Awakening the interest and the intelligence of the electorate appears to be a bigger challenge than many of us ever imagined, especially now that we're into the fiasco of the current primaries, and it seems -- lamentably for democracy -- that the more one is involved in this burlesque of a campaign, the duller his mentality.
One seriously now wonders about "God smiled when he made America," and is more cogently reminded that "A people has the government it deserves," and if indeed there is truth in the latter, then heaven help this republic. Perhaps it has just worn itself out after some two hundred and thirty odd years. Sometimes I'm tempted to regret that it's unfortunately impossible to force people to demand decent government and to want to be free.
We cannot now afford any treacherous connection to our future by the Republicans, who are really just incapable of totally sloughing off their criminality of the last seven years, and perhaps that since the first of the Reagan years. And it is evident now -- especially after being returned as the majority in both houses -- that the Democrats lack the spine and the integrity to deny themselves the prizes of greed and naked power should they prevail in the presidential sweepstakes (good word, that, this next election being perhaps the biggest political gamble in our history; then again perhaps not even a gamble when one realizes that decent and intelligent Americans don't have a solid horse to mount in this TV glitzified fiasco).
And what's really on the mind of the people? Well, the Big Three issues I actually hear from real people are: (a) Isn't it time for a woman president? (b) Is it time for a black president? (c) Prayer in school and other public arenas and events. Godamitety, we have a war going on, another quite likely to start, a tidal wave of disrespect and fear from the decent governments of the world, a depression in the making, truckloads of people, narcotics and other stuff are crashing our borders by the millions, while in Kalamazoo a grandmother is being patted down by security thugs prior to boarding a plane for Des Moines, and so many millions have lost good jobs to be forced to work at two or even three minimum wage jobs, or have been off work so long they are not even in the unemployment count, and on top of everything else the elections are and will be rigged -- while we, the American electorate, in considering who will be the next most powerful person in the world are stuck on gender, race, and churchiness?!
What else can I say, other than to apologize to Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, et al, who no doubt would now not only turn over in their graves but opt to be removed from this planet were it possible.
