Change We Can Live Without

This started as a comment in Politico.com article on the double standard over the Reid/Lott controversy of comments that were politically inexpedient/inexplicable from intelligent men. And has metamorphosed (spelling?) into something much broader and about what is wrong...both the double standard in saying unpleasant things, to how Congress is screwing things up in a way that only Congress can. So, here is my comment.

I suspect, that many people who voted for Mr. Obama last year didn't think that the "change" he has initiated was what they wanted, hence the large movement of indepent voters away from the Democratic brand over the past 7 or so months. This doesn't make them Republicans either. After all, the GOP seems to have forgotten what the party was about (at least during the Bush years...huge deficits and earmarks that have only been exceeded in the past 2 years under the Dems)--fiscal conservatism, not spending beyond the country's means of paying for it...on the other hand, Mr. Obama seems to have jumped off the deficit cliffs, having run up in under a year, more deficit spending than all the past presidents combined.

That is why those independents are becoming jittery. The economy is a shambles, the "stimulus package" wasn't about stimulus, but about paying Democratic constituencies...and it did in spades. For something that was supposed to keep unemployment under 8%, I'd say it's an utter failure. TARP has metamorphosed into something far different that it's original intent, buying up toxic assets from banks, and become a slush fund to spend any way Bernanke and this government desire.

That is why independents are jittery...they see a government that has spent 8 months attempting to pass a plan that will fundamentally alter one sixth of the economy when the economy is a shambles. They didn't vote for that, but you can bet this fall they'll alter who they vote for...and the present governing majority is terrified of what that will mean. So, they are going to try and ram though as much "change" as they can, while they are still the majority.

My hope, is that the GOP won't be the winners this fall...because power corrupts, and they were corrupted while they had the power. My hope is that record numbers of independents will gain office this November and force BOTH parties to reassess themselves, and the goals they once professed to believe in.