Article Contributed on: 10/4/2008 2:06:34 PM
"Life is full of little ironies for the stupid." - P. J. O'Rourke
The irony in American politics since 2001 is not the unprecendented incompetence, illegality and corruption of the current national administration.
No, the irony is the extent to which the Democratic Party has been the enabler of the Republican incompetence and corruption. It's just one more proof that the Two-Party system is in failure mode, and that our entire political system hangs in the balance.
Without the complete supine complicity of congressional Democrats, the following could never have happened:
- Passage of the cynically misnamed "USA-PATRIOT" act (wherein you lost all your civil liberties in one swoop of the Imperial Presidential pen).
- Passage of the Iraq War resolution.
- Confirmation of the already-know-to-be-criminally-inclined Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the US.
- Confirmation of Mukasey as A.G. even though he was not sure that waterboarding is torture.
- Passage he FISA bill that Barack Obama swore he'd filibuster, then voted in favor of.
- Passage of the Bailout for the Rich last week.
That's just the short list. Remember "cutting off the war funding" wherein the lame duck president beat the Democrats with one wing tied behind his back?
The reality is that the Two Major Parties aren't really in opposition. Oh, sure, they are in opposition for getting elected, but they both are run by pretty much the same invisible megawealthy, megapowerful coterie whose only doctrine is "We're in Power and We're Going to Stay in Power".
The debating points, the political promises, the posturing .. it's all just acting.
Here, I'll prove it to you. I'll predict right now three things about the Obama administration, assuming he gets elected:
1. We'll stay in Iraq
2. Your taxes will go up to pay for Iraq and the Bailout
3. You won't get your civil liberties back
What's that you say? CHANGE!? You want REAL CHANGE!? Then don't vote for TweedleDem or TweedleRepub this year.
VOTE LIBERTARIAN!