Politics

The two national parties are corrupt--but each one in different ways. The Republicans are ideologically corrupt, an ideology driven by privilege or ignorance or fantasy. They cannot imagine that their success has something to do with other people. The Democrats are spiritually or economically corrupt: either they have sold out to corporations or banks or they view themselves as corporate managers--or both. I can't be an independent in the sense of occupying some space between these two behemoths. But I can't identify with either political party and passively support corruption. There is no political home for me.

The Democrats are shocked by the election of a fool in Massachusetts. But why? We've elected fools before. The Democrats belatedly realize that the country is disgusted by banker bailouts and that an economy that can't provide jobs to everyone who wants one is not an economy that actually does things for people. They want to pass health care reform--such reform as it is--as if they were Human Resources managers trying to find a better health insurance plan. That's spiritual corruption. And the tyranny of the Senate filibuster allows for the most craven of Democrats to shake down the country for a bribe. That's economic corruption. On the other side are the kind of people who would walk over you if you were lying in the street in need of assistance.

So much for hope and change.