America, where we do not learn from our mistakes.

Part of the problem I have with the Left-leaning main stream media is the disconnect it has with the goings-on among the real Right-wing electorate. When pundits sit at their desks discussing the power struggles going on in this country right now, they direct most of their focus at the elected officials who wear an R on their sleeve. The Left-leaning media does not hone in on their supporters. These pundits put things in context of an America which does not want to dive back into the ditch of the Bush years. A vote to the Right in the mid-term elections most likely will send us back into the old habits which got us into our present predicament to begin with.

The notion that we know where the mistakes were made cannot be any clearer. Those of us in the Center and on the Left seem to find solace in that ever popular quote, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." It's a good soundbyte. It does make sense. The problem is, the real world doesn't think that way, especially if the eyes looking out on the world are firmly planted in the head of someone Right-leaning. There is an alternate universe with a skewed version of reality chomping at the bit, hungry for control of this country.

Pundits need to take a vacation. They need to spend some time living in disguise among the entrenched Right wing zealots. Shreveport is just such a place, as is East Texas. I say, pack your bags and come on over here. You'll be shocked at what you learn after only a day or two among these southerners.

They do want the Bush years back and it has nothing to do with paying attention to the mistakes of the past. The mistakes are forgivable in their mind. Why? Because it fed into their paranoia. They could sleep at night knowing there was someone in the White House who wanted to kick some ass and who wouldn't let some Liberal pantywaist bring homosexuals into their churches and blacks into their neighborhoods. For them, our strength lies in our military, not our populace or our resilience. W gave them the out of sight, out of mind comfort. On top of all of that, the angst right now is deeply associated with the loss of an election, stirring up emotions only seen when two college football teams face off in the Southeastern Conference. They don't have the cajones to stand up against the corporate corruption and greed ruining our communities. They would rather have a job that kills them from the inside out than a government who fights for them to make the workplace safer and holds big business accountable for their misgivings. Our Left-leaning media does not know this group of people all that well. Unfortunately, I'm living among these kinds of people, distraught at the notion that I am living in some sort of personal Hell. We need to stomp these people out and shout them down the same way they go about handling us. The fight is on and we need to step up our efforts.

So while it might sound nice to be optimistic about the Democratic agenda and our success in previous elections, it has no bearing on what this country really wants, even if they want to drive us into a wall. It's a wishy washy way of thinking. The gloves need to come off. Barack Obama said it best in his speech the other day when he endorsed Harry Reid.

"We know how the movie ends when the other party is in charge. You don't have to guess how they'll govern, because we're still living with the damage from the last time they were governing...and they are still singing from the same hymnal. They haven't changed. They want to do the same stuff."

Unfortunately, Barack Obama still has faith in the American people. I do not. He thinks that Americans know that the policies of the previous administration will be remembered. He needs to recognize that the dialogue has been hijacked by the Tea Party and the spin has already begun on history barely even old enough to grow mold yet.

But even his quote targets elected officials and not the electorate. Don't get distracted, folks. We are up against more than a few idiots advocating chickens in exchange for health care and making lemonade out of children born out of incest. Their followers spew the same crap. We are up against the threat of idiocracy.

"Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

And repeat we shall.

Again and again.

Until we learn our lesson.

Or until we poison ourselves and our planet in the name of our own selfish interests.

But by then, it's probably going to be too late.

I wish I had more to say

I really wish I had more to say about the current political landscape, but with every new story comes the same tired Republican banter I've already written about. There really isn't anything for me to add. I could sit here and discuss the Kagan confirmation hearings, immigration laws, the oil spill, or even health care for that matter, but I'd keep coming back to the same point.

What point?

Republican talking points and blind followers of the fringe conservative bowel movement are front and center every day.

I'd like to be able to say I'm optimistic about our future here in America, but I am not. In fact, I feel much the same way I felt the day George W. Bush won, or rather, the day Al Gore conceded. That prediction I made about hard times ahead of us still seems to be coming true and although Barack Obama is honestly trying to dig us out, the same people who had terrified faces the night McCain lost are trying to derail everything to send us back into the tailspin we were in prior to the '08 election.

With the new Supreme Court ruling regarding firearms, I'm even more unhappy with the way this country is heading. I'm frankly scared, especially since I'm surrounded by southerners. I'm afraid we are on the brink of something very bad and very violent.

While all these things are going on behind the scenes, the ditto heads are front and center, spewing rhetoric and playing the politics game. There is no real threat of anti-incumbency. When folks like Boehner, McConnell, Graham, Vitter, and all the rest lose their cushy seats in Congress, then I'll tip my hat to the conservative anti-incumbency trend. Until then, I refuse to believe conservatives are angry enough at our elected officials to create any kind of legitimate and worthwhile positive change. They'd much rather criticize Democrats and point fingers at corruption within the Democratic party than to question members in their own ranks. Everything comes back to Obama, and in some instances, Bill Clinton. This has never been about fixing Washington. It has always been a game of winners and losers.

So when you're celebrating the 4th this week end, know that there are many other Americans ashamed of what this country has become as a direct result of the fringe conservative hijacking of our political system. We were ashamed in 2001. We had an ounce of hope in 2008 into 2009. Now we're just apathetic about moving forward because so many on the Right want to hold us back. I really wish I had more to say, but to be honest, I'm flat out terrified of anyone who claims to be conservative. They live in a completely separate reality than the rest of us, a reality that is out of touch with the real sweat and blood Americans who are in worse shape than the Tea Party crybabies.

Idiocracy, here we come.