The Change Campaign Mantra

Change. Change. Change. You now see every candidate using the word. It is, apparently, a big meaningful word. Change. Mitt Romney uses it, so it must mean something. You might be thinking it means more than changing the initials of the people or party occupying the White House and Congress, you might. You might be really deluded, also. Oh, heck; maybe you mean it.

The thing of it is, that it is not what America wants.

Let me repeat that, it is not what America wants. I have empirical data to back up that assertion. It is called votes and polling. Not rhetoric, not partisanship, those numbers.

Here's the deal, let's forget the Republicans, Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee might actually mean it, in some odd way, but I'm not inclined in either of their directions. When Mitt says it, he does mean the initials on the stationary.

Democrats. These folks are supposed to be all about change, '06 elections, big swings in general voter preferences, hogwash. Change is not what is desired, security is. Not the Guiliani security, though it's a factor, the warm blanket momma's soothing tones security. Return to the '90s with Hillary, the soothing dulcet tones of the Democratic middle right black man. Change in gender or race, just don't rock the boat change. The voting records and public statements of both are on record, and the record stinks if you're expecting change that isn't cosmetic. Take a look for political risk taking in the Senate, see any? Oh sure, the risk of offending left Democrats was taken, you know, Patriot Act, FISA, Credit, Betrayus Ad, go ahead, read and weep. There are your front runners. Indistinguishable on domestic and economic issues, possibly a bit different on foreign policy bellicosity. Oh, guns. Two of the most ardent gun banners in Congress. Are you too simple minded to miss the connection between perceived security, BushCo's infringements, and infringing the Second? Maybe it's not your favorite, well, it still is there, like it or not, it is #2 in the Bill of Rights.

Look, liberty is a risky dangerous proposal, letting people speak their minds, a press that can do it, and worship whom they want, odd ideas in the safety game. Oh it gets considerably worse, you have to have your day in court, the government is really constrained in how it can search and what it can take. Blah, blah, blah. No it's not. It was, once upon a time. But at that time it was an ordinary part of life to have risks involved in living in this country, now we're safe. Well, no, not yet, but we could be if... Utter nonsense, we can succeed in putting our necks under the government wheel, we can cede liberty sufficiently that the plutocratic masters cannot be made to answer, but it will still be dangerous out there - you'll just have added the government to your problems.

Change, sure. If change had anything to do with this election the inoffensively mildly left of center John Edwards would be sweeping this Primary and Dennis Kucinich would be the one giving him trouble and Hillary and Obama would be footnotes. Not so. Kucinich is way out of sight and Edwards is headed for footnote-hood. The Clibama votes are such mirror images that the debate devolves into faux experience and who is blackest, there's nothing else there to fight over - oh my, I forgot kindergarten. There is one Senator's Iraq vote, compared with the blank checks both have voted for - I'm seriously underwhelmed.

I'm sorry, but judging from the polling and the current votes, the two thirds of the Democratic Party are pussies. Yes, mewling kittens, no tigers to be found. Not a shark, not a wolf, not a grizzly to be found in that 2/3rds. The status quo in economics, and roll over at the first politically risky item is the mantra. Look at the goddam votes when it counted. Look at the votes and look at the Republican votes, a nice match. Big changes are on the way.

Does all this make me a big Edwards partisan? Not hardly, he can't more than mutter single payer not for profit health care. He whispers media de-consolidation. He never says confiscatory economic rape taxes. He just barely gets out "class warfare," he's about as mild in change as I can even begin to stomach. No, I'm no hard core Edwards guy; but he does actually propose change. Sure, Clibama is considerably less offensive than the least offensive Republican, but I'm pretty tired of voting for least offensive, I'd hoped John Kerry would be the end of that. Nope.

Sure, I'll vote for Edwards on Oregon's May 5th, whether he's still in the race or not. I'm a Democrat and I'll vote for one in the Primary, absolutely will. After that, I'll probably wind up voting for a faux-Democrat, a socially acceptable fear assuaging same old same old. The reality check of this Primary is pretty hard to swallow, somehow I had the idea that 20 years in the wilderness gave the Democrats something to think about - apparently it just made them afraid of their own shadows. I wonder just how scared the electorate has to get before their fear of going ahead is overwhelmed.

I watch people I know to be flaming liberals lining up behind the candidates of sameness and I hear them spout, "Change." I am sorely disappointed, I have some differences with these folks, but nothing nearly as serious as I have with their candidates. That leaves me flummoxed, yes flummoxed. These folks are ardent supporters, not lukewarm settle for supporters. It is not as though there are no other choices to be made, real enthusiasm for candidates who do not in the least reflect their political views. Odd? No, it really isn't odd, it is safe or it feels right, it certainly is not a matter of cold-blooded rationality. It is not rational to see a Democrat vote for a credit card lobby written bill and not grab your head to keep it from exploding. It is not rational it is something else. In a rational world a large chunk of the Republican Party would vote for Clibama, and as a Democrat I find that offensive, we ought to at least spook those folks if not offend them. Sure, they'll be scared and offensive but it will be manufactured out of non-existent RNC framing.

I seem to remember a bunch of teeth gnashing about the spineless Democratic Congress, well look who we're going to run for President. How quickly we forget, a magic name and some high falutin' rhetoric and all is forgiven, we'll have our change. Small change, nickle and dime, pathetic to settle for so little and call it something.

There's not much point in whining about the media, or big money in campaigns, or how the elite always wins no matter, because the simple matter is that it's not that, it us/US. The problem lies with the scared us, the voter. We have choices and we choose what is least in our interests in the name of emotional comfort. I'm sorry John Edwards, you thought people cared, you thought they were fed up, you thought economic justice and representational politics were an issue, you missed the need for thumb sucking, it trumps your stuff. Change ain't a blowin in the wind, it just plain got blown.