Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cast Your Votes Now!

The end of the year is traditionally a time for summing up, for looking back over the past 12 months and taking stock of where we've been as we look ahead to where we're headed in the coming year. This year, it's hard: the past year has been abysmal on many points, and the year ahead promises to be a swamp of political and social yuck.


And so, Dear Readers, as a way of summing up and looking ahead, today we open the voting for Bilbo's first annual Ass Clown of the Year Award.




There is no shortage of promising candidates for this high dishonor. I offer the following candidates for your consideration, although you are free to vote for the Ass Clown of your choice:



Candidate 1. The Government and Religious Establishment of Saudi Arabia. Where else in the 21st century could you find a group of leaders so misogynistic and mentally and morally ossified that they would execute one woman for sorcery and sentence another to ten lashes for driving a car?



Candidate 2. The Republican Party (individually and collectively), for its "my way or the highway" approach to governance, striving every day to attain new heights of hypocrisy and betrayal of conservative ideals in search of political power while protecting big business and the wealthy at the expense of the middle and lower economic classes.



Candidate 3. The Democratic Party (individually and collectively), for its failure to recognize that it's cherished social programs are no longer sustainable, and failing to provide a compelling and affordable alternative to the rigid hyperconservatism and xenophobia of the GOP.



Candidate 4. The United States Congress (Both Houses), for its relentless focus on partisan posturing, shameless finger-pointing, and consistent avoidance of responsibility. At a time when principled leadership, compassion, and a willingness in good faith to seek the very best ideas to solve the nation's problems are desperately needed, our Congress does ... nothing.



And,



Candidate 5. The National Rifle Association, for its absolute insistence on totally unrestricted ownership and carrying of deadly weapons everywhere at all times, and for its head-in-the-sand denial of the carnage caused by the availability of high-powered, large-magazine semiautomatic firearms. The Second Amendment gives us the right to keep and bear arms. It doesn't give us the right to be stupid.



I will present the Ass Clown of the Year Award for 2011 in this space on December 31st. Vote early for the dishonoree of your choice. You can cast your vote as a comment to any post between now and December 30th, or you can e-mail it to me at der_blogmeister(at)yahoo(dot)com. In the spirit of modern American politics, you may vote as often as you like, and for more than one candidate. You may vote for anyone in any country. Write-ins are encouraged. It won't change anything, but it will make you feel better.



Have a good day. Vote early, vote often - somewhere out there, the year's top Ass Clown is waiting anxiously for your support.



More thoughts tomorrow.



Bilbo

11 comments:

Bandit said...

I'm glad to see that you are allowing voting the old Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago way, i.e. vote early and vote often. I also have pets and deceased relatives who will vote.

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) said...

One vote?
Only pick one?
Impossible I tell you!!
I gave a friend from Maryland the directions to my home when I first moved here I think you may appreciate.(before he had a GPS)

I told him to take exit # to get onto 66W and the NRA bldg will be on your left, give them the finger and veer to your right.

He arrived and said I gave great directions but I had to laugh when you told me to give the finger to the NRA bldg. I wasn't sure that was what I read.
I asked if he did....he told me while he is a card carrying republican he did as he was told. I told him he really wasn't what he thought he was. :-)

Bandit said...

My 1st vote goes to Congress as they are scrambling to keep the govt. from shutting down by Fri. Also, most in congress agree that spending needs to be cut so what do they do? Load up the latest bill with 800 million in earmarks.

My dog Dallas and my deceased Uncle Mac also vote for Congress so hopefully you will count 3 total.

Anonymous said...

Cand. 4... The entire Congress.

Mike said...

Saudi Arabia gets my first vote. And if Christians keep trending the way they are going we'll be right there with Saudi Arabia.

Wv: propusi - In favor of .... you know.

Bilbo said...

Bandit - go for it. Dogs and deceased relatives welcome. If it works in Chicago and DC, it works for me!

Peg - no need to pick only one...pick as many as you want, and remember that you're not restricted to my list of five - that was only to get the ball rolling.

Banister - Congress is in the lead so far.

Mike - very perceptive. If I had only one vote, I'd really be hard pressed to choose between the Saudis, the Congress, and the NRA. Good thing I'm making the rules.

Duckbutt said...

Congress.

But only because it's composed of Democrats and Republicans.

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Congress gets my vote. But Saudi ARabia's government is close...

allenwoodhaven said...

I cast my vote for all of the above, plus one extra vote for the Republicans since I think they are worse overall.

I will add a vote for a write in: the media. There is too much focus on stirring up controversy and drama (or on the latest on Lindsay Lohan or the Kardashians) instead of reporting facts and calling the ass clowns liars when they don't tell the truth.

Does anyone out there agree?

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Okay, if we're playing by Chicago rules, My Guardian Angel Steve, the Prophetess, and Dee-Doh all vote for Congress. Crazy Chester votes for the Democrats. Dee-Doh's Mom votes for Kim Kardashian.

Dave Hess said...

I really want to vote "all of the above" but I'll go with the republican party. Blocking a vote on their own bill is really over the top.