State of the Union: Hot and Getting Hotter

If you watched last night's State of the Union address you know that the seating arrangements were somewhat different from those of recent and even not-so-distant memory where Democrats and Republicans sat on different sides of the House chamber, sort of like men and women in an Orthodox shul. This separate but equal seating meant that only half of those assembled would be standing and clapping at any given point since it is perfectly obvious that anything a president says that appeals to one party has to be seen by the other as completely antithetical to the American way of life and probably even subversive. The old seating arrangement also ensured that when someone like Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina yelled "Liar!" at the president last year, Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California wasn't right next to him to punch him in the face.

Typical of Congress, it took a congresswoman getting shot in the head for its members to decide that maybe they could intermingle across party lines for an hour or so during the State of the Union. But it wasn't like they just filed in and grabbed seats. A big deal was made in the run-up to last night's speech every time one member found a member of the other party willing to sit next to them. Chuck Schumer of New York and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma found each other, which had the added value of having a Jew and a gentile sitting together.  Nevada's three congressmen, two Republicans and a Democrat, decided to sit together, but no one wanted to sit with them anyway. Some Republicans agreed to sit with Democrats, but only on the Republican side of the chamber. The whole thing was like a bad mixer at a single sex college. And some weren't buying the new comity. Senate Minority Leader Mitch (Dr. No) McConnell said he preferred the company of his usual cronies. Nancy Pelosi and Eric Cantor didn't sit together, but crankyjewishguy (CJG) doesn't think it has anything to do with the fact that Cantor is a Jew and Pelosi is not. He thinks they just hate each other's guts. John Boehner and Joe Biden had no choice but to sit together behind the President, and it was a relief that Biden didn't need the box of tissues he brought just in case Boehner had another one of his crying fits, though Boehner appeared to come close  near the end when the President invoked his Horatio Alger-like rise.

One can understand why Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr might have avoided sitting together, but really, all this fuss about who's sitting with whom? Please. All CJG wants to know is this: who got to sit next to freshman Congresswoman Kristi Noem of South Dakota? That had to be toughest seat in the House.

Congresswoman Kristi Noem (R.-S.D.)

CJG used to be a liberal Democrat from Massachusetts.
He is now a registered Republican from Rapid City.

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.