Nov 06 2007

We Ow.

(It’s 6 pm and I am very vain. – promoted by ek hornbeck)

Well, I owe this find to digby (who misidentifies Maureen Orth, the actual author, as the wife of Tim Russert when Timmeh’s wife is Laurie Firestone, who is merely one of the interviewees).  (I was wrong and digby was right)

But I’m not really here to quibble with digby, but to direct you to the original Vanity Fair piece- When Washington Was Fun.

Appalling.

As digby trenchantly points out-

Capitol Hill hasn’t become the laughing stock of the nation because of its partisanship. It’s become the laughing stock of the nation because the Republicans have spent the last seven years diagnosing brain injuries from the floor of the senate, molesting high school boys, stealing the country blind and starting wars for no good reason (all of which the Republicans seemed to “get done” very handily.) In the eight years before that they spent the entire time obsessing about phony scandals and semen stains. If we don’t laugh we’ll never stop crying about what they’ve done to our country.

What I’d like to add is that the main article confirms every contention I’ve ever made about how vacantly vapid and incestuously insular the Beltway Bozo Pundit Poltroon Media Myopia Class is and how little they care that they’re ruining our country and destroying our Constitutional system.

You’re hurting America.

Really.

52 comments

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  1. It is truly a Vanity Fair.

  2. … for more than a few paragraphs.  Revolting.

    I got nothing against parties and music and fine food and fashion and fascinating conversation.  I like all of those things.

    But what the hell does any of that have to do with good government or America in these dark times?

    These folks seem locked in a time warp, completely out of touch with today.  Bleh.  You’re right — they’re hurting America.

  3. Love that term. Rhymes with maroon.

    • on November 7, 2007 at 00:21
    • #

    to be sent in the consequences could be ugly. Prime example mean Jean from Ohio. 

    • Armando on November 7, 2007 at 00:27
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    is Russert’s wife.

    Your information is wrong as far as I know.

  7. But on the other hand maybe Carly Simon was singing about somebody… :>)

    • pfiore8 on November 7, 2007 at 00:50
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    it’s time to move past it… and start concentrating on how to do things that result in better outcomes for us, our fellow creatures, the planet…

    we are stuck in this rut, like vinyl scratched, and we keep coming back to “they are corrupt” “they are corrupt”

    okay, they’re corrupt… i am not surprised… why should any of us be? we’ve seen cliques and this is how old evolutionary models behave

    if we are going to move past them and become the stronger, newer models, now would be a really really good time

  9. Sex and corrupt politics in DC is nothing new. For example, during the Civil War there were 450 brothels in the capital. Part of the mythology of Washington, however, is what might be called the Jim Lehrer Illusion, which is to say that all people in DC do is sit around and rationally debate policy alternatives. In fact, Washington politics is also heavily driven by cowardice, bribery, blackmail, deceit, fear, loyalty to old buddies and even older bodies, cooptation, sex, and just plain crime. Journalists who pretend otherwise either don’t understand what is going on or are covering for someone.

    The public often misunderstands the importance of Washington scandals, assuming them to be a simple dalliance, individual failing, or private offense. What makes both sex and crime in DC different, at least when those in power are involved, is that there is far more opportunity for blackmail and far more skill at covering things up.

    The blackmail may be used by members of one branch of government against those of another, by lobbyists against members of Congress, by the police against whomever they wish, and by foreign powers. For example, one way to keep a congress member bought is for a lobbyist to provide him with high class prostitutes. And it is noteworthy that both the Israelis and Boris Yeltsin apparently knew about Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky before the American public did.
      *

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