Difficult Truths

Now I'd like to ask that liberal passengers fasten their seat belts and remain seated... it's about to get turbulent as I try to articulate some difficult truths without choking. OK, ready?

Even as a liberal who hates conservatism and everything the Republican party stands for, I am worried by what's going on today and I wish conservatives would nut up and get their act together. We really do need them to turn off Limbaugh and re-grow brains. Because, hard as it is to admit, Democracy needs them.

I think Obama is hip to this even if we aren't. I think his attempts to uphold bipartisanship and inclusion often frustrate Democrats because the hard truth is that he's not representing Democrats, he's representing Democracy. (In olden times, when politics still had gravitas and looked less like crack whores wrestling in a dumpster, this would have been recognized as duty.)

To use a dumb NBA metaphor, Team GOP are currently limping around the court like angry fat guys - totally outclassed, totally outmanoeuvred - just yelling and fouling whenever they see an opportunity. But Team DNC star player Obama still throws the occasional soft pass here and there (can anyone say 'healthcare reform'?) to keep them in the game. Why? Because 'the game' needs to keep on going because the game itself is what constitutes Democracy. And the game can never be won, it can only be played well.

As much as the idea may appeal to authoritarian conservatives who hate Democracy anyway, it's not a zero-sum game. A political Armageddon where the forces of 'good' finally vanquish the forces of 'evil' once and for all would be a f***ing disaster. We would no longer be living in a Democracy, it would be Fascism.

(Please note: Most of what I've said here contradicts a lot of other things I've said here. But, what the hell... I might change my mind tomorrow.)