Obvious Things

In case you haven't noticed, our owners and their political wing hate us. Deeply. They hate us so much that spectacles like the debt ceiling dance are performed in full light, a reminder of who controls what money is left and what more they can grab. It's an astounding sight, an open Fuck You to the rest of us. And the sad truth is, they'll get away with it.

Where's the resistance? the political anger? Observers have long noted that the Democrats will be the ones to dismantle Social Security and Medicare, and here's Obama promising to do just that. Of course, such dismantling is couched in talk of "cuts" and "fiscal discipline," but the cruel intent is clear. And apart from some grumbling about "betrayal," most liberals offer no push back, no alternatives other than holding their noses and voting for Obama once again.

What -- you want a President Bachmann?

A few of us questioned Obama's fraudulent claims for national rebirth in '08, and were shit on for our efforts (such as they were). The HOPE heads were too high on CHANGE meth to consider critical views. What's their excuse now? Even Obama's re-election team knows better than to stoke false dreams. They see that liberals have no place to turn and lack the political courage to break from the Democrats.

It helps that the GOP field is certifiably insane, with the exception of Mitt Romney, the Mormon Obama. If Romney snags the Republican nomination, watch out. He and Obama are close enough politically to make the 2012 election a nail biter, which is why most liberals pray that Bachmann, Palin, or Santorum heads the GOP ticket. Placing one's faith in lunacy has become a mainstream value.

Meanwhile, our numerous wars continue. Libya is a debacle. Iraq was lost ages ago. Afghanistan teeters on the edge. Pakistan is pissed off. Somalia starves while the CIA runs torture sites. There seems to be enough money for all this and more. No Beltway hand wringing about fiscal discipline here.

More ominously, there's no antiwar or populist movement to counter this butchery. Small wonder why powerless people gorge themselves on shitty food, loud empty movies, "reality" television, and increasingly twisted porn. Nationalism remains popular, the one supposedly solid feature left to average Americans. But it's flag waving over decaying myths. The more dire the circumstances, the more flags go up. Patriotism is the last refuge of the despised.

Can it be turned around? Yes, but it will take effort and sacrifice. Find comfort in that we've already sacrificed much, so that shouldn't be an alien sensation. Political effort is another story. That will require heavy lifting, endurance, tenacity. But we don't have to do it alone. If we're connected through misery, we can be connected through solidarity. And love. That's a binding power that the true cynics cannot buy, sell, and outsource. It's so obvious it's a cliché. Let's be clichés.