The problem I have with
No I meant "son" from the standpoint that it seems almost impossible to me that you can have been around politics as long as you claim to, and can still believe that there's a pony somewhere beneath this pile of shit we're being served by BOTH parties.
I didn't mean to imply that no "singular" politician could make the changes that are necessary to keep the country afloat and this people off of each other's throats. I mean that there isn't ANY POLITICIAN, ANYWHERE that WOULD do it, because every pollster, lobbyist, advisor and party leadership out there is furiously whispering in the ear of anybody who might that it's the wrong path to go down. None of them will do it; not the incumbents, sure as shit not the newbies currently running for the incumbents seats in November, because none of them believe that the US is really as deep in the shit as we are. You might be able to find one or two who give the right lip service to cutting the size of government, but when push comes to shove, none of them will propose legislation for it, and none of them will back any legislation authorizing it because they are too deeply addicted to the power that a big government gives them over the lives of individual American citizens.
Again, in a normal world I would agree with you...but we've never had a genuine communist occupy the presidency and the majority of both houses of congress, and we've never had the amount of repression disguised as compassion...not even close!
This is not really a discussion that either of us will agree upon. Of course, I understand human nature, including greed, self-worth/promotion, saying one thing and meaning another, etc. And I can see what power can do to even those with the grandest of purported conservative ideals. 1994 through 1996 is the prime example of that little phenomenon.
But this is not about simply turning back Hillarycare and a mid-level recession. This is about a fundemental change to the way the country does business. That is the way that I see it, anyway.
I understand your pessimism and cynicism. And with RINO's as the dominant factor of the republican movement, your view would certainly be a no-brainer to hold.
But I saw that spark that started with the Palin nomination. Unwittingly, in my opinion, McCain opened up a movement that is not going to slow down in the next few years, in my opinion. While Rick Santilli iconicized the tea party analogy, it opened far more eyes to conservatism than has ever been opened before (though I sense a lot more libertarian influence as well). And if Obama doesn't play his cards absolutely brilliantly, this movement must continue. The next presidential nominee from the GOP will certainly be no RINO this time around.
Bottom line: You think the new Congress will succumb to big-government power. I say they won't, at least not to the point where they score nearer McCain than to Reagan. Only time will tell.
One note about Reagan: I know Reagan ended up increasing the size of government on his watch. I get that argument all the time. But look at the Congress he had to deal with, not to mention the singular, omniscient mainstream media heavily against him at nearly every turn. Relatively, he was definitely conservative.
