Consider that something close to 80% of the population thinks Congress sucks, Dick Cheney sucks, President Bush sucks, and the country is on the wrong track
Consider the fact that even here, on an extremely popular site which was started with the express goal of electing Democrats to office, a huge percentage of the people are completely disillusioned and dissatisfied with that very party. (And for damn good reason.)
What we are presented with is a vacuum. A vacuum of leadership and representation.
In business terms, there is a strong demand, but no supply.
In business terms, this is a gold mine of an opportunity. The chance of a lifetime.
If this were a business issue (and it sorta could be) there would be a ton of start-ups and billions in venture capital looking to fill the void.
However, to even mention starting a new party here, and from most the immediate response is one of abject fear -- fear of not being immediately successful. Even though most new businesses lose money for at least the first five years.
What we have in this country, as far as having our political needs met, is analogous to what the Russians faced back in the days of the Soviet Union as far as getting their consumer needs met.
They would stand in line for hours just to get a roll of toilet paper.
Here, just to get heard, just to get noticed, just to get a voice, so that those who "represent" us can actually have a damn CLUE about how to represent us, is virtually impossible. And when we do make enough noise to be noticed, we're rewarded with them scolding us, telling us they're mad at us, and that they're the leaders, not us.
When all we want is just a roll of goddamn toilet paper.
Looking at this as a business problem, realizing there is a huge, unrealized demand for actual political leadership and political representation in this country, which most would probably be happy to pay at least a few bucks for, all we need is the right political enterpreneurs to transform this country.
Heavy emphasis on the "right" political enterpreneurs. With the wrong ones, we could reallly get jettisoned into the Dark Ages. Which is realy the only thing that I fear:
That if we don't fill the void, someone else will.
Because nature abhors a vacuum.
Let's face it -- right now we HAVE no representation. We've been ignored, we've been lied to, we've been conned. In other words, what do we really have to lose? Nothing. We have nothing.
So where are the leaders with an enterpreneurial spirit willing to step into the void? People who realize that even successful new business lose money the first several years of existence?
How much longer are we gonna put up with this status quo?
If we keep putting up with it, we'll get exactly the government we deserve.
And some day, my grandchildren will ask me "Grandpa, what was Florida like? What was a polar bear? Did you ever see one? Did six billion people actually live on earth? How come you didn't die with all those other people?"
Ya know?
What we need is a party that represents actual human beings, and that is based on common sense. The common good. One that actually strives for the survival of the human race, and civilization, and the planet Earth. That's what it's coming down to now.
This is one of the saddest things I've ever heard of: (thanks to magnifico)
"The Tourism of Doom" is booming. Travelers are visiting places they expect to be gone within a generation. "From the tropics to the ice fields, doom is big business... Travel agents report clients are increasingly requesting trips to see the melting glaciers of Patagonia, the threatened coral of the Great Barrier Reef, and the eroding atolls of the Maldives". People "are eager to be the ones to see things last."
That's how it's going to end? As one enormous train wreck that people pay to gawk at? Are we giving up that easily? Without even a fight?
The country -- hell, the world -- needs and wants leaders who will somehow get us out of this impending, unfolding disaster from which none of us are safe.
The Democratic Party is merely in the way. Part of the problem, not part of the solution.
It's time we all banded together and kicked almost everybody out of Washington, regardless of party.
We are in a window of opportunity. Some day, probably soon, it will close.
It will close.
Just to be clear, I'm not talking about putting all our eggs in the "new party" basket either. What we need are more baskets. Contingency plans. Options.