Bill Maher wrote this morning that Bush letting Scooter Libby's off the hook is "not something that will upset Joe Sixpack." So, he argued that Bush had no downside for commuting Libby's sentence. He couldn't be more wrong.
Today, on our show we had Republicans and moderates calling in all day to say how angry they were. And we're still getting e-mails on our site. Here's one quick example. Kevin Greenhalgh wrote in:
"This is the last straw. I was not disappointed to see Bush and Cheney come into power in 2000. However, I have been driven by one scandal, no bid contract, crony appointment, lie, and military blunder after another to despise this administration and the
republicans that empowered them...It has been obvious that this administration cares nothing for the law or the Constitution, but now they have shown that they are above us all and their crimes aren't punished."
He makes the most important point at the end - they think they are above us. We know that none of us could get away with what they have done. This commutation (who doesn't hate this clunky word?) shows to the average guy that these people aren't held to the same standards as the rest of us. They can get away with crimes because they are powerful.
This really undermines our whole democracy. It's not about political minutia; it's about equality before the law. This hits home. We know for a fact we'd be sitting in that prison cell if we were in their shoes. And we know they got away with it purely based on who they are and who they know.
It is now patently obvious that there are two sets of laws in this country. One is for Republicans in power and the other is for the rest of us. You can include Democrats among the powerful, too, but realistically it has been overwhelmingly Republicans who have been abusing their power lately.
Finally, Kevin also gets the mood of the country right in his first line - this is the last straw. People are sick of feeling powerless. This is fueled by two things - Republican abuses of power and Democratic capitulation. We are even more frustrated because the people who are supposed to be protecting us and fighting against the administration won't do their jobs. So, what are you going to do - vote for the loathsome pricks who got you in this position or the unbearably weak guys who refuse to fight back?
They seem to have all the power. We seem to have none of it. We're supposed to live in a democracy. This is so frustrating to so many people. The politicians have misjudged the mood of the country again. This is another Terri Schiavo like moment. People are pissed and they want to take their government back. They want to be equal under the law again. It's not too much to ask for.
Bill Maher is wrong. This is exactly what people can understand. They think they're above us, the common people. They think they can get away with anything. And they're rubbing our noses in it.
And that does not sit well with Joe Sixpack.