But that's jmo.  I make no pretense at being a political guru.

A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Of course that gets back to the original sin of racism and sexism--and the more I think about it, a slow-simmer civil war that's still being fought. They don't believe in these things, and neither do they believe in upholding one-person, one-vote (Reynolds v. Sims).

There's a reason that I remembered seeing "Impeach Earl Warren" bumperstickers while a teenager in the late 80s. Twenty years after he left the court? It's no mistake that Warren is NOT the Republican the wingnuts venerate...better a 3rd rate actor kicking off his presidential race in Philadelphia, MS.

I don't know when people will understand, finally, that our national government is essentially a segregationist one--sans white sheets and hoods (Trent Lott & George Allen notwithstanding, although they prefer the company of the white collar CCC to the white hood KKK.) They're always ready for a fight, as long as someone else is holding the gun. These people believe themselves to be superior to all others. The people who look up to them do so in their slavish manner because they believe them to be "their betters." They, as a government, are accountable to no one. And they'll buy off a preacher or two to keep the masses in check with any earthly payoffs the preachers desire. After all, it's much more lucrative to bash gays than to call out a corrupt politician--no one wants a lighter collection plate or a denied faith-based grant.

Anyway...change of convo, but not quite the subject. I feel like I'm close to having a Howard Beale moment. There's a huge part of me that agrees with Meteor. We've got to get the Congress back to actually get some investigations done, etc. But I'm already reading of Dems perhaps "playing nice" and "pulling their punches" if they win. (And I'm damned tired of folks believing this is a damned done deal or something...it isn't.) We have so many crises we need to address, and we're going to hold back?

And I know it may happen. I thought that working within the party would make a difference for people. I don't anymore. And I've been thinking, Have I just wasted 10 years of my life? I've done all the things new to the big blog boys in the name of unity. Been there, done that, lost the T-shirt but still stuck with the bill. And while there are lots of skills I learned, people I met, opportunities I've had,(not to mention paid the bills and provided some benefits) it seems that nothing has changed, fundamentally, for the better. In fact, I feel things have just gotten worse.

I went to a "unity" event today here in Maryland (since I'm involved locally) and left early. I don't know what I thought I was going to hear. Usually, these things amuse me--and hey, I'm not above listening to gossip or dish or laughing at god-awful speeches.

But I was not amused. I was depressed. It was the familiar "we need you to go out and vote" but vote for...what?  Ben Cardin is seeking to fill Paul Sarbanes' seat. Wanna know who's filling Cardin's congressional seat (should he win the general, which is most likely). Sarbanes...as in our Sen. Sarbanes' son. The top of the ticket is O'Malley-Brown-Cardin-Gansler-Franchot. (That would be Gov-Lt.Gov-Sen-AG-Comptroller.) All men. All white except (heh, heh) Brown-- running for Lt. Gov., which now seems to be the designated "Black" seat since Ehrlich called the party on its bluff by putting up Republipuppet Steele. Of course, he's just as right-wing but the wingnuts have gladly fallen into line, b/c they know Steele will.  Man of Steele? Please. You mean the Rubberstamp Man. (Anyone in the area having seen his latest campaign ads about poor, persecuted Steele will understand the ethos of his commercial: Karl Rove told me to say that I can think for myself) But I digress...

It just felt farcical all the way around. I just tuned out our incoherent and corrupt county executive. Al Wynn was tasked with introducing Ben Cardin and says that Ben's smart, skilled and does a lot of work on pension reform, which he remarked "is pretty boring" but important. WTF? Hasn't he noticed that no one in the country is going to have a pension by the time these venal wingnuts have finished their economic smash and grab on this country--except for the electeds? Or is that the point? But anyway, he goes on to laud the work of welfare deform (huh???) and some other stuff that I tuned out on because at that point, I really needed coffee...something.

Anyway, so here are the party leaders, talking up how great our barely reelected county executive and congressman are (the machine, clearly in need of a tune up) knowing full damned well they would never support them doing anything more than what they are doing now. But it's the community's fault for keeping them there. As long as we say, I know he's corrupt (the county executive) but he comes to my church we will continue to get what we have. But I suppose it's "no harm, no foul" while we push the Lex to our $500K house. Praise God and pass the Prada.

But again, I digress.

As hard as it is may be for some folks here to believe, the best speech was given by Steny Hoyer. He came closest to articulating a vision. But by the time O'Malley&Brown reached the stage, I just couldn't take it any more.

This is a diary-length comment without an ending, I know. I'm just left with more questions than anything else. At what point do people vote for someone who upholds a vision and a plan of action instead of voting against someone or a party? At what point do we grow a spine? At what point do we start speaking in plain English about what our country is faced with? When do people stop swallowing the okey doke? No one wants to deal with things as they are, but just hope that we can pray it away without any work on our part.

I hope Dems win the House and/or Senate back b/c that's the only way we can apply some disinfectant to this disgusting admin. Beyond that...???

Can't hear ya, Peach!

Why?  So some imaginary army of progressive candidates can rise from the ashes and take their place in Congress?  It's not gonna happen for years, if ever.  We have a 2-party system (unless you and Republicans successfully turn the USA into a single-party state) in a priggish moderately conservative country, if you succeed in smearing a Democrat so badly that he or she loses, the replacement will be a Republican.  I don't think electing even more Republicans is a good thing.