The 2014 Bloodbath

        If you’ve been reading any of my writings over the last few years you know I’m kind of a political junkie. I’ve always enjoyed the run up to election and the political circus of the actual event. It’s fun and fills me with a voyeuristic pleasure. Some of my fondest memories of child and young adult hood is staying up till the wee hours of the morning watching the returns from across the country.

        Yeah, I’m that kind of geek too.

        When I was younger and became interested in politics beyond the spectacle aspect I identified as a Republican. NOT the current version of a republican but a now extinct version, the Northeast Progressive Republican. By this I meant I was for the second amendment, fiscal responsibility, and a strong national defense. But when it came to social programs I’ve always skewed to the left. Some of my specific positions have changed/evolved over the years but the thrust of my position has remained more or less unchanged.

        Starting in 1994 things changed. I admit I was happy when the Republicans gained their majority that year. I thought we’d see changes, more personal freedoms and the long awaited healthcare reform. I know that sound insane but it was a group of Republicans who wrote the proposed health care law in 1994, ironically it was almost the exact same thing as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

        What happened?

        Instead of doing real work the congress proved to me who they really work for. For the first time in my life I realized just how much the banks and corporations owned our Republic. Hey cut me some slack I was only 18 at the time and we didn’t have the internet in a recognizable form.

        I watched a pack of lying blowhards go after the President for anything they could think of, whether it was relevant or not, and I watched another pack of limp cowards lay down and take it. I watched the impeachment of a sitting US President for bullshit reasons. I watched the banks get deregulated and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) be passed. The economy might have been good, okay it was excellent, but everything else was fucked and we didn’t realize it.

        Let’s fast forward to the 2000 election. I admit I voted for W, he was charismatic and sounded sincere, hell I think he’s probably a decent human being and did mean well. But when he was elected he was never actually President, instead he was the most obvious sock puppet I’ve ever seen. Then 9-11 happened and the government turned into a pack of headless chickens. We entered the longest period of war we’ve ever experienced, still in it, and had our rights stripped away.

        It seemed that nobody cared.

        The passing of the Patriot Act was the darkest act ever committed by the American Government. Some people may argue with me on that one and they are entitled to their views… unless the holders of the Patriot Act decide those views are seditious then you’ll end up in a cage in Cuba. The EPA was gutted, the rich were given massive tax breaks, civil rights were eroded, and the economy imploded.

        We seemed to be on the brink of complete collapse.

        After eight years of the George W. Bush administration I fell for Obama. I bought in to the slogan of HOPE & CHANGE. I really thought if Obama was elected things would get better he talked a good game but in the end all he was interested in doing was prove he was willing to compromise and do the bidding of his pay masters. Under Obama we’ve entered the most Corporation Friendly period ever in American History.

        The Republican Party changed when Obama was elected. Or maybe it didn’t change so much as filter the moderates out. For two years the Democrats controlled the congress and did NOTHING! The Republicans on the other hand planned, they had one goal to destroy Barack Obama and make him a one term President. They took it seriously and in 2010 they destroyed the House of Representatives and came scarily close to seizing the Senate. The Tea Party rose and this country became a scarier place to live. Racism, homophobia, fanatical religious zealots, and demagogues have been the rule rather than exception. All Obama did was give us shitty health care written by REPUBLICANS, continue the wars and start a new one, and extend 90% of W's policies... still waiting for that change.

        Hate became chic.

        In 2012 Obama retained the Presidency not because he was such a great leader but because the Republicans can’t pick a good candidate to save their lives. There are few Republicans these days worthy of what the title used to mean and none of them would ever have a chance of getting the nomination.

        The result has been a comedy of gridlock and childish bullshit.

        Last night was the 2014 Midterm elections and… well we got our asses handed to us and we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Let me be clear about this before I continue. I am NOT a Democrat. Just because the Republican Party left me and so many others doesn’t mean I’ve run to the lesser evil. But the truth is as things stand one of the parties will almost always win and I would rather support the Dem’s than the GOP these days but I am NOT happy about it.

        Oh yeah Money in Politics is the biggest problem and the Far Right definitely dominated that aspect of the election cycle. But the fact is as much as Republicans aren't Republicans anymore Democrats aren't Democrats anymore. The Democrats of today would be right at home with the Reagan Republicans of the 1980's. Modern Democrats (the politicians not the voters) bend at the first opportunity. They are beholden to the same financial masters as the Republicans but without the spine they used to have.

        I am a Progressive Liberal with a few Libertarian principals. I believe in freedom of and from religion. I believe I should be able to ingest any substance I want. I believe Health Care and Education are human rights and we should not have to pay more for them ON TOP of the taxes we pay. I believe money is NOT speech and Corporations are not people my friend. I believe I have the right to own a weapon for defense but I have no problems with confidential background checks in order to weed out psychopaths and lunatics. I believe in absolute freedom of speech and freedom of the press. I believe in equal rights and equal pay for all and it DOES need to be legislated. None of my beliefs fit with any of the parties so who the fuck represents me?

        I want my kids to have a better life than me and all I see is rich privileged pieces of shit stealing everything we've worked for for centuries and turning us into modern day serfs. They've spent the last 10+ years making sure we hate one another because of race, religion, sexual orientation, and anything else they can think of so we don't come together and see the real problems.

        I need a drink.

- Josh