This is what comes of putting trust in the Democratic Party. They can't be trusted to win a race against a one-legged man, much less beat a vulnerable incumbent that sent us to war for spurious purposes.
Instead of choosing someone who could draw a stark contrast with the President(like, I don't know HOWARD DEAN) over the Iraq War, they went with a wishy washy Senator with all of the conviction of a sea sponge. George W. Bush is definitely the wrong man for the job of President of the United States of America, but John Kerry was certainly never the RIGHT man for it. Voters should have known better back in the primaries when Dem party officials said that Kerry "had the best shot at beating Bush". Uh huh. Kerry couldn't beat his meat. I was dying for a solid Democratic candidate to get behind, someone like Dean. Instead, we got Lurch and I voted for Nader... again.
Seriously, ordinary citizens need to hijack the Democratic Party, for it's own good. They are the most ineffectual, whiny bunch of hacks this side of the UN. If you can't beat the party that stands for deregulating the marketplace to the point that corporations no longer even bother with using lube or giving you a reach around before they stick it to you, well then guess what, Bubba? You're doing something very, very wrong. If you can't beat the party that wants to clear cut our national forests, drill in our arctic wildlife preserve, and allow big corporations to dump toxic waste wherever they please, you suck.
It's time to face some very, very uncomfortable facts, people. A majority of the country voted for Bush this time around. The GOP picked up seats in the Senate and House. Do I really think that people like the Republican Party so much that this phenomenon means a mandate? No, no I don't. What I think it means is that the Democratic Party is a fucking waste of space, oxygen and resources; apologizing for the Democratic Party is like apologizing for your dumb, drunk uncle. You feel bad, but it's really HIS fault.
It's time for regular citizens to take over this stupid machinery and use it to give the system a righteous kick in the ass, before it's too late(well, it's probably already too late). It's time to mobilize and hold our elected representatives accountable for the shit that they do in our name. They'll keep doing it unless we stand up to them and demand better. And it's time for ordinary citizens to run for elective office.
Finally, it's time for us all to start holding the media accountable. They are doing a fucking detestable job in providing America with coverage of issues that really matter. Who gives a flying fuck if Dick Cheney's daughter is a lesbian and if John Kerry mentioned it? Why aren't we hearing about the no bid, excessive length contract that Haliburton received, and the FBI investigation into it? Which is more important to America? That a Presidential candidate noted that the opposition party's VP candidate was an open lesbian, or that the VP candidate's old company may have improperly benefitted in it's business dealings with the federal govt?
The time isn't now. The time is months, maybe years ago. But we, as citizens who have this country run into the ground in our name, have to demand better. Because no one is just going to give it to us. Politics is a blood sport, and if you aren't willing to put up, you better shut up and take what they're gonna give you.