Fact or fiction -- what's the difference?

So today is Inauguration Day, Version 2. While I can't begin to imagine (or really don't want to, at this particular moment) what the next four years holds, I can say that I am uncomfortable knowing who is "in control". The arrogance of this administration has brought this country great embarrassment, a now-openly hostile view from the rest of the world and endless confusion. I don't feel like getting on my soapbox; I will simply say that I will wait and see.

I don't think I'm the typical "Liberal". I believe in the most base of ideals--live and let live. The "new Left" has taken this to idiotic extremes of neo-Fascistic discomfort (and really, no different than the Bible-toting Right). I'm Liberal--not stupid. I don't subscribe to the party platform, as there is no platform except for shouting into the wind. For those of us who prefer the left/progressive/forward-thinking way, let us step back for a moment and re-address the (so-called) party's needs. Like firm leadership. A clear mind with a straight message. Something to really base what the fundamental needs of people will be if you eliminate the current state of affairs and what the Bush 2 administration has wrought upon all of us. The problem is, the Democratic/Liberal party have no one and nothing--simply put, this last bunch were more full of shit than the previous bunch. Are we fucked?

As much as I truly believe that John Kerry is a good man; a genuinely decent, righteous and open-hearted individual, he totally shot himself in the foot by getting up there and uttering that galling "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty". Lesson 1: DON'T fucking pander to the convention crowd. It made me cringe and right there I knew "we will not win". Playing up to the whole gay-marriage frenzy was the suicide leap. This was NOT the election to make the subject an issue (or more insidiously, a cause celebre). Lesson 2: wait until the hoped-for candidate wins the election--THEN bring it up for debate/speculation. Once again, this last year's Democratic rally was simply "we're anti-Bush". That's NOTHING. Lesson 3: have SOMETHING TO SAY. Give the party back a true, focused platform. And somebody please tell the musicians who were trying to get the vote out that your antics of outright disrespect pissed more people off than it galvanized them. Lesson 4: be PROUD to be an American and voice your discontent in a manner that people will actually listen to. Use facts, subtlety and gentle persuasion. Take your God-given right as an American to use your intelligence, success and resources (like money and exposure) to convey the message that this government is not the right one by NOT screaming "Bush sucks" or whatever. Do NOT fake the whole "I'm ashamed to be an American". THAT's bullshit. I'm American, I'm proud to be an American and I believe in the rights of all people, but I don't believe in kissing the ass of a world that has now shown itself to despise us in the grand scheme. I voted for Kerry because I believe in him as a good man--I wasn't sold on his leadership skills or his definite (to cop the buzzword from the Right) flip-flopping ways, but at the end of the day, he's a better person. I disliked Kerry's unwillingness to fight Bush/Cheney/Rove on equal ground--he took the coward's approach in defending himself rather than rising to the occasion and challenging them. He's the smarter man; he could have destroyed them/their (questionable) credibility, but he didn't. He put up a shield, rather than pull out his own machine gun etiquette to take Bush, et al. to task. And (as editorializing as this is) I don't give a shit if he isn't the most electrifying or charming guy on the planet; I couldn't care less if he was fat, had a harelip and a monocle. As long as he's competent enough to get the fucking job done, that's all that matters. Sad to say, that while many people oddly find President Bush to be "charismatic", the man is (for all intents and purposes) one of the most obviously feeble-minded individuals to serve in a public capacity, as far as my memory can reach.

However, for all his flaws and the fault I find with him and the way the party approached this election, I still feel good about my reasons for voting for Kerry. He's still the better man. And I have to say, I do like and respect John Edwards immensely; I hope we hear more from him in the not-too-distant future.

Okay, so I got up on the soapbox. Sue me. I remember the last Inauguration Day; a rainy and miserable Saturday in which Liz and I sat around chain-smoking, being nervous and emotionally-distraught, me drinking endless pints of Bass Ale and getting more and more pissed off as I watched with both fascination and being appalled by this man who had been given a free pass to become the Chief Executive. A complete irony in that he never had any kind of success in any of his previous jobs. He's still a lousy employee. But today is sunny; Liz and I are both healthier, older, wiser and have weathered the first four years of madness, so I figure we'll make it through the next four. At least I hope we do. I hope we all do.