Residing in Virginia, I’ve worked on several campaigns as a volunteer and as a paid consultant.  I will do my damnedest to avoid names but I’ve come to the conclusion that saying my piece in those settings accomplishes next to nothing, and shining a light here might be more effective.

In short, the system is not broken, but the players have twisted the game.  Showmanship has upstaged statesmanship and the result has a been an ever expanding need to satisfy the audience rather than make tough decisions.  The result: politicians who will duck out of a session because the legislation was worked out in a closed room deal with no one around, no time to debate, and no time to give the public their due with the bill prior to it being enacted.  Cowardice at facing the voters, but a merry well to do when meeting the donors.

That is what needs to change.  It is not about us versus them, although you will figure out in relatively short order which side I work for most often, but rather how we can get everyone out of this jam, or at least open the doors for the largest number of people.  And let me be clear, when I say open the doors, I mean rip them off their hinges and leave them lying on the ground.

I am crass on occasion, driven by the sheer audacity to not bowing to a polite and cultured, see toothless and feeble, body politic.  Communication is one thing, obfuscation and pretty words with hollow meanings are another.

In closing, comments are welcome.  I plan to stick to a once-a-week posting schedule, usually Tuesdays, until I hammer out a few more details and then more as time progresses.  If I sound vicious, know that I have my beliefs and stick by them, but I am more than willing to hear someone out.  Politics is about the exchange of ideas.  To paraphrase Edward R. Murrow:

I do not insist upon agreement with my political principles as a pre-condition for conversation or friendship. I do not agree with some political idea, but I do believe that mature Americans can engage in conversation and controversy, the clash of ideas, with those of different political ideologies anywhere in the world without becoming contaminated or converted.”