Harry Reid and what's wrong with Washington

Andrew Johnson, writing at The Corner:

Harry Reid (D., Nev.) appears to have believed that the ends justified the means when he used the Senate chamber to level unsubstantiated accusations against the Koch brothers and former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. 

In his first television interview since announcing his retirement last week, Reid shrugged off criticism that his infamous claim, without any evidence, that Romney never paid any taxes was “McCarthyite” and a reflection of what is wrong with Washington.

“Well, they can call it whatever they want,” a coy Reid told CNN on Tuesday. “Romney didn’t win, did he?”

This is a but a modest example of the cynical and shameful way Harry Reid does business. He is a liar and a bully, and a particularly loathsome human being. He is, indeed, "a reflection of what is wrong with Washington."

He is a reflection of something else, however, which is far more troubling. He is a reflection of us.

Consider that Reid's lack of character is no secret. There's a reason they call him "Dirty Harry." Yet his Nevada constituents have endorsed his corruption each election for nearly three decades. His Democratic colleagues have repeatedly chosen him as their leader, granting him one of the longest runs as Majority leader in Senate history.

Now, as Reid retires, will come the praise and honorifics. We can look forward to magazine articles, television segments, and even books lauding his effective leadership and unwavering dedication as a public servant. The lies and corruption will be largely be ignored or, worse, lauded as hallmarks of his "tenacity" and "fierce commitment" to fighting for those who couldn't fight for themselves. Good Ol' Harry. He may have been a thug, but that's what it takes to get anything done in Washington!

I'm tempted to document how the vast majority of liars, bullies, and thugs seem to amass on the political Left, and how Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself) enable, support, and endorse them. But I don't want to distract from this one, somber point:

Yes, Harry Reid reflects what is wrong with Washington. But who sent him there? Who gave him all that power to corrupt and abuse? The thing is that Harry Reid, and all the other miscreants in Washington are, in every sense of the word, our representatives. They reflect us. And that is what's wrong with Washington.

The "fix" is in on ObamaCare

The deadline for "fixing" the ObamaCare website has come and gone.

I put "fixing" in quotes because Obama's definition of "fixed" is pretty pathetic. Here's how USA Today sums it up:

That seems to have worked, at least to some degree. The White House announced Sunday that it had hit its target of having the website function smoothly for "the vast majority" of people who want to sign up, which it defines as about 80%.

So Obama gave himself a passing grade for partially completing an assignment that he assigned himself three years ago and which he promised would be completed two months ago. Color me unimpressed.

But here is the section of the USA Today piece I found most interesting:

At this point, the administration has two things going for it. The first is that technological problems can be fixed. The second is that the critics have yet to propose an alternative that would deliver what Obamacare promises: to replace a harsh and costly insurance market with one that ensures good coverage at a fair price.

Things are pretty bad when one of the things the administration "has going for it" is that the site might actually work at some point. But let's put that aside. It's the second thing the administration "has going for it" that caught my eye.

To begin with, it's factually false that critics have yet to propose an alternative to ObamaCare. (See this, this, this, and this, for example.) 

Next, notice the double standard. Critics aren't challenged to propose alternatives that are better than ObamaCare -- a very low bar since ObamaCare is, so far, making things worse, covering far fewer people at much higher prices. No, opponents are being criticized for not proposing an alternative that delivers everything ObamaCare promised.

ObamaCare promised to defy the laws of economics. It promised a lot more stuff to a lot more people at a lot less cost. It was a blatant con, and it's no surprise that it's failing miserably, as was predicted.

But, according to USA Today, ObamaCare still has a chance because the people who pointed out that you can't do the impossible can't do the impossible either.

Distrust of the media at record highs

A new Gallop poll suggests that 60% of Americans have little or no confidence in the news they get from the media. This is the highest level of distrust ever recorded and, sadly, I think its entirely warranted.

One interesting breakdown in the poll is the difference in trust by political affiliation. Only 26% of Republicans and 31% of Independents say they trust media reporting. Democrats are roughly twice as trusting, with 58% saying they trust the media "a fair amount" or  "a great deal."

Putting aside the issue of how much trust in media reporting is actually warranted, this poll underscores a fundamental fact: Republicans and Democrats live in different worlds. They start with different assumptions, view the world through different lenses, and draw different conclusions about the same information.

We often hear calls for Rs and Ds to put aside partisan differences and work together for the good of the country, but how is that possible when they have such different ideas about they way the world works? How can they find common ground when one group readily accepts what the other views with skepticism? And why should we have any confidence that compromise will yield good results when the two sides wish to take the country in such different directions?