The Lawnmower

 

 

I have a neighbor whom I don't like. Never have, never will. In fact, I take pleasure in saying bad things about him. One of my favorite pastimes is to sit in my front yard, drink a beer, and watch him cut his grass. I love to give him my opinion on bad he is doing. I also tell the other neighbors about him. Sometimes I even make things up to have him look worse than what he is. It is great fun.

Last week, my lawnmower broke down. I took it in for repair and was told it would take a month. I went over to my neighbor's house (the neighbor I don't like) and asked to borrow his mower. He said no. He said we have no relationship, I never have tried to build a relationship with him, and I was always bad mouthing him.

Most have probably guessed this silly little analogy is really about the President of the United States and how he deals with Congress. No relationship. Many on both sides of the aisle had high hopes once he was elected in 2008, he would be a transformative President. The nation had drifted apart, and we needed a unifying leader. Instead we got a community organizer who can't get off the campaign trail and looks at Republicans as an "enemy" instead of the loyal opposition. 

There is an old saying that if you kick the dog enough, he no longer lay by your feet. There are many "dogs" who have been kicked over and over in Washington. The nations is at an all time low for bipartisan cooperation, and I put most of the blame for that on the President. How Syria was handled is a prime example. The President dithered, paused and then decided to go to Congress for approval. Many of the "dogs" which have been kicked for five years have very good memories. The vote for force was never taken as it was dead on arrival in both the House and Senate. No relationship.

The President is very angry with the Republicans because many are trying to defund Obamacare. Why wouldn't they? Not one Republican was consulted in the preparation, and any input given (like tort reform) was rejected. It was a party the Republicans were not invited to. Now that the bill needs MAJOR surgery, help is NOT on the way. The President and his Democratic allies pooped in their nest, and now they are going to have to live in it. The only viable solution to Obamacare is to scrap it and start over, this time using the best ideas from both sides of the aisle.

The next time either party decides on a candidate for the highest office in the land, I hope they value experience. This "test case" which we are living through is not working very well. We took a guy with NO experience who voted "present" on the very few votes he took while in the Senate. He has issues on religion, race and politics. In short, he does not know how to play well with others. Heck, he can't even articulate what American Exceptionalism is.

I could write more on this topic, but I really need to find my lawnmower and get back to work. I can't control what is going on in Washington, but I can control how high my grass gets in my yard.