February 03, 2006
Friday

Regarding the recently posted comment on the so-called "childish" behavior of the Democrats during Mr. Bush's State of the Union Address: It's amazing how quickly the conservatives forget the faces their leaders were making at every one of the seven Clinton State of the Union addresses. What would you have them do, sit there stone faced and emotionless pretending that they are unaffected by the lies they are hearing, by the untruths and misdirection of a president whose disapproval ratings, for good reason, are approaching the lowest of any president, ever?

I wish the Democratic leadership would do more than squirm or make faces as the weeks and months of this presidency passes us by, with war abroad and economic disaster building at home, with consitutional protections and civil rights ever more threatened, with lobbyists run amok. My wish is that they would stand-up and challenge Mr. Bush and the conservative elite; challenge him directly on the war, on the national debt, social security, nominations to the Supreme Court, campaign finance reform, the health care and prescription drug disasters, No Child Left Behind, student financial aid, and on and on...

Considering the affronts to our democracy and the true state of our union, I respect the fact that the Democrats were able to restrain themselves from walking out of the room altogether. At a certain point, after you've spent every hour of every day trying to right the wrongs and challenge the affronts of a corrupt and disastrous administration, all you are left with is the raw emotion and discust that escapes in the form of facial expression and body language. It's too bad the Democrats haven't and probably won't do more to oppose this administration. Of-course they, too, are worried about re-election and are pandering to their base. That's the real tragedy of our political system, not the few emotions expressed during the worst of times on the national stage. The real tragedy is we don't have leaders who will stand up and say, stop, enough is enough!

Perhaps by the next state of the union address one or another Democrat, Independent or some other will have weathered the haze and fog of the status quo. If so, they'll certainly get my vote. If not, I'll vote for McCain.

Ted Wright
Seattle, WA - USA

About: Ted Wright was born and raised in Sitka and writes he has "long followed the sad story that is American politics in the late 20th and early 21st century. I consider myself progressive and sometimes liberal, but rarely conservative, at least not of a kind I see now controlling all three branches of what is meant to be agovernment of checks and balances."

Related Viewpoint:

Democrats at State of the Union Speech Acted Outrageously! By Theresa Cullen - Fairbanks, AK - USA

 

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