Cowardice

Cowardice.  It is the primary and defining value of the Repub Party.  The motive in everything they do comes down to a quavering fear of something.  They like to think that they are 'tough guys' (even the few women they allow into the club).  But real tough people don't lash out mindlessly and violently.  Strength lies in self-control, and there's none of that coming from this abomination.


That's not something that is understood by the Current American Executive (CAE).  While he shares their fears and usually one-up's their cowardice, he didn't seem to see Paul Ryan's collapse on health care coming. 


Ryan - somehow Speaker of the House and shockingly a former VP candidate - is a long-established liar on policy and, well, everything,  He even lied about his marathon time.  Who does that? 


I'm certainly not the first (but let me be the latest) to point out that Ryan has never actually accomplished anything in his political career.  He's known for a series or cartoonishly harsh budget proposals that rip the social contract into confetti by cutting virtually all the money from human beings and lavishing it on recipients who need it the absolute least.  He wants the nation to go into massive debt for the military and to gift the most fortunate, but won't buy a starving kid a Happy Meal.


Charles Pierce got it exactly right years ago when he called Ryan a "zombie-eyed granny starver."


But what was really comical was his cave on health care.  The most 'conservative' (read: barbaric) group in Congress - the "Fascist Freedom Caucus" - wanted a health care bill with no health care in it.  The ACA replacement that guaranteed a health insurance death spiral wasn't deadly enough for them, so they wouldn't vote for it. 


That was all well and good - but then the CAE decided to force a vote.  Uh oh.  The CAE's a coward, but he has the guts of a gambler.  He's willing to push all the chips in and see what happens.  That's why he's been bankrupt so many times - but also why he's won a few.  This, I thought, might work.


The ultra-crazies might talk a good game about not supporting the ACA cancellation, but what would they do when forced to actually vote?  Their 'no' vote would be a 'yes' for the ACA.  Could they really go home for re-election having voted to keep the program that they'd run against and promised to destroy for seven years?


But Ryan came to the rescue.  The CAE might have the guts of a gambler, but Paul Ryan's got the cojones of a flea.  A particularly small flea.  A flea that other fleas make fun of for being extra small.  And for for being an abject flea coward. 


Ryan cancelled the vote.  No brinksmanship for Ryan.  He has to protect his phony-baloney job at any cost. 


Whew!  Glad we can count on the Speaker to be as craven as we always thought he was.  He's on to do taxes and impoverish as many people as he can.  The Republican Clown Car rolls on...