Who offends you says more about your sensibilities than what was said

I don’t doubt there are some people out there who are more bothered by Stephen Colbert these days than by Raul Labrador. Although if you’re one of them, I’d argue you are what is wrong with our society these days.
 

Who bothers you more -- Colbert ...

For those of you who don’t pay attention to details, Colbert is a late-night television host who last week made a wisecrack on-air – the one that says President Donald Trump’s mouth is only good for servicing Russian Premier Vladimir Putin in a sexual manner.

WHILE LABRADOR is the member of Congress who tried justifying his vote in favor of the Trump-desired American Health Care Act last week by calling it a “lie” that anybody dies because of a lack of medical treatment.

I’ll be the first to admit that Colbert phrased his thought in a particularly crude manner; one that probably would appeal to those whose mentality never advanced beyond the level of a 12-year-old when it comes to sexual issues.

But the people who want the Federal Communications Commission to crack down on Colbert for broadcasting profanity and perversion over the broadcast airwaves are just being ridiculous.

Colbert is guilty of the offense of telling a lame joke. Considering that he’s not a newscaster or commentator but an entertainer and comedian, that can be considered a “high crime and misdemeanor” of the celebrity world.

DING HIS LATE-NIGHT show a few ratings points, which will hurt the bottom line of how much money can be charged to advertisers whose spots air during his show. Anything more is overkill. Particularly since trying to censor him in any manner will only make him into a heroic figure for those people who think Donald Trump is a twit.

 

... or the Idahonian Labrador?

Considering that the whole Trump persona is based off a ridiculously pompous and absurd image, it is hard to believe that Trump himself would be bothered by this. He certainly has had more harsh criticism made about himself during his public life.

Or is it just that the particular image offered up by Colbert was a homosexual one? Whereas if people had implied Trump slept around with as many women as he could, THAT would be okay to the ideological right.

The people who voted for him despite the image that came out during the campaign last year of a guy who thinks it’s appropriate to reach out to women by literally REACHING OUT and grabbing them by their genitalia. While perhaps also planting a Tic-Tac-laced kiss on their lips without their consent?

 

PEREZ: Speaking the truth?!?

PERSONALLY, THIS WHOLE matter sounds less like reality and more like an old Beavis and Butthead sketch. Think about it?

BUTT-HEAD: “Heh, heh heh, heh heh, Beavis, you’re such a cock holster (the actual term Colbert used to describe Trump).”

BEAVIS: “Shut up, you butt-munch! Heh, heh heh, heh heh.”

I feel more stupid just for having written those lines. I’m sure you’d like to get back the seconds of time you took to read them. It’s all so trivial.

BY COMPARISON, THERE is that moment expressed Friday at a Town Hall forum by Labrador, who has served in Congress from Idaho since being elected in 2010. When questioned about how GOP ideas about health care reform would result in some losing medical treatment, Labrador tried to go on the defensive, but failed miserably.

Is our society now reduced to Trump's level...

“No one wants anybody to die, that lie is so indefensible,” he said, before moving on to the part that gained him national attention and probably will be the most memorable thing he’ll ever say in public life. “Nobody dies because they don’t have access to health care.”

Actually, that’s exactly why some people will die if we try to make it so bureaucratically complicated for people to get treatment without putting themselves into life-defining debt. And if you argue they can just turn to hospital emergency rooms, keep in mind that such a circumstance is exactly the problem that would be resolved by reforming the way healthcare is paid for.

... or are we now Beavis & Butt-head

The man is just too clueless to comprehend what he’s talking about. Which bothers me more than Colbert or Democratic National Chairman Tom Perez, who in recent weeks has been criticized for using profane language when talking about the healthcare reform debate.

AS PEREZ PUT it during one Democratic rally last month, “I have a name for (Republican healthcare reform), it’s ‘I don’t care,’ because the Republican leadership doesn’t give a shit about those who are suffering.”

The sad thing is that Perez’ potty-mouthed talk may be the most honest comment we’ve heard about the issue, and that’s the intellectual level we’ve dropped to as a society.

One that the ultimate morons of the 1990s, Beavis and Butt-head themselves, could comprehend!

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EXTRA: They ALL want our money!

Come March 23, the Republicans will be in Chicago hitting us up big time for campaign cash to cover the costs of their future partisan initiatives.

RYAN: Putting together Trump resistance fund?

Which might seem like those people have a lot of nerve, asking us to tap into our wallets when all we ever hear from the federal government in this Age of Trump is how much of a hell-hole Chicago is and hints of how much we need to be taken over by the G-men (with military assistance) in order to bring us back to the ranks of civilized people.

NOT THAT PRESIDENT Donald J. Trump is ever going to actually do anything, because then he'd become responsible for the problems our city faces and eligible to receive the blame for their failures. If there's one absolute truth, is that it's NEVER Trump's fault! Always somebody else's.

But back to the fund-raiser, which actually is being held by House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who plans to split the proceeds between his own fund, his Prosperity Action political action committee, and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

According to Crain's Chicago Business which reported about the upcoming event on Monday, it will cost at least $1,000 per person for the right to set foot in the door of whichever hotel they wind up using to host the event (it's still a GOP secret). To gain the real political access, donations of up to $50,000 apiece are preferred -- although those who wish to give even more will gladly find their money accepted.

I suspect the purpose of this event is to ensure that the Republicans in Congress have money to pay for their own actions -- particularly if it turns out that they become hostile to the interests of the president and have to resist him.

COULD THIS EVENT wind up being billed as a chance to donate to an "anti-Trump" group -- which might be the only way to get significant numbers of Chicagoans to even think of giving up their money?

It will be interesting to see just how many people feel compelled to give to the Republicans these days. Although there always is the old tradition of business-oriented folks who give a bit of money to both sides of a political fight -- so as to be able to claim favors to be called in, regardless of who winds up winning.

PEREZ: Wants cash to begin political fight

On a smaller scale, I also couldn't help but be amused by an e-mail I received informing me that Monday was the first day on the job for Tom Perez as Democratic National Committee head. And wouldn't it be nice to kick in some cash because, "he's going to want to know where we stand."

The Dems are hoping they will be able to claim some 60,000 donations made during the month of February. It won't produce anywhere near the kind of cash (they're asking for donations as little as $3 per person) the GOP will get from their upcoming evening in Chicago, but I'm sure the new party boss would like to think there's some support for his upcoming efforts to resist the Tyrannosaurus Rex that is the Trump presidency.

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