When George W. Bush was reelected in 2004, a British political critic cogently observed, “When Bush won in 2000, many of us believed there was some mistake or the election had indeed somehow been stolen. Now that Americans have chosen him again, we know that no mistake or theft happened. Bush is America and America is Bush.” Hmm.
Here are 10 other political realities that make people who are paying attention pause and say, “Hmm”:
1) The Republican Empire strikes back. As early as summer of 2008, I wrote and said in multiple outlets that the Barack Obama phenomenon could be dangerous for liberal and progressive socio-political fortunes. My point was that people were so caught up in Obama that they would think the war was won and stop working for real change (rather than the illusion Obama represented). I was called a hater and an idiot.
As we approach the midterms, I’m proven more right than wrong. The Republicans, who seemed dead in the water in 2008, have already won Senate, gubernatorial and other races, and are poised to make huge gains this November.
My Take: The “Party of No” is now saying “Yes we can!” Who’s the idiot now?
2) Some guy named Alvin Greene wins the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary. Greene, an unemployed veteran facing a felony obscenity charge, garnered almost 60 percent of the vote in the win. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has ever even heard of Greene. The man didn’t campaign and seems like a deer in headlights when asked about the strange circumstances surrounding his win. Congressman James Clyburn, D-S.C., and other Dems suspect Greene is a “plant” whose win all but guarantees Republican Sen. Jim DeMint’s re-election in the fall.
My Take: If the Republicans really did successfully plant a candidate in the Democratic primary, and he won by 20 points, then the Democrats are dumber than I thought — and that’s hard.
3) The Tea Party is the nation’s most transformative political movement. Love it or hate it, the Tea Party movement is the most influential political game in town.
My Take: The country really is more conservative than anything else. In fact, the right is increasingly conservative, xenophobic, myopic, ethnocentric and strong. Meanwhile, there is no true left to speak of. That’s just, well … scary.
4) Rand Paul. The Tea Party space cadet continues on his mission to “take our government back” with the support of a broad swath of Kentuckians.
My Take: See the last sentence from my take on the previous issue.
5) Many people still think Sarah Palin has a brain.
My Take: Enough said!
6) McCain Tweets. John McCain is Tweeting with some broad named Snooki to let her know that he “would never tax (her) tanning bed.”
My Take: First of all, who and what the hell is a Snooki? Second, why is a U.S. senator and former Republican presidential nominee Tweeting it? And lastly, why is McCain Tweeting at all?
7) Black folks in Alabama finally figure Artur Davis out. Black conservative Democrat Artur Davis was recently trounced in the Democratic gubernatorial primary partially because he threw black voters under the bus. After multiple Davis snubs, the state’s most powerful black political organizations backed his white opponent. A black state senator opined, “(If Davis) wasn’t going to talk to us before the election, he certainly wasn’t going to talk to us after the election.”
My Take: Good for the Alabamans … but what took them so long? I figured Davis out years ago! Obama beware.
8) Bill Clinton and Obama back Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln over the much more progressive Democrat Bill Halter.
My Take: Shame on Big Bill and Obama. Lincoln loses in November.
9) Al and Tipper Gore split. The Gores call it quits after 40 years of marriage.
My Take: Surprising! Further proof that marriage is a highly overvalued stock. Let’s just hope Will and Jada make it, because if they fold up tent, a lot of romance novel reading women might just kill themselves.
10) Blago!
Until next time, considering the fact that we’ve already left the people in the hands of fools, let’s just try to survive this madness!
