[pretty much copied completely here, because the home of the Great Orange Satan is a place where things too correct tend to disappear]
I always like to say our health care system is not broken, it's working perfectly. Just not for us. And it is true. The American health care system is doing exactly what it was designed to do - make a fortune for a few people.
You can apply this same principle to every major part of the American experience - our media is working flawlessly at keeping the vast majority of Americans misinformed. And even our government is working flawlessly at preserving its own power and protecting the interests of those it serves. It is from within this framework that we must assess George Bush's presidency.
I have repeatedly heard people refer to Bush as a failed president. Indeed, that is probably how he will go down in history. But to be accurate, we must separate our failure, and that of our country's, from those of the Bush administration, those who enabled him, and those whose interest he serves.
For it is from their perspective, we must admit, George Bush's presidency was a raging success. With the help of a complicit and feckless Democratic congress, and a compliant media, George Bush got almost everything he wanted.
And while we, both as progressives and Americans, may be choking on the products of his success, for those he represents, the country is now a far more agreeable place then it was eight years ago. Sure, the last few months have seen economic turmoil and insecurity even for the perversely wealthy. But even there things are looking up as Henry Paulson comes to their rescue - with our money.
All in all, from the point of view of the greedy, parasite class who feeds off the commonwealth of our country and its people, the Bush Republicans and the faux opposition we sometimes call the Democrats have worked perfectly.
Here's a very brief and incomplete list of Bushco's successes:
In eight years, almost completely unimpeded by Democrats, and in many cases, he couldn't have done it without them, Bush dramatically changed this country to the benefit of the parasite class. From gutting environmental policy, to ridiculous tax cuts, to numerous bills that only benefited the monied interests, Bush helped corporate America make more profit than in human history. And I'm not even including the oil, gas, and coal industry. From bankruptcy reform, the energy bill, to the the medicare bill, Bush pushed through major legislation that eliminated oversight, hurt consumers, and weakened our democracy. Then, throw in two Supremes who love corporate power and God, and all I can say is, good job George.
Probably his greatest success, however, was letting 911 happen. I don't know how they did it, but, despite a plethora of warnings, they actually managed to let 4 planes get hijacked at once, and fly unimpeded into three major sites including the World Trade Towers. Excellent.
From that single act, Bush was able to conquer two countries, seize about 45 trillion dollars in Iraqi oil, depending on the ppb this week, and turn the country into a war mongering, war profiteering, national security police state. Oh Mr Bush, you will always be VIP at the Petroleum Club.
Yes, Bush's base has made trillions of dollars from his actions and policies. Kudos. A very successful presidency indeed.
Who has failed on the other hand, is us.
We in the progressive netroots, and specifically here at Daily Kos, have failed repeatedly to do much of anything. We raised a bunch of money to elect better Democrats. Most lost, some were good, but others turned out to be no better than the Democrats we were trying to get rid of.
Tried to get rid of Lieberman - failed. Tried to stop Supreme court appointments - failed. Tried to stop numerous, unbelievable bills like the Military Commissions act - failed. Tried to pressure congress to end the Iraq war and prevent the "surge" - failed.
I'm sure many would love to take credit for the victory of the Dems in 2006 and Obama in 2008. But, while we did kick in some needed cash, any honest assessment of the 2006 midterm elections would recognize that the Republicans deserve more credit for losing than the Democrats deserve for winning. Far more.
And while Obama deserves ample credit for kicking John McCain's ass, his campaign pretty much bypassed Daily Kos and the netroots. We did, again, do a good job of raising money here, but I certainly wouldn't try to claim credit for Obama's victory. I have little doubt that Obama would have won regardless of whether Daily Kos existed or not.
Now, I know some will be offended by my dismal assessment of our performance. But I believe it is the hard truth. Sure, there have been mini victories along the way. And there's no doubt we gave the Dems a little boost. But the honest truth is, we have failed to impose our will in any meaningful way on the actors in Washington. That's just a fact. And if Obama turns out to be the progressive we all hoped he would, we should call ourselves lucky.
Right now, in Washington, every major interests group is maneuvering to secure their interests in the new Congress and the Obama administration. They are pressuring, threatening, and bribing politicians with campaign cash to make sure they aren't the big losers in the next 4 years.
But not us. We are merely bystanders. Hooing and hawing at what we see with no real means to affect it. And while a great deal of uncertainty exists over what Obama will actually do, I see no indication that the progressive agenda is driving anything in Washington. In fact, it seems as though we didn't win an election at all. It seems we have been shown the door.
By the most optimistic assessment, it's as though we have only one progressive in Washington. Barack Obama, and he's playing at not letting on that he's a progressive.
This is unfortunate. I believe we not only defeated Republicans this year, but we defeated an idea, an ideology if you will. But in Washington you would never know it. Lost in all the conciliatory language of bipartisanship is the reality that we were right all along, that progressive policies are best, and that we predicted much of what has come to pass.
Lost is any sense of accountability. We have so much work to do. We cannot risk waiting to find out what Obama is really going to do. And we sure can't afford the kind of blind loyalty and sycophantism on display here.
I believe in us. Not Washington or any politician to fight for our rights and needs. All I care about is what maximizes people power, and how we, a bunch of ordinary, yet extraordinarily informed citizens can change our government.
Anything that reduces our power as Americans to force our government to do the right thing and work for us is the enemy. Period. We are fighting for our lives. It is deadly serious. In some countries, the parasite class kills Democrats. And they will not give up their piece of the pie without a fight.
Obama said he needs our help. We need to get serious and give it to him. But when he's wrong, we need to make him fear us. That is political power. And if you don't have the stomach for it, then keep posting cat pictures.
And if you really believe that the powers behind George Bush and Dick Cheney, the oil companies, the defense companies, the bankers, are just going to retire now that his presidency is over, then you need to get out of politics.
I am not a religious person, but the only word I can find to describe these people is evil. And there is no "coming together" or "finding common ground" with evil. They hate us. They wish we were dead. In other countries, people like us, people who just want justice and fairness for everyone, end up dead.
In the US, they don't have to kill us because we have no power.
So as you flood diaries about your favorite songs, or pooties, or why so and so is upset with so and so, remember, George Bush kicked our asses. He got what he wanted. Us, we're just hoping one guy will save us.
Salvation? The kossacks still dream of salvation. Just because you eat the blue pill doesn't mean you're not still falling down the rabbithole.
That's a lesson they're still learning.
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