it looks like a Satan sandwich.” Actually, more like the foot-long Satan sandwich, with free chips and a refillable large drink. Well, if we’re stuck with a Satan sandwich, let’s just make the best of it. Pick out the gross parts and see what’s left. If nothing else, maybe the pickle is good. Incidentally, how much does the Satan sandwich cost? It costs you and me about $2.4 trillion dollars. But it doesn’t cost corporations or billionaires a dime.

It might not be the “balanced approach” that Obama wanted, but this is about as balanced a deal as you get when you’re dealing with people who are completely unbalanced. As Tom Brokaw pointed out, this isn’t the end of the process, this is the beginning. That’s good news in that nobody wants it to end this way, but bad news in that nobody really wants this process to continue, at least in the way it has been. As much as I despise the phrase, essentially, the can has been kicked down the road. So it’s up to us to elect people who will do the right thing with that stupid can once we get further on down the road.

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