The structure of Greek tragedy is characterized by a set of conventions. The tragedy usually begins with a prologue, (from pro and logos, "preliminary speech") in which one or more characters introduce the drama and explain the background of the ensuing story. The prologue is followed by the parodos (πάροδος), after which the story unfolds through three or more episodes (ἐπεισόδια, epeisodia). The episodes are interspersed by stasima (στάσιμoν, stasimon), choral interludes explaining or commenting on the situation developing in the play. The tragedy ends with the exodus (ἔξοδος), concluding the story.
Prologue: The beginning ... of this sad tale:
An Oligarchy of Dunces
The conservative plot against America
by LOLGOP, eclectablog.com -- June 23, 2012
It’s a scene that will go down in American history.
On the night of President Obama’s inauguration—in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Hoover Administration—leaders of an extremist sect of the GOP met with one goal: destroying the Obama presidency.
Messaging guru Frank Luntz, journalist Fred Barnes and philanderer/historian Newt Gingrich were there along with elected officials including Jim DeMint, Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy. Michael Tomasky explains:
They agreed that night: oppose everything in completely unity. Show, Draper writes, “united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies.”
Make no mistake: Their strategy was to make sure there would be no economic recovery, no jobs and no hope for millions of Americans. And they did this for one reason: to destroy the chances of a second Obama term. This was the strategy that the GOP embraced nationally.
[...]
Parodos: ("the
first choral passage in an ancient Greek drama recited or sung as the chorus enters the orchestra.")
Mitch McConnell: Top Priority, Make Obama a One Term President
link to clip -- Uploaded on Dec 7, 2010
Mitch McConnell:
"Our top political priority over the next 2 years, should be to deny President Obama a 2nd term."
Episode 1: The Do-Nothing conspirators keep their pledge -- and Do next to Nothing:
The least productive Congress ever
washingtonpost.com
[...]
So, how does this House stack up against past years when it comes to productivity? Not so well, according to the new Vital Statistics on Congress, which shows that the 112th Congress passed just 561 bills, the lowest number since they began keeping these stats way back in 1947.
[...]
Episode 2: Obama's near-landslide re-election
Victory.
Yeah THAT "Parodos-chorus" pledge has worked out SO well for them, so far eh?
Parodos Revisited: Republican don't re-group after a stunning loss -- they instead re-commit to their Obama Opposition in-unison song.
Mitch McConnell doubles down against President Obama
by Manu Raja, politico.com -- 11/3/2010
[...]
“Over the past week, some have said it was indelicate of me to suggest that our top political priority over the next two years should be to deny President Obama a second term in office," the Senate Republican leader will tell the conservative Heritage Foundation, according to excerpts of his speech provided to POLITICO.
"But the fact is, if our primary legislative goals are to repeal and replace the health spending bill, to end the bailouts, cut spending and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto any of these things," the Kentucky Republican will say. "We can hope the president will start listening to the electorate after Tuesday’s election. But we can’t plan on it.”
[...]
In particular, McConnell will say the Senate should be prepared to vote on a straight repeal of the new health care law "repeatedly."
"But we can’t expect the president to sign it," the excerpts quote him as saying. "So we’ll also have to work, in the House, on denying funds for implementation and, in the Senate, on votes against its most egregious provisions.”
[...]
Stasima: ("choral interludes explaining or commenting on the situation developing in the play.")
From Michael Grunwald's The New New Deal as reported by DailyKos' Meteor Blades, as the plotters were putting obstruction plan "on endless repeat":
[Greg] Sargent points us to the relevant passage, page 207:
Biden says that during the transition, he was warned not to expect any cooperation on many votes. “I spoke to seven different Republican Senators, who said, `Joe, I’m not going to be able to help you on anything,’ he recalls. His informants said [Senate Minority Leader Mitch] McConnell had demanded unified resistance. “The way it was characterized to me was: `For the next two years, we can’t let you succeed in anything. That’s our ticket to coming back,’” Biden says.
The vice president says he hasn’t even told Obama who his sources were, but Bob Bennett of Utah and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania both confirmed they had conversations with Biden along these lines.
Episode 3: More of the same from the Do-Nothing conspirators:
Least productive Congress ever ... almost
by jamess -- Nov 02, 2013
Epilogue: ("a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the work.")
And after nearly 6 years of blindly opposing all-things-Obama -- the Republican-run House which has voted 54 times in four years on repealing Obamacare, and failed. So when Obama does it by exercising the Law's fine print ... it makes them just want to just -- Sue-someone!
The Exodus, concluding of one very tragic story -- about the dumb-founded party, that just couldn't get its own damn way:
Boehner To Sue Obama For Unilateral Delay Of Obamacare Employer Mandate
by Sahil Kapur, talkingpointsmemo.com -- July 10, 2014
[...]
"Today we're releasing a draft resolution that will authorize the House to file suit over the way President Obama unilaterally changed the employer mandate," Boehner said in a statement. "In 2013, the president changed the health care law without a vote of Congress, effectively creating his own law by literally waiving the employer mandate and the penalties for failing to comply with it. That’s not the way our system of government was designed to work. No president should have the power to make laws on his or her own."
Last year the president announced he'll delay by one year the Obamacare requirement that businesses with 50 or more employees provide insurance to their employees. Republicans strongly objected to the mandate in the first place and have called for repealing it.
If only THAT ...
were The End of it! But tragically the end of it is still
nowhere in sight.