Fantasy and Political Fiction

"We don't have a spending problem." Have you heard that lately? We are spending a trillion dollars more than we take in. I would classify that as a spending problem. If any of us did that with our personal finances, we would soon know the joys of bankruptcy.

I heard a good one yesterday. "If the Keystone XL pipeline is built it will destroy the country." Really? How? We have miles of pipeline criss-crossing the country. We seem to survive just fine with those. In fact they have a better safety record than over the road transport. That does require further explanation.

Here's one that is really disgusting. Harry Reid came out and blamed the tragic deaths of seven Marines at Hawthorne Depot on sequester. Good old gutsy Harry. Never afraid to use someone else's tragedy to make political hay. If you can find any way to blame your opposition, just do it. People will eventually forget how creepy you are.

Every once in a while one of these fantasies backfires on you. Remember the tall tale about Benghazi. Some two bit film maker in  California made a film about Islam and a trailer for it showed up on you-tube. That trailer inflamed the middle east and caused the attack on the American Consulate. They tried to sell that fantasy for two months. No one believed it except the real kool aid drinkers. But they tried.

Then, of course, there are the classics. "If you like your insurance, you can keep your insurance. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor." How are those working out for you. Remember this old classic? "This is the summer of recovery". Whoops. Not so much. How about the decade of stagnation?

The White House press conferences are always good for a touch  of fantasy. My personal favorite is "the President was leading from behind". That cannot possibly make sense to anyone.

One that will live through the ages. "Hope and Change" We got the change and it sucked out all hope. But we are Americans. We will go on. "Post racial president." Wow! That didn't work too well. I vaguely remember something about reaching out to the Muslim world. Well, he reached out and got his hand slapped. They play him like a kid plays with a yoyo.

Fantasies are fun for entertainment. When they get into the political arena they can be hurtful on a variety of levels. I wish they would put aside the fantasy and political gamesmanship and govern honestly as they were elected to do. That is my fantasy.