Allow me to preface this by briefly recapping my Democratic Party bona fides – first voted in 1972 (for the doomed George McGovern) after working for Gene McCarthy in 1968, voted for the Democrat in every subsequent presidential election, Democrat in every congressional and gubernatorial race, as well as the Dem in 99% of all local elections. I even came out of self-imposed political retirement last fall to ring phones and knock on doors in southeastern Pennsylvania to turn out the vote for Barack Obama.
And as of now, I’m out. For good. What happened to hope? Whither change? Banks continue along their unregulated way, once again fat, dumb and happy, oblivious to the carnage they have wrought among working people and the disappearing middle class. Soldiers are funneled into the Afghan meat grinder in order to nation build in a land that wants neither a nation nor building. Comprehensive health care reform has been watered down to the point where it is neither comprehensive nor reformed.
The previous president, with far fewer members of his party in Congress than the current president, managed to invade two countries, slash taxes for the wealthiest among us, appoint right wing sycophants to the highest court in the land and fix the Super Bowl (okay, I’m joking about the last one). Yet Barack Obama, for all of his alleged background in rough-and-tumble Chicago politics, insists on continual, futile attempts at bi-partisanship with a party chock full of screwballs intent on nothing more than the destruction of his administration – no matter that the very nation itself may suffer grievous collateral damage.
The final indignity, of course, is Joe Leiberman. Having supported the GOP candidate (supported, hell ... try actively campaigned) in ’08, the senator suffered not for his behavior; rather, he was rewarded with a committee chair! And now, having once again sold out not only his party but the people of his state, perhaps Mr. Obama will prevail upon fellow jellyfish Harry Reid to appoint Joe to yet another chair, this time of a still more powerful committee. Try as hard as I might, I somehow cannot picture this happening in a Republican administration. Evil, lying bastards they may be, but their party discipline puts us to shame.
It seems that I never learned the lessons imparted by the British poet laureates of the 60’s, Sirs Townsend and Daltrey. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. See ya.