You know how liberals were complaining over and over about the Patriot Act during the Bush years? Well, now they just quietly renewed it with a voice vote (“quietly” and “voice vote”; that’s a bit of an oxymoron). Anywho, there are obviously some jokes here. You can go after the Patriot Act in general and its invasion of privacy and elimination of rights, as that’s a well excepted trope thanks to all the whining about it (might want to work in a reference to libraries). You can also go after the hypocrisy of the Democrats; the “spying on people without warrants” thing they complained about suddenly seems likes its best feature now that they’re in power. There’s also the whole hypocrisy angle of Obama basically just doing everything he complained about Bush doing.
Here’s what I came up with, though:
The Patriot Act was quietly renewed by the Senate; the Democrats removed their objections to it when they realized that, despite its name, it doesn’t involve any actual patriotism.
That’s a well accepted trope among Republicans/conservatives (and even some moderates): Democrats don’t like patriotism. And I made a connection people don’t normally make but would instantly recognize; when people hear “Patriot Act” they usually think “surveillance” not “patriotism.” One method of humor is to basically come up with a statement you want to make, and then do it as obliquely as possible, connecting things people wouldn’t normally connect right away. And try to do it in as few words as possible; brevity isn’t quite the soul of wit, but it helps.
So see if you can make a better joke and maybe even come up with a better angle of attack.
And is the right suddenly against the Patriot Act? I should hope so, now that they see how giving unmitigated power to the presidency doesn’t always (or ever) mean the presidency you elected, but all those that follow.
That actually is a pretty funny joke, right on target. As a lefty, I’m against patriotism only when it is jingoism, that is, when loyalty to your country is used as a tool to silence criticism. I love my country’s constitution and Bill of Rights. I’m very proud of the American Revolution and its place in history and anything that takes away those rights and undermines those documents should be opposed, so that we can keep this nation great. As the right must now so freely admit, supporting your country does _not_ mean blindly going along with whatever the president says!
Fred would approve!!
“Democrats don’t like patriotism”. That’s a both assinine and ignorant statementm like saying Replublicans are all closet homosexuals.
The New York Times reports: Patriot Act Renewed by Dems; Women, Minorities Hardest Hit.
With a tip of the old beret to James Taranto.
So a Patriot walks into a bar…, well actually it was a bat and, you know, I was as surprised as you to see a Democrat playing any kind of sport.
The Senate today renewed the Patriot Act by a voice vote. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said “The voice vote is an essential tool in the legislative process. This procedure allows Democratic Party lawmakers to vote for the bill but still go home and tell their constituents that they voted against it.”
Patriot Act renewed by Senate today. Biden announces renewal as “…potentially one of President Obama’s greatest accomplishments in office.”
The Senate today renewed the Patriot Act by a voice vote after narrowly rejecting an amendment that would have banned voters from spying on Congress without an approved search warrant.
Today, on a voice vote, the Senate passed new rules promoting government transparency.
The Democrat-controlled Senate quietly renewed the Patriot Act. It was agreed that without the ability to wiretap former president Bush’s and vice president Cheney’s home phones, the White House would be cut off from its primary sources of foreign policy and national security ideas.
An old phrase says, When Fascism comes to America if it comes from the right it will be called something like “The freedom protection act.” If it comes from the left it will be called, “The Anti-Fascism Act.”
i wish my latin were better. soto voce ?
It’s quite simple, GMT. If you loved your country you would not support policies that have harmed other countries.
Democrats today blamed Bush for replacing Congresscritters with men in black suits who replaced our brains with lizards and renewed the Patriot Act.
The Democrats renewed the Patriot Act today after little deliberation. The Democrats didn’t have much of a choice since Harry Reid was put in a headlock by Dick Cheney while he threatened to shoot everyone else in the face with a gun.
The Democrats passed the renewd Patriot Act today, praising themselves for such great ideas and chiding the Bush Administration for not thinking up the bill itself.
They are all a bunch of LOW LIFE SCUM TRAITORS to have this ” Patriot Act” be one of the many policies that make what millions of service men and women have done be done for what??? They WILL PAY….the RATS WILL HANG WHETHER DEM OR PUB THEY WILL HAVE TO FACE MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE THAT WERE MURDERED IN THE NAME OF “SAFETY” > The “Patriot Act” should just be called the ” Repeal the Constitution Act” or REACT since “We the People should have reacted more to such an outrageous abomination. Why didn’t we? Why was everyone so freakin’ in love with George W Bush. Why are the Dems still supporting this piece of crap?