A Boston Tea Party …(Gullible Fools)

Because I am not tied to either of the political parties, I connect dots kool-aid drinkers are unable to see. The image I can’t get out of my head from last night’s SOTU speech was President Bush clasping hands with Senator Dick Durbin like two teammates that had just scored a touchdown. They held their clasp for a minute and yucked it up for a bit. How the heck is this possible?

Let me say I have no problems with the office of the Presidency per say. A President can only serve two terms and if he does a poor job can be booted out of office after the first. Congressman on the other hand are more than likely their for as long as they decide to be. Durbin and Bush giving a version of a high five? Are we being conned? Do these people attack each other on camera and make nicey nice off of it? Do elected officials from opposite parties actually dislike each other less than those of us in the public? Check any comment section out in this blog site and you will see Republicans and Democrats at each other’s throats. Watch Durbin or Kennedy speak on television and it sure seems they don’t like Bush very much. So what gives with the clasp of hands? We constantly hear opposing Senators refer to each other as the “esteemed gentleman from” or “my friend from” while they basically call each other liars.

We in the public feed of this stuff and treat those from the opposite party with disdain. I am certain those who read what I say and disagree with will not be clasping hands with me anytime soon nor I with them. I don’t accept these two men clasping hands. It doesn’t add up. Should they be civil towards each other? Yes! So a nod would have been adequate but no teammate like clasp.

This is my hunch. When you get to Washington you become part of the “gang”. The “gang” has certain rules and in those rules you attack each other like wild dogs but are not supposed to take anything personal. The problem is the public has different rules. We see these people going at it day after day on policy and it adds up. People from opposite parties DISLIKE each other immensely in the general public and I think our politicians want it that way. Carl Rove wants it that way. Howard Dean wants it that way. Rush Limbaugh wants it that way. Sorry, I don’t know any good liberal talk show hosts but if there are any he/she would want it that wayas well. Everyone has bought into this except it seems Washington. When the cameras go off I think these guys sit down and break bread. I think these people are playing us for “rubes”.

We can never understand how the “gang” works. First of all very few are allowed into the Washington “gang”. Congressmen have so much money, have gerrymandered most districts, and refuse to leave office so others may serve. Thirty-four percent of the American public thinks Congress is doing a good job. Their favorable ratings are always this low regardless of the party in power. Yet we keep voting them back in. Evidently, it is only the other Congressmen who does a terrible job and not your own. The President stated last night that America is addicted to foreign oil. Wow! What a news flash. Many of us can remember the gas lines of the ‘70’s during the Carter years. In thirty years the same officials we elect time after time have done nothing to solve this problem more than likely because of partisanship. We cannot just blame the President for this situation because the Presidents have changed over the last thirty years. Most Congressmen have not. The same people we saw standing and clapping or sitting and groaning last night were the same people in office thirty years ago. Time has passed but nothing has been gained.

So why do we keep putting these irresponsible people back into office year after year? Why can’t local party officials say we won’t support the incumbent any more and want someone else to represent the party? Until we change this, until we change congressmen as often as we do Presidents there will always be certain guarantees. We will always be addicted to foreign oil. We will always have extreme partisanship when the cameras are on. We will be treated by elected officials as gullible fools. Bush and Durbin clasping hands! I can't believe I saw it.