Cry, Baby!

Speaker of the House John Boehner
upon learning that he is now in charge.

Crankyjewishguy (CJG) is crying today, too, because this man, and his fellow Republicans, have taken control of the House of Representatives. What CJG can't wrap his head around is how the party whose resurgence was bankrolled by a small group of hedge fund managers manages to persuade the average American that Republicans have the answers to what ails those who are struggling.

Now, CJG has no problem with grown men crying, even grown men who are Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and, thus, third in line to the presidency. But, CJG does have a problem with grown men who cry at the wrong times, like Purim parties.

John Boehner seems to break down and cry whenever he's talking about himself and his rise from a large working class Ohio family to the pinnacles of power. This strikes CJG as self-indulgent. He thinks Boehner should be crying when Republicans in Congress block $7 billion for health care for  9/11 first responders who are suffering serious medical problems related to their heroic work (they eventually were shamed into shifting gears and agreed to $4 billion), especially when the tax cuts for the rich they fought so hard for are going to add trillions to the national debt. (By the way, tax rates for the rich are at historic lows.)

CJG also thinks Boehner should be crying when Republicans block $108 million to help reduce child marriage around the world, a practice that sentences many children to lives of abuse and slavery, especially when Congress approved, without debate, another $160 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (Blame both parties for that one.) He thinks Boehner should cry when Republicans fight an extension of unemployment benefits for the working class at Christmas, the very people paying the price for Republican economics of the Bush years, but fight tooth and nail to keep the estates of multi-millionaires from being taxed.

Boehner has a lot to cry about, alright. He's just crying about the wrong things. Tomorrow, CJG will try and return to his usual levity, but today was a tough day for him and Nancy Pelosi.