Friday, August 21, 2009

The crowd goes wild


Some of my longtime readers will remember this post from nearly two years ago, in which I rail against the worship of political unicorns.

It starts out like this:

Anyone out there who still believes in a politician who is without strategic lapses of morality, even his or her own morality, please come and stand next to me.

So that I can kick you in the ass.

Look, baby, politicians compromise. That’s what they do. They can not, and do not, get where they are without compromising. A lot. More than the most jaded among us would like, in fact.

Ad infinitum, in perpetuity throughout the universe, forever and ever, amen.

And ends like this:

Because I am tired of you fucking idealistic Democrats. Because once you find out your candidate is human, you become the most tiresome, whining, petulant, bitter people on the face of the earth. You swear you will never vote again, ever! You issue stern warnings to your friends that even though you do not agree on any issue, you will vote Republican, because at least they’re not stupid Democrats! You are the people I see walking around with a martyred expression and a “Ron Paul for President” button. You are the people standing at those tables outside the grocery store, trying to convince me that Lyndon LaRouche is not a card-carrying loon.

And so people, I hope that this little incident from the Obama campaign drives home my point, which is that there is no magic candidate. There is NO ONE running in this race who hasn’t done some pretty stinky things because he or she thought it would help them politically. There are no fairy tale contenders. No Prince Charmings, no wizards, no vaguely Christ-like talking lions – nothing.

Except for Kucinich, who I’m pretty sure is some kind of elf.

Ha! Ha! Kucinich jokes! Remember those?

But I stand by my post, and it’s more relevant now than ever, as scores of lefties begin their quadrannual migration away from the balmy climes of idealism and into the frigid regions of realization that their candidate is, after all, a politician, and no politician has ever succeeded at being a politician without also being a politician.

To translate this into more prosaic language for those who are too busy donating their old Shepard Fairey t-shirts and deleting Will.i.am campaign videos from their hard drives to be able to catch my drift – to translate this for them – Obama is doing the best he can.

Yes, I understand that it’s not good enough for you. And that’s fine. Continue to push for what you want, of course. In fact, please do, because it’s my personal belief that the leftist agenda is where all, or in fact any, hope for us lies. Please, make a stink. Write letters or emails. Vote in online polls. Give your elected representative a piece of your mind, goddammit. Write smug, long-winded political rants on your personal blogs. Please. Really, please. Because without the left, the middle is in the right.

Know what I mean?

What you should please not do, or at least please not do in front of me, is fucking whimper about how disappointed you are that Obama is not who you thought he was. Because who the fuck did you think he was, and, more importantly, who the fuck are you?

Obama will get a health care reform bill with a public option passed if he can. If he can’t…he can’t. Now, you may not like that. I don’t like it. I think a health care reform bill without a public option is fairly close to being a fucking oxymoron, and I’m not alone, by the way. And you may disagree with what constitutes the “can’t,” but you should also realize that we have only the tiniest crumb of an idea of the stuff of which that “can’t” consists. There are ten thousand ways he tries that we will never know about, not because we shouldn’t, but because that’s just the way our government rolls. He will bargain away things that we would rather he didn’t. He will pay any price he considers worth paying to get what he wants. That’s how it works. And you can argue the value of the chips all you want, but you can’t put the system on Obama’s head. Sorry. It’s not within his power to change that. And if he told you that he could, he was lying.

Is that shocking to you? Really? If so, may I recommend that you give up the following of current events, and instead immerse yourself in the glorious world of science fiction? You’ll have lots of company, and no one will ever make you know the name of another congressperson or cabinet member or undersecretary of the blah blah blah ever again. Sure, you’ll have to learn Klingon, but at least SoH DIchDaq Hegh tlhej quv!

And I swear, you can hate Obama for making you believe that he could change the world if you want to, but it’d be just another foolish action by just another fool. Obama is not the boss of us. He’s not king. He’s not your god, either, he’s just a good player in a very fucked up game.

And besides, who’s not to say that he hasn’t already changed the world? Maybe we’re just not looking in the right place. Obama stepped up and volunteered to be our collective Jackie Robinson. And sure, he’ll be in the history books just for managing, and I’m still not sure how he did it, to get elected president. And if he also accomplishes something in the next four to eight years, he’ll get credit for that, too, and lots of it. But in the meantime, he’ll have to take a few spikes to the shinbone. He’ll have to listen to the taunting, and the name-calling, and he’ll never be able to answer back the way he’d really like. But that’s what he signed up for. He could’ve stayed down in the minors, but he didn’t. And so, the pressure’s on him. I hope he can take it. I hope that he, like Jackie, keeps his head down and learns to shut out the insults and plugs away the best he can.

And you know what? Here’s something I wouldn’t admit to just anyone: I believe he has my best interest at heart. What he can manage to accomplish in this ferkakta cesspool of a rich man’s world, is another story.

8 comments:

kittens not kids said...

right the fuck on. I think he DOES have my best interests at heart, too. And I damn well know that Michelle Obama does, and that when Mrs Obama speaks to her husband, he listens (how could he NOT? that woman is the perfect storm).

And while we're at it: all y'all leftists and democrats, please, for the love of god(or goddess, or whatever): GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER. stop with the "everyone's opinion is valid, let's have a drum circle to work through our feelings," and start sending out some fucking shock troops to scream and demand for the public option. Get some ladies to cry hysterically about how THIS IS NOT MY AMERICA if it doesn't include health care for everyone. Get some old vets to say "I fought in the Spanish-American War, and I'll be doggoned if this country will turn into another Somalia" (or any other shithole of a country with no infrastructure.

it's time the democrats learned that sometimes, a little hierarchy and autocracy goes a long way to getting shit DONE. too many chiefs, not enough indians, in that ugly old racist phrase. find a nice new clean-green phrase to replace it, and GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER.

(oh. sorry to spew bile all over your blog comments....)

bubbles said...

Vikki!

Woo Hoo! You know I'm a fan, but this time you struck a chord for me!

The guy is smart enough to know that he has to take what he can get done. I'm with him all the way.

Do I want more? Hell yes. Do I understand that it is tough shit to plow through? Yep.

Glad he's there to lead the charge.


Idiotic side note:
Michelle can wear whatever the f'ing she pleases. WTF???? Gag me folks.

Thanks, Vikki. Love your posts. Wish I could sit with you and enjoy a beer or few.

Marshall Park Slope said...

Vikki! Yes, yes, yes, yes,YES! Damn straight. No doubt that when I first heard Obama speak years ago, I knew he meant what he said, and that he would actually TRY and do what he said. I knew it wouldn't be easy (because he told me it wouldn't be) but I knew and know he will continue to fight the good fight. On a related note, will Obama ever be able to top his line at a press conference several months ago about the bailouts: "It took me two days to respond because I like to know what I am talking about before I speak". Well how bout that!?

With each new post, your brilliance shines brighter. And BUBBLES, just this week, I got to have a few beers with Vikki! How lucky I was! What a great time Vik!

MW

Dad E said...

Ferkakta? Is this a derivative of Farcockt? Trying hard to stay edgy. Maybe I can use this.

I read where Obama's popularity has gone down amonst the great, revered independent voter due to the commotion being caused by the failure wishing-can't think of a way to fix anything-Republican fringe.

It confirms to me that those that take pride it being an independent voter should instead just admit that they are fuzzy thinkers and have trouble following an idea to conclusion.

Besides, there are no independent congressmen. Who cares about the independent vote at this time. They can be won back when the time comes where they have to decide between one of two things.

Stay the course, I say. This medical improvement project is like going around Cape Horn in an 18th century vessel.

Anonymous said...

Great post, and those last three paragraphs hit the nail right on its damn head.

GETkristiLOVE said...

Ah, to die without honor. It's a Klingon tragedy. As for the crowd going wild...

jIyajbe' petaQ!

Poplicola said...

I find your pragmatism and trilingualism, when taken in conjunction with your vicious attack on the objective infallibility of the Urban President, to be grossly unAmerican and borderline treasonous. The only way to undo the damage of two consecutive Puppy Eater administrations is to a) punish the enemy, no matter what the cost and b) purge the party rolls so only the True Believers remain to fashion a clear headed agenda that favors those who are able to shout the loudest. That's the new paradigm. That's how the cycle works: hang around and then ape what the Republicans already did. We have a blueprint in place.

dguzman said...

Amen, baby, especially about believing he has our best interest at heart. There aren't many politicians out there about whom one can say that (and one of them died yesterday), but I truly believe Obama wants to help us. And that's why I still support him, and will continue to support him, no matter what lies and shitballs the repugs throw at him.