Metallica is one of my favorite bands. Anyone who knows me at least for 20 minutes will know this. Metallica pioneered thrash in the 1980s and dabbled with more mainstream rock in the 1990s. Songs like “Enter Sandman” and “Hero of the Day” were produced by the band.
It was because there was no swearing that I was able to blast James Hetfield’s vocals through my 3-disc changer. We could only tolerate “damn” because it was “Mama’s driving word,” as well as the fact that Garth Brooks used it in “Rodeo,” a song country music fans love. We’ll leave that to Chris Gaines.
Metallica’s “Hardwired… To Self-Destruct”, released in 2016, came long after I had left the nest. This is good, because “Hardwired…” uses all sorts of words.
In the name of desperation
In the name of wretched pain
In the name of all creation
Gone insane
We’re so f****d
S**t outta luck
Hardwired to self-destruct
This song has been getting a lot of airtime from me recently because it is one of those crank-it-up-and-get-it-out jams. Today it dawned on me that this song resonates so strongly because it is the GOP anthem.
Nancy Mace, Matt Gaetz, and Mitch McConnell’s staffers, as well as half the people listed on the presidential candidates’ list, would be described by me with words like “desperation” or “insane”. My right eye twitch is called “wretched pain.” It’s triggered whenever I hear the words “speaker.”
We should be embarrassed about what’s going on in Washington.
These people look like a group of 11th graders trying to pick the junior class president rather than the Speaker of the House. pic.twitter.com/FTkMzSNFhE
— Chris Christie (@GovChristie) October 23, 2023
We can’t just let the House GOP have all the attention. What’s going on in Texas is nothing less than Colony Ridge drama.
On the way to paranoia
On the crooked borderline
On the way to great destroyer
Doom design
We’re so f****d
S**t outta luck
Hardwired to self-destruct
There seems to be a showdown in Austin between the House of Representatives and the Senate. Dueling was banned in 1836 by the state, otherwise, Texas’ Lt. Governor. Dan Patrick, President of the Senate, and Dade Phelan, Speaker of the House would have been out on Congress Ave.
In the summer, it was reported that Phelan had been intoxicated when he appeared to be wielding a gavel on the House floor. Ken Paxton, the Republican Attorney General (also), called for Phelan to resign on Twitter/X. Phelan responded with 20 charges of impeachment against Paxton. Patrick (why do all the names start with P?!? Patrick (why do they all start with P? What about the double blow? Angela Paxton is the wife of the Attorney General and a state senator.
You’ll have to figure out which player matches which lyric.
Emblematic: The dumpster at the Texas Attorney General’s office is on fire #txlege pic.twitter.com/Jflvf4GYwq
— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) May 25, 2023
Once upon a planet burning
Once upon a flame
Once upon a fear returning
All in vain
We’re so f****d
S**t outta luck
Hardwired to self-destruct
This isn’t a Greta Thunberg piece, but it does have a parallel with Donald Trump. The Middle East is literally on fire, and we are on the brink of World War III. Forget about climate change. Trump’s supporters and his detractors — who are all Republicans, by the way — will have to face the consequences. What began as a campaign to unite party and nation has become a “mostly peaceable” firing squad.
Democrats hold their fire as we watch the GOP circle around the drain. Why would they try if my colleague said that their posture is ridiculous? Napoleon Bonaparte said it well when he said “Never interrupt an enemy while he makes a mistake”. One of the worst things that the GOP does is to host primary debates. The candidates aren’t interested in anyone else getting out of the debate alive, but themselves. So, Democrats use clips taken from their own mouths against them.
Why would Nancy Pelosi, Kamala Harris, or Gavin Newsom do or say anything to stop the chaos? The Republicans who are on the sidelines have had enough. Donald Trump has extended the election cycle to 24 months. They are tired of immaturity, pettiness, and people talking over one another. Voter fatigue is more dangerous than voter apathy, as a former candidate. You might be able to find something that will spark their interest. Voter fatigue is a phenomenon that affects people whom you used to count on (volunteering and donating, walking the block, posting signs and stickers, and watching polls) but suddenly they are gone.
Do you feel that hope is fading?
Do you comprehend?
Do you feel it terminating?
In the end
We’re so f****d
S**t outta luck
Hardwired to self-destruct
Humility is often the first thing that elected officials do when launching a campaign in a state or country. They will not be led by their staff on a secret exercise on the subject – they enjoy their jobs or tolerate them until something better is introduced. The media has no interest in an effective GOP. It’s the Republicans who are willing to put pressure on their leaders to do so, or they risk losing their majorities.
Texas has already taken on a purple hue. The “Turn Texas Blue’ campaign was started by a growing number of Democrats moving from California, Illinois, and New York to the Lone Star State. This added population to liberal metropolitan areas. It appears that Republicans will carry them to victory through their incessant fighting.
It’s not the GOP’s idea to be in a country with a blue Texas. If they want a chance next year, they need to get off their high horse and clean out the stables. Could I suggest one of my favorite songs from all time, Metallica’s “The Four Horsemen” as a theme tune?
Note: I love Metallica but I have never cared for their politics. This article does not reflect Metallica’s political stance, nor has it been approved by the band. If I had to speak to them about my writing, I might have died a fangirl’s death. Long live rock & roll, you all!
