Topic: Politics
To be a politician these days I think you would have to have the skin of a bull elephant and be forgiving as God. To have to run the mean, hateful, malicious gauntlet of a political campaign these days, with innuendos about your intelligence, your morals, and your honesty constantly being questioned would leave a normal man tattered and beaten and unsure of anything. But the chosen of the two major parties go on their daily mission, dragging their poor families along to smile, mouthing the party line, because shame on he or she that doesn't. Do not try to be independent of thoughts other than the parties. Because they know, having gotten to the pinnacle of their political life that to do so would mean finish. You must follow the Republican or Democratic line because you have no choice. The day of the maverick or independent politician is long over. Look at poor Ralph Nader, a good and honest man who has worked his entire life for the benefit of the citizens of the U.S. He has not the slightest chance in hell of making a dent in the vote count, and why he doesn't bail out is beyond me. I think even Ralph Nader is having an ego trip to the betterment of which major party candidate, time will tell.
Look at today's news about the well respected, by me also, John McCain, whose loyalties were questioned four years ago by his opponent for the nomination, and who has maintained a quasi-independent stance since, while remaining a good Republican gaining respect from millions of Americans, all of the sudden grabbing that same former opponent in a bear hug on a political stage looking like any other political sycophant. I am disappointed in him, but you can be assured that he too has his political price. My guess is the full party backing in his own run for President in four years.
I am an advocate of term limits, for the purpose of bringing back independence to our chosen representatives. Let them espouse original thoughts and not become a Charlie McCarthy to the heads of the committees who have been in the senate for thirty or forty years. Wouldn't it be nice to not have all the Republicans have to become ideologues like Rush Limbaugh or on the Democratic side, Ted Kennedys, but who might, just might represent the majority of us in the middle.
But have no fear it will not happen. In order to be elected you have to have the financial backing of one of the major parties or forget it. But wouldn't it be nice.