Derailed.

No wonder George Bush is traveling in Europe in hopes of “securing his legacy” as recent articles have put it.  His legacy here at home is pretty much a foregone conclusion:  Worst President Ever.

A new New York Times/CBS opinion poll found that 81% of Americans believe “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track.”  It’s the worst result since this question was first asked in the early 1990s.

A majority of nearly every demographic and political group — Democrats and Republicans, men and women, residents of cities and rural areas, college graduates and those who finished only high school — say the United States is headed in the wrong direction. Seventy-eight percent of respondents said the country was worse off than five years ago; just 4 percent said it was better off.  [New York Times article]

That’s a national consensus of opinion almost unheard of in this country.  Are the Democrats in Congress listening?  They’ve been running scared from the threat of a presidential veto on any number of issues—Iraq war funding, wiretapping and other assaults on civil liberties, torture.

I think Congress needs to confront the veto pen with this national consensus.  Let Bush bluster and bluff and engage in his fear-mongering.  Backed with such bi-partisan consensus, Congress could roll over Bush as easily as a skateboarder skims over fresh new asphalt.

While they’re at it, Congress might want to actually listen to the national conversation.  Again, from today’s NY Times article:

In assessing possible responses to the mortgage crisis, Americans displayed a populist streak, favoring help for individuals but not for financial institutions. A clear majority said they did not want the government to lend a hand to banks, even if the measures would help limit the depth of a recession.  [Emphasis added.]

Americans almost always display a populist streak.  We’re no dummies, when you get down to it.  Clear majorities have long favored national health insurance, for example, but Congress has always allowed the monstrous medical industry to call the shots.

There may never be a better time to aggressively push a progressive agenda than now.  The villagers aren’t quite storming the gates of the citadel with pitchforks and flaming torches, but the mood of the country is an angry one.

And that’s something Bush can’t veto.

Comments

[Ted Rudow II,MA]

The technology advances so insidiously, so imperceptibly, that only later will we notice how deep the changes in our lives have been. "It's a little bit like locked doors," says Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster and Stanford University instructor. "Today nobody has any concept of what it's like to have a house without a locked door or a security system.
"As the memory of a world without surveillance disappears, society will just create a new normal, and then you'll see worse horrors," he says. "Our whole lives will become like the TSA checkpoint. You walk in there, you don't look mad, don't look upset, don't look distracted. Do nothing to stand out." Saffo says the mindset of the future may be: "Practice being invisible."
There's a stronger pressure for people to fit in—or, if you're going to be different, to do so in a System way, to be odd or peculiar in commonly accepted ways. You can dye your hair all sorts of colors, pierce yourself in all sorts of places, and wear any odd clothes you like, and it's still within the range of the accepted norm.The System now defines what differences are dangerous. He'll allow all sorts of differences and tolerate all sorts of things—except for dissent and religious differences.

[Ted Rudow III,MA]

Soldier's suffering
Ted Rudow III,MA
The rise in psychological trauma associated with the war in
Iraq should not surprise experts. The extent of wartime trauma is
directly proportional to the type of warfare fought and the experiences
encountered. Studies of Vietnam veterans show that between 26 and 31
percent have experienced PTSD. This rate is understandable given that
the Vietnam War combat environment included both guerilla and
conventional warfare. It is arguable that the war in Iraq compares to
the Vietnam War, as there is no safe place, no enemy lines, and threats
surround the soldier on all sides. Situations that can contribute to
the development of PTSD. Now soldier's who are suffered from PTSD and
other mental illnesses are being send back to Iraq, after serving
there!
I work as a volunteer Counselor at the VA Hospital in Menlo
Park,CA for 17 years as a musician therapist. I work mostly with
Vietnam Vets. I was comment on "Other Voices", Tue, April 7 about this
tragedy! War is the national creed of America. Like the neighborhood
bully, they're proud of the fact that they can beat up anyone else, and
they flaunt it in the media. See how this competitive war thing has
been the final stages of every great civilization and empire.
Ted Rudow III, MA
650-905-2168

[Jordan Retro 12]

Maybe I can say you are a good writer, because of your article remind me of much more about literature. What's more, we are always never too old to study. Go on all the way.