Catch-19

The sad news is that the Dems no longer have a “super majority”, just a plain ole majority.  Not they were using the super majority anyway. All that power in the hands of people who, by the very fact of their profession can be identified as power hungry, and they have yet to get off the pot and do something game changing. And it really didn’t look like they were going to do so anytime soon, so I really can’t blame the Repubs for saying “Hey, you playing with that? No? Then I’ll just take it.”

What bugs me is that a lot of the criticism of the campaign seems to be spot on. Democrats in MA acted as though they owned that seat for ever more. Martha Coakley couldn’t even keep straight the names of major ball players (I believe it was the Australian Rules Rugby champ she misnamed?). That’s bush league shit, and in Massachusetts? It just really showed a lack of effort.

But I do see a sort of silver lining. The whole debacle points to one thing about the Democrats that I sort of like. Or not ‘like’ but respect, and think is important to preserve. That is that they don’t walk in lock step with the leadership. it doesn’t make them honest, but at least they are a more independent. And I think that’s a good thing, in the long run.

On the other hand: You Blew It!

I’m certain that smarter people than me have made this analogy ages ago, but it just occurred to me and I don’t recall seeing it, so here goes:

War On Terror era “Terrorism” = Cold War era “Communism”

That fits, doesn’t it? A big bogey man we can blame our troubles on, use to justify diminished civil rights, keep our defense budget bloated beyond all reasonable levels, and have as a handy excuse when we want to invade somewhere.

They tried using “Drugs” as the new “Communism” for a while, but it wasn’t as successful. I think they didn’t try hard enough.

I hope they can come up with some catchy slogans like “Better dead than red!” and “Kill a commie for mommy!”

I meant to add the reason I was thinking about this, but I forgot what it was. But at this rate everything makes me think about it. When I’m not looking at porn, I mean.

Obama is saying all the right things. Maybe it really all was just a bad dream.

Today he issued an order halting legal proceedings at Guantanamo. He also issued rules regarding lobbyists, and gifts to members of his administration. And he instituted a pay free for top members of the administration also.

I believe him. When I hear about these things I believe it’s real, that it will occur and that it wont be riddled with obvious loopholes. I think it’s real.

But I also have such a horribly cynically view of politics and politicians that I can’t help issue a silent plea to whatever powers that be: Please, let it be real. Let it be more than just words and window dressing.

Please.

Here’s how I imagine it went down:

ADVISER:    You’ve waited 8 years for this chance, what are you going to do with it?

CANDIDATE:    I’m not sure what you mean. I’m going to do what I did last time, only better.

ADVISER:    So you’re going to go out there and lay it on the line? Tell folks the hard truths about what needs to be done? Speak out against the “forces of intolerance” again?

CANDIDATE:    That’s right! All that and more.

ADVISER:    So you plan to lose again.

CANDIDATE:    –

ADVISER:    Sorry, but that’s the plan you’ve laid out. It lost you the first nomination and it’ll lose you this one. I know you think that if you just tell the truth and stand up for what you believe to be right and clearly enunciate how best to fix our problems that the people will all flock to you. Or enough of them will. But they wont. You proved that conclusively last time. Why repeat a failed formula? All that “straight talk” fell on deaf ears. It’s time for some other kind of talk, don’t you think?

CANDIDATE:    What then? Tell them what they want to hear? Or better, just tell them anything to frighten them into voting for me? Should I just do what’s been done for the last 8 years and lie to them?

ADVISER:    Maybe, yeah. If that’s what it takes, that’s what you do. If telling the truth is what it takes, then you do that. If you want to get elected–and you do– then you run a campaign for President, not a campaign to get elected “Most Honest” in your high school yearbook!

CANDIDATE:    [SIGH]    I’ve heard all this before. It’s the same–

ADVISER:    Yes, but then you weren’t listening. And then you didn’t know how bad a failure was in your future.

CANDIDATE:    Fine! I can’t win, I believe you. So should I just give up?

ADVISER:    No, you should win.

CANDIDATE:    You just got done telling me I can’t.

ADVISER:    No, I told you you can win the way you want to run the campaign. You will win the way I want you to run the campaign. You want hear it? I’ll tell you, but you have to listen. And you have to admit that you’re not going to win it any other way.

CANDIDATE:     You’re right. I’m not going to win this my way, or any other way I can think of. So yeah, I’ll listen.

ADVISER:    It’s easy: You say what I tell you to say. That’s all.

CANDIDATE:    That’s all?

ADVISER:    That’s all. You say exactly what I tell you to say. You say what I tell you, when I tell you, to whom I tell you. If I tell you to say the war is a proud moment in history, you say that. if I tell you to say that God wants you to be president, you say that. If I tell you to hug Falwell and cry  tears of joy at his endorsement, you do that. Hell, if I tell you to go out on live national TV and tell the world that you kill puppies with your teeth each night before raping babies, you say that. And if I tell you the next day to say you never said it and that there’s no proof, you say that. John, you just say what I tell you to say and you will be the next president of this great contry.

CANDIDATE:    And when you tell me to say something I find morally repugnant? Or a downright lie? How do I live with that?

ADVISER:    I don’t know. Maybe you’ll be comforted by being the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. Maybe the good you can do in the world will ease your aching conscience. Maybe you’ll start practicing self-flagelation as penance for your sins. Maybe you’ll fall into a bed filled with midget hookers and fluffy piles of cocaine every night in order to forget what it cost you. I don’t know and I don’t care.

CANDIDATE:    That’s a tall order.

CANDIDATE:    Okay. I don’t know what else to do. I’ll give your way a try.

I don’t know enough about politics to know who the adviser is, but I think the candidate should be easy to spot.