There ain't no liberal base. It's the damn people of this country. It's thoughtful unique individuals who lift up their voices against Congressional arrogance, David M. Herszenhorn (who wrote this pathetic opinion). We're not lashed together in a mob somewhere.

When only 70 years ago, gays were gassed in Germany, and less than a decade ago Matthew Shepard was dragged to his death behind a truck, how dare gays demand representation in Washington? Is this what the New York Times is asking? It sounds like it to me.

Why the hell should we pity Congress. Our country is sliding toward ruin precisely because the media is in bed with and sympathetic to the plastic figurines on Capitol Hill. I'm sorry, but if you get elected to Congress you shouldn't have the luxury of sleep until you've served your constituency.

It's an aristocracy that operates from the top down. There's a proud tradition of activism and grassroots democracy in this country, and there's reason for anger and distrust when Democrats have spent the entire year playing footsies with the Republicans and Bush on everything from the war, to wiretapping, to environmental protections and so on.

It's absolutely pathetic. And for the NEW YORK TIMES to lash out at you and at the very people who purchase their pathetic newspaper because YOU have the audacity to expect YOUR representative to REPRESENT YOU is simply sickening.

To top it off, the Times allowed Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), the new face of the devil, to weigh on the subject. "The freshmen who actually won seats in districts that had voted for Bush, in conservative-moderate districts, having nothing in common with Code Pink or MoveOn," Mr. Putnam said, referring to the antiwar groups.

Good, then they don't deserve our support the next time around. And in fact, we ought to rhetorically pummel the hell out of them.

But that's not it. The Times let this genius rattle on. "'The base turns on them in every single case,' he added. 'So at some point they have to stop falling into the trap of constantly playing to the base and try to solve problems.'"

Whose problems ought they solve? Huh? Rich people's problems? Yeah, we ought to roll over and play dead while they figure out another way to gut the treasury, raise the deficit, allow bridges and infrastructure to crumble down, and outsource our futures. The real problems of the day are how to win massive campaign contributions and pump up the stock market.

The Times allows the gay stereotyping to continue:

"Sometimes, though, the in-fighting can seem unreal, as with the recent fury directed by gay groups at Mr. Frank.

'Barney Frank is not gay enough?' asked Representative Thaddeus McCotter, Republican of Michigan, one of the most conservative members of the House."