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photo by Sheri Dixon

Thursday, August 12, 2010

The Summer of Our DisEnchantment

So the election season has begun, and everyone politically inclined is crowing pre-mature victory, cackling at the real or imagined disasters of opposing parties or quaking in their boots at the prospect of being unseated and summarily dismissed after the votes have been counted.

A while back, we had one party in control of our governmental decisions. Some were good decisions, some were very very bad decisions. That happens all the time, no matter who is in charge. Because the government is made up of people, who are flawed- no matter what they say or believe or how they've lived (or claim to live).

Government is Big. There's no getting around it unless all the states decide to secede and try to survive in the world on their own. Government is Big because this country is Big, with alot of people and issues, and whatnot.

So for that period of time, one party (lets call them Republicans) were in charge. Any time the opposing party (lets call them Democrats) tried to have any sway or influence on some of the really big, possibly bad decisions, the Republicans swatted them with a rolled up newspaper and sent them packing. They called this Majority Rule and said it was the American Way, and called them a buncha whiners.

After a while, things started to go sour and the State of the Nation began to curdle.

The Republicans said "Hey- nothing happens overnight. It's a Big Country. We just need more time to turn this around- give us another chance".

And the American People did.

After another 4 years of the same dismal downward spiral, the American People got alarmed.

The Democrats said "Yanno- we could do better than THAT".

So the American People decided to give them a chance.

Here's where it gets weird.

Instead of saying "Well, the American People- those who actually, yanno, OWN the country and pay our salaries- have changed the balance of power in the Government. This happens all the time and is not, in the grand scheme of things, a Really Big Deal. We'll work with the new powers and get behind this administration because that's what we, as Americans, do", people everywhere, in Government and outside of it went

completely

batshit

insane.

The same people who said "Hey- nothing happens overnight" were the first to scream Foul and Ineptitude when the new administration couldn't deliver immediate and sweeping changes. Conversely, the same people were the first to scream Foul and Dictator-tude when the administration DID manage to make some of the changes they'd promised.

Instead of swatting the opposing party with a rolled up newspaper, once the Democrats got into power they acted like they didn't even HAVE a rolled up newspaper and did everything imaginable, including watering down important legislation to keep the opposing party from growling at them. And they did more than growl, they did more than whine- they screamed "HEY!- the Dems are being mean to us and steamrollering everything through without regard for our tender little feelers".

*what the Hell?*

People who know full well that they themselves couldn't pass a cursory background check are screaming that the President isn't a US Citizen. Really? Just how did THAT happen?

People are using the words Nazi, Communist, Socialist, and Marxist interchangeably. People who can't spell the word Muslim are being taken seriously, not because anyone in power really believes what they are screaming, but because it makes for good News/Entertainment and fosters the fear needed to get their Power back.

The pollsters are hollering that there's going to be a slaughter for the Dems and the Republicans are hooting and joyous- because that will mean less fear of unemployment...for THEM.

Here's the Thing.

America- this big chunk o' real estate that's inhabited by people, not constituents, not voters, not demographics- is scared shitless.

The economy is not getting better, but it's mentally safer to call bullshit on the President's citizenship.

We're bogged down in not one, but two wars overseas that have no sight in end, but it's mentally safer to focus on which political party has acted worse (trick question- they both completely suck eggs).

Here's what we need. We NEED the President of the United States to stop telling us how much better it's getting. Because it's not yet. Tell us it will- tell us how- be honest about how long it'll take even if it's not what we want to hear- and do it.

We need the Democrats, the ones in charge of the government right now, to do what they believe in to fix the problems- stop worrying about the barking Republicans and swat 'em away like they did to YOU.

The reason YOUR supporters (or former supporters) are angry and fixin' to send you packing is not because of what you've done so far, but because of what you HAVEN'T done- and that's to take charge and do what you told us you would.

Some Americans have said that the only reason we're in this fix is because last time around, the country was disenchanted and voted not for the Democrats, but against the Republicans, and we're fixin' to flip back come November.

If it does swing back, it will NOT be because the Republicans are so much better at running this country, because they're not- they got us into alot of this mess we're neck deep in while they were throwing their weight around, ignoring the Democrats and the actual people who live here and making sure their wealthy cronies were taken care of the last time they were in charge and there's no reason to believe they've learned anything.

And they all know that. They know full well they will be winning not on the power of their positions and stands and beliefs, but by the lack of confidence in the current way things stand. They know it because that's precisely why THEY lost last time.

And they don't care. They don't care about you. Or me. Most of 'em don't, on either side.

And at this juncture, America doesn't even need someone who cares. America needs someone who Gets the Shit Done that ordinary Americans (not the banks, not the corporations, not the War Machine) need.

Mr. President and the current pols in power- I hope like hell you get another chance to actually do what you said you were going to.

It'd be nice if you did it because you cared. But even if you only do it in fear of your own employment, that works too.

Because right now- here's what most Americans feel like-

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