Have a good hard look at this penny, Nancy Pelosi. Study it, Rahm. Admire the noble profile of Lincoln, Howard Dean. This is the last cent you'll be getting from me.
I get a lot of mail from the Democratic Party. I get letters from Nancy Pelosi and big fat packets from Barbara Boxer. I get emails from Gore and Kerry. I even get personally signed letters from Jerry McNerney. I get these things because over the last six years I've been a generous contributor of both time and money to Democratic candidates. Most of these letters end -- or begin -- with pleas for more of my money and time.
I am here to announce that I have stopped giving to candidates and party alike. No longer will Democrats be able to treat my mail slot like an automated bank machine. No longer should House candidates expect me to spend my weekends campaigning in distant districts. This goes for members of the House, the Senate, and any kind of candidate for the presidency. I will not give a even one cent of my money nor one minute of my time to another Democrat until Congress has done something substantial to stop George Bush's radical destruction of America.
I guess I'm glad that the Congress is no longer in the hands of the Republicans, but sometimes the cost and effort I put into politics seems like a foolish investment. What have I got out of the deal so far? Pelosi's first 100 days were a bust. Nothing of substance has become law. No elected official has been held responsible for any kind of malfeasance, great or small. No checks whatsoever have been applied to Bush's dictatorial regime. The leaders I helped elect have not produced any detectable leadership.
You can expect me to resume my support when you start doing your duty. I know many of you members of the House have taken the oath of office ten or even twenty times in your lives, so you might be forgetful of the details. The main part I want you to remember now is "enemies ... domestic". That is, our enemies here at home. The enemies of the Constitution are George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Alberto Gonzales. You must defend the Constitution from these enemies domestic before you can expect me to respect your office.
So the next time you send me a letter, it had better be regarding the impeachment of one of the above-named officials. If not, I will surely return it with nothing but my deepest disappointment enclosed.