February 9, 2006

"I think that two-thirds of the American people think the country is going in the wrong direction," said Senator Barack Obama, the first-term Illinois Democrat who is widely viewed as the party's promising star. "They're not sure yet whether Democrats can move it in the right direction."

You got that right, Barack. Two-thirds of Americans are absolutely disabused of finding hope in any political party. The other third gave up a long time ago and couldn’t be driven to vote with bull whips.

A Wednesday New York Times piece by Nagourney and Stolberg (sounds like a law office), understates the case. Titled “Some Democrats Are Sensing Missed Opportunities,” it supposes that the Dems have any sense at all and that’s up for debate.

If they are only now ‘sensing’ that a Republican president with a rock around his neck and one foot on the transom is an opportunity, then I guess we all should have voted for Ralph Nader and blamed Kerry as the spoiler.

Six years into the rape and pillaging of our constitution, our once-proud military and our federal bank balance, the loyal opposition is so supine, so groveling, so unsure of itself that it’s desperately willing to rely more and more on a first term Senator as spokesman. Nothing against Barack. I like the man and think he’s a breath of fresh air in a party gasping for oxygen and flopping on the deck like an unwanted by-catch.

There are men out there, Senators of the Democratic persuasion who’re supposed to be enlightened elders, old war-horses like Teddy Kennedy, Joe Biden, Bob Byrd, Chris Dodd, Patrick Leahy, Tom Harken and Paul Sarbanes. An aggregate 250 years legislative experience among these seven, an average of 36 years in harness and they’re all struck dumb, out of ideas, pulled over by the side of the road.

With what few and feeble senses they have left, they sense missed opportunities.

Where the hell have they been as their country was ravaged? Why, for god’s sake, have these stifled-statesmen stood silent? Because they were a minority? That’s a fair question. These men thrived under democratic control of the Congress and perhaps only because of that.

They had no courage then to rally 'round their Democratic president and no sense now of hounds running heel, mindlessly back-tracking instead of surging forward. All that collective time stumbling up and down the hallowed halls of the Senate and there isn't a leader among them.

"We seem to be losing our voice when it comes to the basic things people worry about," Senator Dodd said.

Senator, you lost your collective voices on 9-11 and never dared to raise them again. You diddled around, polled the center, adjusted your glasses, went to lunch, wished life wasn’t so hard and complained to one another while the Republicans went to work and cleaned your clock.

You seven, more than any others because of your seniority and experience, have abandoned your supporters, abrogated your responsibilities and gone off to war in confusion, only to flee at the sound of the first gun. You’re tired, you’re unable to answer the bell for this round and you haven’t an idea among you but to rail against corruption, when the American public thinks you are all corrupt, Republican and Democrat alike.

Obama again "We have been in a reactive posture for too long. I think we have been very good at saying no, but not good enough at saying yes."

Another junior Senator, Hillary Clinton, has been characterized by the right as "too angry to be elected." Hillary's problem is she isn't angry enough by half and her party wouldn't understand a unified voice if it ran them over on the street.

The article continues,

“Some Democrats said they favored remaining largely on the sidelines while Republicans struggled under the glare of a corruption inquiry. And some said there was still time for the party to get its act together. But many others said the party needed to move quickly to offer a comprehensive governing agenda, even as they expressed concern about who could make the case.”

That's a classic definition of cattle milling around a killing yard, just before slaughter.

You all better figure it out and damned quickly. There’s a mid-term election in nine months and the public doesn’t like anybody out there. Your party showing in November will determine how you do in another November, thirty-three months down the road.

That’s a little less than three years and, as my old daddy said, “if you want to see time fly, just sign a three-year note.”

Old daddy had it right.

Get out of the Archives and read what Jim's writing today