I haven't been around Kos lately. I've been writing a lot on my own blog and have been supplying articles to the Huffington Post's business section. But there is another reason for my lack of work here at Kos: I'm sick of the whole political mess in this country. And nobody seems to want to actually do anything about what's really going on.
First, a brief history on Bonddad's politics. I long ago rejected Regan and supply-side dogma because of the mammoth debt associated with supply-side economics. David Stockman admitted this theory's shortcomings after he left office, but no one seemed to listen. And Bush has tried the exact same policies over the last 6 years with the exact same result -- a mammoth explosion in government debt. But Bush has also given us a war and decided to saddle the next generation with the bill. In other words, Bush has taken a policy that didn't work and actually made the results that much worse. This is his crowning achievement (in my opinion) and something of a dubious distinction.
But the Democratic victory in 2006 has left me feeling extremely hollow. More than anything I simply wanted someone to stand-up to the spoiled drunken frat boy currently inhabiting the While House. But the Dems blinked on war funding. While I understand the reasons for their backing down (not having a veto proof majority), I wanted someone at long last to say, "no". And the Dems didn't. So my disappointment grew.
And then there is the upcoming presidential election. The Republicans seem caught up in a completely senseless "I'm tougher than you" stance. Romney wants to double Cuban secret prisons, completely disrespecting a fundamental idea of America (remember the idea of Habeas corpus guys? It's something we really hated about England). All of the candidates seem to be playing to a completely xenophobic world view which I simply can't accept.
But the Dems aren't much better. Neither Edwards nor Obama have any executive experience which is required to lead the most important country on the planet. Richardson has the experience but has all the media savvy of an ashtray. Clinton simply leaves me cold. And frankly, I really don't want the last 16 years of history to be a father/son, husband wife story line. That just sounds way to aristocratic for my tastes.
And then there is us. The bloggers. And frankly right now there is a giant cacophony of he said, she said going on that is deafening and maddening. They said this, so we get them in a gotcha moment that lasts for a few days. They do the same to us. Repeat as often as necessary. That's all I hear going on.
Remember when John Stewart went on Crossfire? In case you'd forgotten it, here's the you tube version. Insert "bloggers" anytime you hear "CNN".
Right now I'm feeling like we're all part of the same problem. We're all yelling and screaming rather than talking about what needs to be done.
At the heart of my discontent/discord is this: I'm a centrist. I fall under the socially liberal, fiscally conservative banner and no one -- I repeat no one -- is talking to me. The Republicans are completely beholden to the religious right and their twisted version of how to create a theocracy. And the Democrats have a really annoying anti-business bias that I disagree with. Business does not equal Satan.
Short version -- right now everyone really sucks.