project 365 #116: nightskycoxeave

project 365 #116: nightskycoxeave
Originally uploaded by mygothlaundry.

Last night I filled in as co host for Drinking Liberally since my friend S is out of town and my friend A had an experimental music gig (I was going to go over there, A, honest I was, but then. . it got late. . . I suck. . . ) and, while it was kind of a small turnout, it was fun because we got to watch the "debates." Of the democratic candidates for president, of whom there are a lot, despite the fact that the goddamn election is over a year and a half away and this constant damn campaigning is getting ridiculous. Now, these were not debates as I understand the term; they were more like a game show or a panel discussion or a really short interview with lots of people, but it was interesting all the same. For one thing, it introduced me to the redoubtable Senator Mike Gravel and, forgive the pun, but Gravel Rocks. (I made that up! That is my meme! Laugh!) He does, though. Rock, I mean. We were literally standing up and cheering him wildly - among other things, the man came out against the military/industrial complex and so I, for one, am totally madly deeply in love with him. I want him to be our next president.

The thing is, at the last election the stupid Dems chickened out and refused to nominate anyone who they thought was in the least confrontational or controversial or anything, really, but bland and annoying and wishy washy. They said someone angry and tough, like Dean, or visionary and smart, like Kucinich, couldn't get elected and I went along with them because I thought they had a handle on this thing called realpolitik which I, a humble dreamer who is only even interested in politics in occasional spurts, do not. Well, fuck that. I'm not going along anymore. I want someone angry. I want someone controversial and pissed off who's not afraid to alienate people and ignore his handlers and speak his mind. Not a slick politician like John "Did I Mention That Daddy was a Millworker" Edwards or a tough politician like Hilary "Pearl Collar = Bad, Bad Fashion Choice" Clinton or Barack "I really like him but I don't think he's ready for the presidency just yet" Obama or Whatsisname "Did he really just say that if he'd been in charge at the Bay of Pigs he'd have nuked Cuba? He didn't really just say that, did he? Holy Shit." Richardson or any of the other old party hacks like Dodd, or, for gods' sake, Biden. Joe? Earth to Joe Biden? The original election jokes about you weren't funny when I was in high school, Joe. That was a loooong time ago. This is not the Academy Awards. No one is going to give you a lifetime achievement award for running in every fucking primary since the Taft administration. Give it up. Go back to Delaware and drink yourself to death like a good hack, okay?

There is, of course, a school of thought that says that the last election - and, in fact, most of them - were masterminded by the Demopublicans/Republocrats/Evil Corporatocracy Lizard Overlords of Cthulhu which is why we ended up with a shlump like Kerry as a nominee and while I do not often don a tin foil hat, sometimes I think they're right. However. Let's hope they don't do it again. Maybe this time we will free ourselves from the terrible grip of the evil lizard people with their paranoid reptilian brains and actually end up with a reasonable government. Maybe this time we can not listen to them when they say that a person with an actual functioning independently thinking brain cannot be elected and so we all have to go out and vote hopelessly for the robot. Maybe this time the electoral college will be turned into a purely ceremonial thing (hopefully involving horses and lots of gold braid and funny hats) and the Diebold machines will not skew to the right and the Bush dynasty, having pissed off their demonic master, will vanish in a puff of evil scented smoke and the Christians will come to their senses and realize that Jesus didn't advocate hatred and/or running the country and everyone will finally get a grip on the simple, basic fact that if somebody's sex life doesn't involve you, your kids or your dog, then it is None. Of. Your. Business who the hell people sleep with or marry and also that if every child was a wanted child, this damn world would be one fucking hell of a lot better and everything we can do to get ourselves in that direction is a good thing. One can always hope, right?