Charge of the Whine Brigade

One think you cannot help but notice in the midst of the Republican sojourn in the wilderness these days is how perpetually WHINY they all are. When this gets lined up with their preternaturally arrogant nature, it makes for quite a hilarious combination. Witness for example Smokey Joe Barton, who went in the space of a week from a cocksure trash-talker to a put-upon weakling:

A week ago, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, bet he would have committee chair Henry Waxman (D-CA) “by the nuts” during the markup of landmark climate and energy legislation by the committee:

"He has got a chance to get the votes. If you are familiar with Texas Hold ‘Em poker, he doesn’t have the nuts. It is not a done deal. Nor do I. … We will see which has the other by the nuts next week."

As Waxman steered the markup and Obama announced groundbreaking limits on global warming pollution from automobiles, Barton talked about the CO2 in Dr. Pepper. Republicans were left flailing, accusing Democrats of engineering economic catastrophe one moment and of being the party of big business the next. As his defeat became certain, Barton whined about being “beat time after time after time after time”:

"It’s easy on the majority to keep up a good-faith attitude because you’re winning. . . . It’s not a lot of fun, as you well know, having been in the minority yourself for twelve years, to work very hard and put just as much effort and put just as much focus, and get beat time after time after time after time 36 to 22, 31 to 20, whatever it is."

Barton is the epitome of the modern right-wing: trying to bully the Democrats, and then whining with their persecution complex when they can't pull it off.

Meanwhile, a new report suggests that the allowances in the compromised Waxman-Markey bill will actually protect ratepayers and prevent windfall profits for polluting industries. I'm not sure I believe that, but I know that Rep. Waxman has worked to avoid the pitfalls from Europe's cap and trade program, which did permit what amounted to windfall polluter profits. I certainly hope this is the case, and the report is worth reading.