Henry Rollins: The American People Kicked Your Ass, Republicans

If you really want to change this country for the better, to see REAL change, it's going to have to be from OUTSIDE the duopoly of the 2 party system that has our country in a strangle-hold. We have to start collaborating at a grassroots level to bring down the system that just keeps everything the status quo. Because believe me, once you are a member of either the Elephants or the Asses, and they give you money to run for office...it's all over. They own you, you are their puppet, you have been effectively neutralized. Any good ideas you may have had on your own...well might as well just kiss 'em good bye, most of them aren't going to happen anyway, because of 1) pressure from your own party not to do something that's not wholly in line with the "higher" powers (ie where you got your money) or 2) resistance from the opposition in congress or senate.  As I see it, the only solution is to extricate ourselves from this 2 party DUOPOLY. First,  Money=free speech must be over turned, and Corporations=people must likewise be overturned.  Only individuals can contribute to campaigns and caps must be set low, say $1000.  Media must each cover one presidential campaign debate, during which EVERY candidate has equal time, in addition each candidate will be allowed one 30 min primetime slot  a few weeks prior to election to give a platform speech. That is all. The stations will leave those up and available on the internet until voting is over. NO political commentary or punditry.  Then and ONLY then will we have REAL free and unbiased elections, and see the real will of the people represented.  The two party system is what is keeping anything from happening in the house and senate, grinding everything to a halt, and THAT is what we have to fix if we ever want to see reason prevail again.

Every word he speaks or writes enriches my life.

That was pure awesome sauce!

<3 this:)

Wonderful! Excellent!

Bravo!!!!!! Best analogy of the pile of shit repubs threw at us for months! I recommend people to watch: Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream/Independant Lens/PBS Video @video.pbs.org EXPIRES 11/19/12 WATCH NOW! Link is available on my page Teresa Steen on FB. Friend me just long enough to get it. then will unfriend you.  This is going to devastate our country till we are just another third world country.

"Relief" IS the word.  Gloating and/or partying didn't feel right.   I just sat down in front of the TV election returns and felt the tension melt from my neck and shoulders.  

And "thankful" is also the word.   And so is "whew!"

Can I hear an "amen"?

Poor guy, I think you need to take some economics courses. After basic macro and micro you should have a sense for the trajectory we are on. Was Romney going to be one of the best presidents of all time? Likely not. But, he could have turned the economy around, which is the most important thing for the USA right now. Since Obama was reelected, $1.2 trillion has been erased in wealth from the stock markets, our leader of the CIA resigned, and more people have filed for weekly unemployment.  I do think Obama is a great speaker, but is hope and change doesn't translate into real action. You and the other 52% of America have forgotten what America is, a capitalist country where hard work is rewarded. 

Ef you Rollins. Like you represent us? A certain group of Americans who will vote for anyone who promises them a free ride elected Obama. With maturity you learn there is no such thing as a free ride. Eventually maybe you'll even figure that out Mr. Money Bags Rollins.

PS, Romney did suck.  As far as Obama getting back in, the only possible thing I could see him doing that is better than Romney would be SCOTUS nominees.

"Citizens United didn't work. Hey, Koch brothers, Karl Rove, Shellgame Adelson: DEMOCRACY TRUMPS MONEY SOMETIMES."Actually Henry, the aforementioned Scott Brown, who you so eloquently started had to pull Elizabeth Warren's foot out of his ass, was outspent by Ms Warren by 12 million dollars.As for your beloved President, not only has he kept every single one of Bush's policies in place, but he expanded them. Drone strikes have increased ten fold, Indefinite detention for American Citizens is now a reality, the futile drug war continues, we have expanded our presence in Afghanistan, and we have held whistle blowers without chargeOh yeah, and GITMO is still open.As far as the criticism is warranted with the GOP pack of fools, all but one is warranted your bile-and that would be Ron Paul..To include him in this pack of dolts is no more fair than to include Obama-who in reality has much more in common with the GOP candidates than Dr. Paul does.You disgust of Dr. Paul Henry because of his Libertarian leanings shows you are either a bigoted hypocrite, or just blinded by your own one side warped world view.In one breath you defend the AHA mandate, which you defend as a good thing because it forces, in your own words from a previous LA Weekly column, "fat rednecks to finally pay for their own healthcare. Why should I have my insurance go up because Bubba doesn't take care of himself?"And in the next breath you mock people who have a problem with people who see tax money going to Planned parenthood, parroting your stance that they don't think their money should have to go to pay for birth control or abortions.Truth is Henry, you're a fraud. Perhaps it's that white guilt instilled in you as you routinely mock poor white people, but never seem to have anything to say about poor minorities.Perhaps you wanted so badly to feel good about yourself you REALLY want to believe that the Son of an immigrant would do you proud as the first non white President. I hoped so too.And he has had a few successes: I applaud his retraction of DADT and his no to the keystone pipeline.As for everything else, this President has been more of the same. There is not one signifigant thing Bush did this man has done differently. Yet you gloat that he won and sat in amazement that Bush was re-elected to a second term.Perhaps you should read articles from Naomi Wolf, John Cusack, Noam Chomsky Ralph Nader, Jeremy Scahill, and Glen Greenwald. Real progressives who take the blinders off and expose this man for what he is-the status quo. There were real progressives such as Rock Anderson and Jill Stein who ran as well. Why didn't you support them? If it was because this old and tired argument 'the lesser of two evils,' then you really are a fraud. You have made a living by fighting the mainstream, by telling people who think for themselves, and have a holier than thou attitude for people who dare to buy anything but Cat Power or Sun Ra records to be uncultured mindless droogs. God forbid someone likes Britney Spears or Oasis-you would ridicule these people as simpletons.Well, congrats Henry, you have joined their ranks. Instead of thinking for yourself and trying to champion free though you have just gloated over a war criminal who is no different than Bush.There's the difference between you and someone like Jello Biafra Henry, they have conviction, you don't.

What I haven't seen much discussion about are the amount of right-wing voters who are voting against all their own interests - I'm talking about low-functioning, low-income, small town religious fanatics who are voting Republican only because of anti-abortion, anti-gay or anti-immigration issues.  Meanwhile, these people, many who receive SSI/Disability for a (usually) fraudulent condition they cooked up with some doctor/lawyer so they'll never have to work, or they're on food stamps, WIC, live in Section 8 housing - yet they support the same candidates that want to do away with 'entitlement programs' (Section 8, WIC, food stamps, Disability!).

As someone who is the product of a cross-border (Canada-US) relationship, I grew up knowing a lot about not only Canadian politics, but American government and politics as well.  It is SO important to know the history of voting, our political process, your rights, and exactly what it means when you support a particular candidate.  I don't carry any ill feelings towards Romney supporters because I think there was so much confusion as to who he was - I think he had to sound like a right-wing guy because there was so much bullying from the extreme crazy religious right.  The US MUST get religion out of politics - if that happened, and US Republicans stuck to fiscal conservatism (and kept their opinions about gays, visible minorities, immigrants, women's health, etc to their own damn selves) things would be much smoother. 

BOOM! Nicely played Rollins.

@justamexican @LAWeeklyMusic And now they want to secede. Mean ass people! If they hate a black President so bad then leave. GTFO!

Aren't Republicans American People Too? Isn't this just separating and promoting hate? At the end it was still a close race and so if you title your blog, "The American People Kicked Your Ass, Republicans", you're not accounting for the large population of American Republicans. 

Nice article. I guess "coffee is for closers".. that fucking magic underwear having milktoast bastard.

Henry,

You hit the nail on the head!! These Republicans are idiots. But the thing I'm still worried about for the next two years until the mid term elections is the House that is still Republican run. On the other hand though I think with most of the Tea Baggers voted out and a lot of Democrats and hopefully some moderate liberal Republican will be enough to get some damn bills passed such as the fiscal cliff and the increased tax bill on the wealthy. I think though Obama in these next four years starting now can pretty much say to the Republicans and Congress I demand this and this bill on my desk and be a hardass cause what does he care in these next four years? The Repubitards can't obviously go on the one term president stance anymore. Like what are the Repubitards going to say oh he's using his power to just power the bills through? So what, it's Obamas last four years, I think these next four years we will see Obama especially these next two years push bills through and stop this obstructionism. The biggest bill I think so far right now is the raising the Taxes on the wealthy, then we will see monthly job reports in the 200k to 300k a month and the unemployment rate drop dramatically. I'm so glad Obama care will not be overturned.    

Henry you echoed exactly was I felt like. But you were able to articulate it way better than I would ever have. Chapeau!

you got it right Henry.  The country dodged a bullet.  Lets hope Obama fights the good fight and REALLY leads a progressive agenda this time.  

Us Republicans recognize the Dems used reversed psychology; everything the Democrats blamed the Repubs for you actually did yourself to defame Mitt Romney. Romney is a great Christian and Morom. Mitt choose not to lower himself to the Democratic level of decit, malace and pathalogical narcissism. I guess thats the statanic method of cleansing the soul, a pretense of washing your sins away. Your form of rebellion against the christians and civility of this society will be short lived, a form of Hell will befall upon you. You can be reasonably certain there will not be any Repubs to lift the Dems (weeds of society) soul out of hell.