Sometimes I wish I could take off my "thinking cap" so I could be a little more euphoric and happy every time president Obama makes a great speech, and throws a bone to the progressives. I just imagine how it must feel. Not only would I feel happy-go-lucky, but also I would avoid having people tell me I'm a doomsayer. It would be nice. But, alas, I can't do it, and a lot of pesky little things keep popping up in my mind...
How do I put this? The good people of this country have been brutalized by an increasingly oppressive system. Poverty is spreading fast; economic insecurity is on the rise; unemployment; life expectancy is going down; homelessness is growing; domestic violence (a lot of it caused by financial distress) is on the rise. I could go on and on.
And "we" are still operating in the loony-tunes right-wing framework. Entitlements? Deficits? Willing to take on "sacred cows" (Social Security, Medicaid) of the Left?
One speech (or at this point, 20) does not do it for me. Firing half of his economic team (starting with Wall Street wonder-boy Geithner) and bringing people of the caliber of Krugman, or Stiglitz, at this point may pique my interest.
And of course, I'm not saying I'm not going to vote for him. What other (realistic) option do I have? And at least the corporatist Democrats are not sadistic fascists, like the Republicans. I guess that's a good-enough reason to vote for Obama; so I will.
But speaking of voting, here comes that bothersome "thinking cap" again, to create havoc...
So the sadistic fascists in control of several Republican states are busy moving the goal posts of democracy; instituting draconian voter suppression agendas in multiple states; making radical changes to the way electoral votes are allocated; a corporatist-owned Supreme Court allowing the wholesale corruption of the political system in the form of unlimited corporate money.
And there is Andrew Breitbart, like an aspiring mini-Hitler, goes on talking about shooting lefties, and union leaders. And he goes on about how he can't wait for the Left to take the first shot; he wants the Left to "bring it on" because, oh boy, don't we know that they have the guns!
And of course, they talk like that because they don't have any respect for members of the Left, Liberals, Progressives. Why would anyone? When we spend much of our time commenting, complaining, and explaining things the right-wing loonies do, instead of having our own long-term vision, and agenda.
The Right is systematic; they march in lock-step; they are fanatics; they have a very clear vision. They think short-, mid-, and long-term. And the biggest irony is that their world vision is based on lunacy! The irony.
We on the other hand, who have the truth, logic, reason, intellectual heft, somehow can't rally around a common goal. Any attempt of it would be like trying to herd cats.
And speaking of herds, my thinking cap tells me that as we act as puppies (the little fluffy ones) and get all happy, wagging our tails, and jumping in ecstasy every time they throw us a bone (or a good speech), the Right continues its disciplined approach encircling us, as if we were prey. Are we? We'll find out soon enough.
I don't think that light at the end of the tunnel is a sign of a bright sunny day on the other side. But here I go, "thinking" again.
Comments are closed on this story.