When I was a kid growing up, anytime I tried to sell a line of BS to my father he would reply by saying, “Yeah, right. I’ve heard ducks fart underwater before.” Roughly translated to modern English: “Sorry, kid. I’m not buying that one. What kind of a sucker do you take me for?”
It seems like a day didn’t pass from 2000 to 2008 when someone in Washington didn’t make a comment that made me say to myself, “Yeah, right. I’ve heard ducks fart underwater before.” Remember these?
“America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud.” – President George W. Bush
“Only the most deluded of us could doubt the necessity of this war (in Iraq).” - Sen. John McCain, Arizona
“The American people expect and deserve a government that works and leaders who work together.” – Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Tennessee
“Each of us knows that we have an obligation to care for the old, the young and the sick. We stand strongest when we stand with the weakest among us.” – former Gov. Sarah Palin, Alaska
I naively thought things would get better when the Democrats got their chance to step up and start solving some of our many national problems. But lately I find myself repeating that same phrase over and over again as I listen to comments made by our elected officials on the Democratic side of the political aisle. Here are just a few examples:
“I don't take a dime of their [lobbyist] money, and when I am president, they won't find a job in my White House.” - President Barack Obama
“When it comes to making decisions, I will come down on the side of Nebraska every time.” - Sen. Ben Nelson, Nebraska
“We have done something to really repair a badly broken system. We really have tried to take the casino-like atmosphere of lax regulation and excessive speculation out of Wall Street.” - Congressman Ed Perlmutter, Colorado
“Whether it's making sure that families have access to quality health care and child care, or making sure that our children receive the best educational opportunities we can give them, we must remain committed to these needs because our children are our future.” – Sen. Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas
Oh, yeah? Well guess what folks? I’ve heard ducks! And I’m really tired of the bullshit!!
We need a revolution in this country. It needs to come from the grassroots and it needs to represent a broad spectrum of America. We need to say enough is enough. We need to find a way to end the system of legalized bribery called “campaign contributions.” We need to enact ethics laws that say that the acceptance of a campaign contribution creates an inherent conflict of interest and, as such, disqualifies that politician from voting on any legislation associated with the contributor.
Believe it or not, I honestly think that despite the horrible, racist things they sometimes say, the teabaggers, in many ways, are feeling the same sense of anger and frustration that I am. We both feel like our government has lost touch with the people who elected them. And even though many people will say that the teabaggers are just being duped by corporate interests who fund their rallies, I also feel like folks on the left like me are being duped by people like Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and, yes, Barack Obama and the moneyed interests who are pulling their strings.
I urge the people who head up progressive organizations, folks like Markos Moulitsas, Arianna Huffington, Jim Dean, Jane Hamsher, Chris Bowers, Melanie Sloan and so many others to team up. You know who to include. Put aside your egos and differences and forge one effort to take back our government for the people. The politicians can’t and won’t do it. Even think about reaching out to the people on the right, folks who support politicians like Ron Paul to see where we have common ground. The change we need will not come from politicians in Washington. We’re approaching a breaking point in this country. Maybe we’ve already reached it. I know I have. I’m tired of listening to politicians tell me that, on a calm summer night, if you listen real carefully, you can hear the ducks fart underwater.