Deja Voodoo

My bro in Houston and I recently exchanged emails on the topic of internet commentary as a factor contributing to the collapse of American civilization. This topic interests me, since I search reader comments at newspaper websites looking for stuff to write about here.

I'm seeing increased discussion among conservatives of the tea-dium party variety indicating a preference for their new congressional majority to investigate the hell outta the Obama administration, with hopefully enough success to put that N behind bars.

The 2010 midterm elections are looking more and more like the 1994 midterms, right down to an updated version of the Contract on America. Now they're calling it a Pledge instead of a Contract, but it amounts to the same thing -- promises that will be broken as necessary, much like the '94 GOP class abandoned their affection for term limits as soon as they had terms themselves.

In 1994, Newt Gingrich led the revolution, and the GOP majority in the House was determined to impeach and remove a president they believed was illegitimately in office. A lot of time and money was spent on investigations, special prosecutors, and the like. Less effort went into actually doing much governing. What the 1994 Republicans ultimately accomplished was a second term for Bill Clinton and an early return to private life for Newt Gingrich.

As discussed in other blog posts, I have a vested interest in seeing Republicans follow through on their pledge to restore a vital economy and reduce unemployment to a normal (if not insignificant) level; I really want them to succeed in attaining their declared goals. So pardon my skepticism, but I have doubts much good will come from any of this. I need the GOP to buckle down and work out solutions to problems that will benefit all Americans, but somehow things like that don't seem to be part of their nature.