Typical Democratic bungling turned what could have been chance to illuminate venal GOP priorities into heroic Republican theater today, as they flailed pathetically trying to stop a Republican filibuster.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House, turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.

This was absolutely moronic. By turning off the lights like a third grade teacher trying to settle a bunch of over-sugared students, Pelosi summoned the attention of the national media. C-SPAN, in /not/ covering an event, made for more exciting coverage than ever.

So, wishy-washy to the bitter end as they have been on everything from war funding to Constitutional rights, the Dems switched the lights back on. Then, hours later, off again. This turned what could have been an intriguing blob of talking blackness into an “edge-of-your-seat” media circus.

To say that it also galvanized support for the GOP with its sniffy behavior is an understatement. It transformed the tedium of a filibuster into a fired-up crowd that got to roll to a climax on its own terms.

… Right at the stroke of five Georgia Rep. Tom Price announced that House Republicans were ending their impromptu protest on the floor of the chamber, ending a five-plus hour rebellion with a round of “God Bless America.”

In case you were wondering what this was all about, here’s a brief summary:

The Republicans wanted to pass a new energy bill that opened up offshore drilling. They framed it as a source of relief from gas prices - nothing new to that line of bull, and the arguments debunking it come by the barrel: One, that offshore drilling wouldn’t actually provide any gas for nearly a decade. Two, that the oil companies already have loads of land-based leases that they haven’t exploited, so that the profits climb while supply is kept on their terms. Three, Exxon-Mobil reported historic profits yet again yesterday.

The only people who’re hurting for gas are those actually buying it from the pump. So, to force the GOP to put their money where their mouths are, the Dems allowed the deadlock.

See, they had time on their side - a troop-support bill was slated to come to a vote, and the GOP’s delay meant that pay hikes, war funding, mine-resistant vehicles and all the other yellow-ribbon services the bill contained would be held up, possibly even killed. The GOP was forced to choose between continuing their deadlock for the sake of big oil, or supporting the troops.

Not surprisingly, the GOP chose pro-oil over pro-troops.

And, not surprisingly, the Dems utterly mishandled the situation. First, they allowed the filibuster to go practically unnoticed, even though it would get the heartstrings singing with outrage over how depraved the rank-and-file Republicans’ priorities are. Now, today, they drew national attention to the determination and “Mister Smith Goes To Washington” gumption of the GOP by making them the victim.

This whole episode really casts light on the distinguishing problems endemic to both parties’ legislative efforts:

Namely, the GOP are moral idiots, while the Dems are emotional idiots. Republican policies - and I speak of the party here, not all individuals - are deranged and mercenary. Their sole moral loyalty is to the power elite in this country. From their pro-oil company energy policy, to their screw-the-majority tax burden, to their ridiculously reactionary social policies, they have thoroughly lost their claim to be crusaders for individual liberties.

Yet they remain the party of the people in many ways, because they know how to speak to the spirit of the people. They may be spinning a web of lies, but what they say gets people stirred up. Whether it’s fear of socialism, fear of raising taxes or fear of terrorists, they frame these issues in ways that enflame and inspire.

Democrats don’t, and so, regardless of any intellectual merit to their arguments, they end up looking like the liars - because with the “objective” media presenting both sides of any issue as equally valid, the GOP /feels/ more true, and so owns the truth. The Dems end up sounding complicated, or whiny, or just plain dense, while the gut of the masses easily digests the GOP message it inhales from its fast-food news outlets.

Fourteen years ago, Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” fired up a dispirited conservative movement and got them marching in lock-step. Fourteen years, and the Dems still haven’t won back the country’s heart.

Until they learn how to do so, the GOP will continue to be able to turn sacrificing the welfare of our men and women in uniform for the sake of higher oil company profits into heroic stands for the democratic process.