[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster.]
I vividly remember a very strange mix of emotions from the 2008 Democratic Convention speech of Joe Biden, he was recounting his early childhood and how he’d been beaten by the neighborhood thugs and bullies. Tearfully asking his mother what to do, she told him to get the hell back out there now and respond with his own fists and violence, so he did. The convention audience loved the story with tough Mom beaming happily in the background.
I was thrilled on one level to see such precise Machiavellian politics and tactics extolled for the environment of that story, Nicolo glowed at the stark acceptance of a very ugly reality and the quick brutal realism of the response, goons and the world never respond to a cerebral reaction in being attacked, but beating the shit out them back sure instantly does.
Yet...I do not think rampant childhood violence is the correct societal mechanism for mass acceptance of Machiavelli realism, no. But the audience loved it, here was a guy who really understood what Republican opposition we are up against and some decent fights for change would soon be on in desperately hard times.
In the past 23 months has the Obama administration took the fight on to the Republicans for change? Jesus Christ. When they weren’t panicking in fear of Fox news and firing their own people as the Republican goons cheered and plotted for more heads they totally abandoned any fight for a frantically needed job stimulus this spring and summer, what we got instead was the Jerry Ford moderate Republican small business stimulus failure.
No one would have cared if you’d lost a jobs bill fight this year, Joe, but everyone is totally mystified there wasn’t one at all. Y’all know the realism of what we face, yet you gave up without even trying. That’s not the Joe I know.
Perhaps it is a grave error to in fact assume Mr. Biden has a firm grip of American realism. At least 2 million shattered families without employment are somehow trying to piece together Christmas plans this morning, the hell of everything else completely blotted out with a frantic worry that things will be all right for the children, a knife of vicious reality bleeding out a horrifying knowledge it won’t be.
Maybe if Vice President Badass Fighter Joe Biden walked and lived among them for a day he’d stop that amazingly incompetent sneering at real fighters and take up the gloves himself. Violence motivated him in childhood, perhaps as an alleged adult being among hungry children in shabby clothes, neglected schools and desperate parents would actually motivate him and the administration to take on any kind of fight to get Americans hired.
Machiavelli weeps in silent frustration, but don’t worry about it, Joe, I’d be vastly more concerned about the little chat Jesus is going to have with you.
Anyway, therein lies the absolute centrality of the issue, Mr. Biden, I truly don’t know if you can fight, no matter what your good mother says. When you start fighting and bleeding for American jobs, Joe, I’ll be there for you. Until then, nothing.
You’n your boss call that irresponsible. That’s an interesting response from an Executive team that can’t fight themselves, but, you know, whatever.