Yes, we need to defeat the Republican-led nutjobs who are trying to destroy the American Dream, deify the financial elites, and bring increased feudalism to our nation. That should be a no-brainer to any American. However, by setting the moral and ethical bar so low, Republicans have once again moved the center of political debate into the range of neo-colonialism and proto-fascism. Perhaps this is their true agenda, to make us feel satisfied in November, merely by defeating the most outrageous, textbook elitist villains, con men and "heels" ever assembled on a political stage in America.
But even if we manage to defeat the reconstituted John Birch Society Republican Tea Party in November, what do we really have? We will have accomplished nothing but having dodged the complete destruction of our middle class and working class. The elites and corporations will still be running the country. Bill Clinton and other elitist Democrats will still be adored by Democrats, symbols of the American Dream being transformed into the American Lotto. Bernie Sanders and the few other progressives will still be lone voices actually doing something about social inequity and the all-but-disappeared American Dream.
If we manage to win in November, it will be time to transcend the anti-climax of elite Scrooge boogey men being defeated and to redouble our efforts and push the right-wing elitists outside of the realm of acceptable moral and ethical debate. Will we have the energy and resolve to do this - or will we celebrate another iconic achievement and forget, once again, what it was that we were seeking. Most decent Americans may just want to live and let live, but the elites will not relent in their efforts to suck up every asset, every resource, every soul at their disposal in this bizarre free-market, slave-people system that has solidified since 1980.
If the forces of fascism are nominally defeated at the ballot box, we will still need to claim a mandate of epic proportions and we had better use that to bring the center of political debate back to how we can best promote the American Dream and American jobs. We need to bring the debate back to how we can best show effective compassion, how corporations have no place in our political system, and how the wealthy can have no greater access or influence on public policy, Congress or Executive Agencies than a cab driver, an unemployed tool and dye maker, a pregnant teenager or a disabled veteran. Dudes, we may need to build Obama into a winning brand, but let's not forget that our country and our planet are in deep trouble - and we need to build an informed electorate and an educated citizenship.
