That familiar scent is in the air, the one that stings the nose, not unlike taking the dog for a walk through the neighborhood on an August night. Election season will be upon us once again. The candidates ruffle feathers, play to bases, overpromise in public while making backroom deals. Signs will be across yards. We'll see the public sparring of the two parties demonizing one another over what was blocked and what didn't get done. Our mailboxes will bulge full of fliers to throw directly in the trash, and soon, some idiot in a suit will assure us, they approve whatever dumpster fire that is their position, serving as the iceberg planted in the middle of the flames of hell.
Locally, we're already seeing swarms of people fighting over Prop A and Prop B, which is a snapshot of what Austin has become: Leftist vs. Liberal. Wanting more cops vs. enjoying greenspace - even if the deal is still a capitalistic rattlesnake bite.
Whatever to all of that. Can anyone – left, right, or center say with a straight face that they buy the political theater? At this point in the skin flick, it's like the elite aren’t even trying to pretend this isn't some classist horror show.
Mitch McConnell is a ghoul. Nancy Pelosi is an out-of-touch millionaire. Trump doesn't care about parties or people. He wants the juice that comes from the squeeze. He's in it for the thrill ride, not the cause and effect. That's just details, baby. Greg Abbott has been doubling down on positions for what? Not because he's got challengers in his party, but his biggest competitor is an A-list actor who plays the bongos shirtless in Matthew McConaughey, a guy who's rumored to be “thinking” about running for the state's top spot. Abbot and his cronies have made every Republican wish come true, screwing over women and minorities in the process.
On the other claw, the left is still patting themselves on the back over Biden winning, but haven't we got the memo? Biden's an awful president. Despite the left getting control of the legislature, nothing's getting done. Manchin is a Republican-light buried in the pocket of coal money. He's never going to play ball. And just like that, we're losing infrastructure, and whatever gets passed will be a shadow of the original bill. The minimum wage isn't $15 an hour, and people are kicked out of their homes daily thanks to eviction mandates. There's no comprehensive health care; we saw the Afghan war was built for the industrial-military complex, not the Afghan people. Our contractors got rich, and their population got new graveyards. What's so much better about Biden than Trump's policies minus Trump being a continual embarrassment?
Republicans don't want infrastructure to pass because despite that helping their base, the Svengali of cost suddenly becomes an issue. In contrast, they're willing to write a blank check to bomb brown people around the world. Remember AOC's dress? The message to "tax the rich" isn't a radical statement at a high profile, $30K art gallery party. She didn't walk into the RNC with two middle fingers up. Instead, a masked servant followed her around, holding her train.
Just like pretending to love Jesus, or caring about homeless people, all of America's political cartoon characters are nothing more than people trying to keep their cushy jobs. They want you to fight about vaccine status and masks, it hides what they’re not getting done. It's a dog and pony show to get signs in the yard and the blood boiling. Don’t fall for it.
