Martyrdom...Spare me!

Today the United States' House of Representatives voted on President Obama's stimulus package. Not one Republican Congressman voted for it and it passed anyway! Isn't this the equivalent of falling on a knife for no real reason?Wasting an incredible  show of solidarity on a battle -long lost in the arena of public opinion and further painting oneself into a public relations pickle whilst the President basks in the glory of a 70% approval rate and the good karma of putting forth an effort in the realm of bipartisanship. 

Failures and silent martyrs the lot of them...As I sit here watching CNN, I can not resist the urge to contextualize them in the confines of a conversation I had with a good friend earlier this week.  She lives in southern Africa and works as an upper level assistant to the leader of an advocacy org/ NGO- A man that I might add like most intellectuals is eccentric to say the least. He, she informed me is on a hunger strike in solidarity with the citizens of Zimbabwe which might seem quite sensitive and empathetic if it were an organized effort with others or if any one outside of his office was aware. Perhaps if by his sacrifice a small child in Zim would receive a meal due to the incredible pressure by outside forces- alas none of the above are true. He fancies himself a contemporary Gandhi unfortunately the rest of the world has yet to receive the memo. Thus, this is little more than  an egotistical, self important man playing the martyr....I must appoint him in all my power as a U.S. citizen to an honorary seat in the House...he would fit right into the Republican demagogy and lord knows they could use the extra vote.