2008 For DUmmies

2008 For Dummies
By VerityINK

People try and make politics so complicated. The d'Rats, for instance, are famous for dragging out their own personal versions of Utopia and trying to convince us that they are the Guardians of Humanity necessary to carry it forth to the masses (shhhhhhh! I know I'm treading dangerously close to the dreaded word 'communism'--and with good reason). They think they're so much the vanguard, so progressive--indeed, they have even hijacked that name for themselves (as if saying it will make it so!)

The Democrats think they have some special message that the rest of the parties--particularly the Republicans--don't have. They think they alone are working from some greatly compassionate position that we can't see and don't have access to--and wouldn't put forth if we did. They think they are 'better' for the world, that the GOP is responsible for the ruination of everything, and that some Bush Family Evil Empire (yes, that's what they actually call it) has been unleashed by the forces of darkness, to put the Prince Of Darkness (yes, that's actually what they call him) into the office of president, and continually suck the blood out of the necks of ALL humankind...

I know, I know....the purveyors of this nonsense should be out on a ledge somewhere... I guess it fits their We-Are-Here-To-Save-the-World! mindset. Since they're too cowardly to fight for this country, it's the only way they can be any kind of a hero--playing Jack the Giant Killer. However, in their case, the 'giant' is us. I wonder what they would do if they didn't have George W. Bush twirling his black moustache archly in the wings stage left, with Little Nell tied to the railroad tracks--train coming--and their own Demmie Dudley coming to the rescue!

They are just not going to see how things really are: politics is really about a small group of elite powerbrokers who aren't as dedicated to party lines as they are to 4-5 very basic principles such as:

--being able to do, think, and say what they want without interference
--being able to live how they want without interference
--being able to be their own definition of a 'good' person
--being able to have the type of lifestyle they want for them and theirs
--being able to live in safety, without fear of outside threat

That's pretty much it. At rock bottom, the only way immigration, 9/11, drilling in the Arctic, abortion, freedom from religion, slavery, taxation, military service--or anything else--REALLY matters is when it starts to significantly impinge upon those things. Party lines matter less; the number of DINOS and RINOS are an easy testament to that. Sure, every important person in America throws in with a political party--but only because they feel that it will get them those 4-5 things they want, or preserve the ones they already have.

Politics isn't some sacred message or mandate--it's not some holy Utopian writ. No candidate is 'uniting the world', 'taking back this country', or 'saving our lives'. In reality, politics is a group of elites--on both sides (or really no side)--that want the right man, at the right time, for the right reasons, and the right message, that will garner the right money with which he can achieve the office of the presidency. And they will choose the man that can do that and get them those 4-5 things they most want. Period.

Thus, the concept of 'good vs. evil' can be taken out of this election (and every other). The hippy-dippy notion of 'saving the earth' can go, too--along with the 'America is hated' bit, the 'PNAC will rule the world' paranoia, and the 'we no longer have any civil rights!' hysteria. In fact, ALL the silly side issues and distractions, media froth and Demmie demonization, can easily be hustled to the sidelines in favor of something much simpler.

In order to win the White House in '08, the d'Rats need to look at where things are, and where they want to go. Currently, they are deeply divided. Half see the world as a place where we would have no enemies if only we would 'act right'. The other half allows that we might have enemies, but is unsure about how to deal with them--it has no workable plan whatsoever with which to do so. In order to win the presidency, the d'Rats need to get together on which version they wish to present to the American people and convince the people they are united.

The Democrats need to keep in mind that, after seeing 9/11, trains bombed in London and Madrid, suicide bombers all over, threats against all manner of European leaders, filmmakers murdered in the Netherlands, war in the middle east etc. most Americans simply don't buy the fact that the world is not a dangerous place and that we don't face very real threats; the Democrat Kumbaya version of the world isn't going to fly. They need to come up with a decent response to the threat of war--particularly nuclear war--and they need to convince everyone that they can keep us safe better than anyone else.

The Republicans have already convinced most people of THAT, but the American public is now ready to evolve past the Bush era and they want to see a new Republican man in the White House--one that has some distance from things we've already tried, someone who has a new vision for this country. The man that can bring this message home in the clearest, most concrete, easily understandable manner, will garner the money and the support that will enable him to become president in 2008.

Yes, the election in '08 could be a fluke--the d'Rats might tap into the denial and wishful thinking that is a self-defense mechanism in all of us and convince the electorate that we don't need to deal with threats, that they were all Bush warmongering. They might champion another glib slickster who can convince everyone that 'good statemanship' is all we need to do--and they might put just such a 'talker' in the White House.

Nobody likes to feel threatened, or be at war--and the Demmies might easily wave a magic wand and get everyone to believe that Osama, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, the Palestinians etc. will just 'all go away', or that they'll be our best friends if we word everything just right. The Republicans might make it easy for them to prevail in this by offering only a Bush retread, wannabe, or also-ran instead of someone with a fresh vision for the GOP ticket. The election could go either way, and the Republicans could be out of office.

It might be the Democrat's turn.

However, for them to STAY in office, they're going to have to make sure that we HAVE a country in which they can continue to be voted into office. Wishing away world threats won't ensure that at all.