esrosedotblog

LIFE OF THE PARTY

I am reading all this stuff about what the Democrats ought to do next. I mention below that they must reorganize and then build the base. 56 million people. Organize. Down to the street level. We used to be past masters of that.

A lot depends on the stewards of Party power. Will they let this happen or will the donkey's tail get all twisted toward the ideas of the elite who make money out of being Demo-professionals.

Did you see where the campaign money went? A lotta insiders got rich out of this and we got george bush. Gotta roll them heads.

And now, we come to the problem of John Kerry. Not his problem, but my problem.

Here he stands with over 56 million votes and 48 percent of the population wanting him to be President and he is not. What should he do?

I sympathize. I imagine, and hear that, he will return to the Senate where he will be a respected member. He will not be minority leader. That is already parceled out. He met with a group of Senators the other day so I assume that they are all ironing out the awkward bits.

Now, I realize that what I think about Kerry is pretty much beside the point. I did my job. I ranted and cajoled some people and then I went in and hit the touch-pad. No one has asked me to do more or less.

But, somehow, I feel that I must have a position. My legs are still running although I am standing still. This causes a bit of stress I can tell you.

One way to handle it is to slow my legs down; then quit moving them at all. Just stand still. Another is to think about what I hope Kerry will do.

Here is my bit. I hope he will get in the Senate and use his capital the same way that bush has said that he will use his. 56 million is a lot of votes whether it made you the winner or not. But, he has to stay in play and stay hot to do it. Every day that goes by, he is getting cooler.

I hope he forgets the run-in-2008 thing. Did you know that only Adlai Stevenson was the nominee twice in a row and that was with a real convention. Nixon is the only President who ran unsuccessfully and made it. He did it on his second try; with a space in between.

Another reason that I hope he doesn't make another try is that I think he will not do a lot better. He has this aura around him.

Now, I am going to fess up. You know he was not my man. You probably know that when he was my Senator I didn't think he was very good either and I would have voted for someone else in a heartbeat. Indeed, I may have. I think that I voted for Weld. I don't remember. Really. No snickers please.

I guess it is a simple, selfish emotion. I do not want to have to run my motor up to the RPM that I did this time for him. I got over my problems with him and then found many of them staring me in the face as he campaigned.

Don't get me wrong. I still think that he would have been way better and more effective than bush will be. Hands down. And at heart, that was it. Anyone but bush and Kerry was anyone. My affection for him was situational and comparative. Let's get some new leadership all around and work the base.

I am far far far more interested in the direction of the Party just now than any possible candidates in 2008. In fact the who of 2008 is an impediment in the thinking. Work that 56 million! Work it.

It is time for the donkey to kick some serious butt. And please, this time, get rough. We are soooooo nice.