Thursday, April 16, 2009

Adios Texas: don’t let the door hit you on the way out

Steve at The Last Chance Democracy Cafe, obviously a regular reader of the Brain, follows up on Fixer's post:

Texas Governor Rick Perry (nicknamed Governor Goodhair by the late, great and much missed Molly Ivins) has apparently suggested that Texas might just decide to secede from the union. It seems that Perry, who faces a strong primary challenge from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and is thus trying to snuggle up to the extreme right wing nutcase caucus (a/k/a the Republican base), is fed up — FED UP, I SAY! — with Washington placing conditions on the money it sends to the states, and he’s not going to take it anymore!

Just as an aside, I think Ms. Hutchison would be a big improvement for Texas if she beats Kinky Friedman fer guv, but of course I wonder what they'll send to replace her in the Senate.

The response to this suggestion from the left, so far, has actually been somewhat favorable. Both Michael Tomasky and Matt Yglesias seem inclined to let Texas go if it wants. As both note, the departure of the Lone Star State from the union would move the political balance in the United States decidedly to the left.

Besides, one can hardly help but be intrigued by any suggestion that would result in both Karl Rove and George W. Bush having to get a visa in order to enter the country. If Homeland Security does even a half-assed job, we should never have to see either one of them here again.

On a serious note: one has to wonder just how low the Republican Party will have to fall before some semblance of sanity returns. Because the really sad thing here, of course, isn’t that the governor of one of America’s truly great states (its contemporary politics notwithstanding) is willing to engage in this sort of insanity, but the fact that doing so, for a Republican, is now good politics.

Sad, indeed.

Not sad to me! Invigorating! The desperation of Repugs everywhere has filled my soul with delight! After eight years of rule by junta Tejano muy malo I got it comin'!

On the flip side, I am a little concerned that there may be bad results as they flip out of their little pea brains in ones and twos and bunches. They don't seem to understand that 'you lost' means 'you lost' and like the spoiled, rotten little brats they are, they may, in fact are, acting out in unacceptable ways. Tantrums are one thing, shootin' the joint up's another.

Texass secedes? In our dreams.

No comments: