I Have A Confession to Make, or: Gettin' Political Up in Here!)

I am a card-carrying, old-school, bleeding-heart liberal.
I haven't always been a proud one, especially in the past few years. I admit I was more of a closet liberal. That was motivated by fear.
But no more. I am going to wear it proudly. Not obnoxiously, and not closed-mindedly. 'Cause I have lots of friends and family members who are absolutely, positively NOT liberals, and while we may shake our heads good-naturedly at one another from time to time, we do not denigrate each others' beliefs. Although I feel absolutely no qualms about doing so toward Shaun Hannity. But then, Keith Olberman drives me bonkers as well. (Can I just say kudos to Ben Affleck for his dead-on impersonation of the Olbster on SNL? I think it's on YouTube.) So I avoid cable news like the plague. Unless something big happens, like a pilot lands a passenger jet on the Hudson, saving the lives of every person on that plane. Then I'll tune in. In the meantime, I'll stick with NPR and the BBC. At least they're QUIET!
I just have to wonder, if regular Joes and Josephines like me can just agree to disagree, why can't the politicians? Why does EVERYTHING have to be about towing the party line? Are they THAT afraid of the Olbermans and Limbaughs?
OK, I just answered my own question.
The country is being run by the pundits. The talking heads. The people who HAVE to be outrageous, because their jobs depend on ratings, and the more outrageous you are, apparently the more entertaining you are.
Oh, and the more rumors you spread, the better you'll be at derailing ANY project the opposition is trying to set in motion.
We've turned Congress into Beverly Hills High School.
Wow, that's a scary thought!
The people running our country are a bunch of pretty, rich adolescents vying for Homecoming King and Queen.
And CNN, FOX News and CNBC may as well call themselves the WB. What's next? Democrats and Republicans change their names to Team Edward and Team Jacob?
If we look at history, we see things like the Roman and British Empires... Collapsing. I have to wonder if we are now on the verge of collapse. When we get to the point where our society is un-governable, it will happen. Is this the beginning of the end? And what happens next? Another dark Ages? Or perhaps we'll simply get back the common sense we seem to have lost. We'll take a look around, realize we are more alike than different, and that we all need each other. Maybe we'll stop worshipping the wealthy and foolish, and have REAL role models again; people who make a difference, and not just bundles of cash. Maybe we'll remember that fame isn't a goal in and of itself, and that famous doesn't necessarily equal good. Maybe we'll stop laughing at others' downfall, and reach out a hand to help them up.
Maybe we can turn on the morning news WITHOUT having to listen to 30 minutes of "What's going to happen to Tiger Woods/Carrie Prejean/BritenyLindseyMiley?"
THAT is my hope. That we can remember to see one anothers' humanity, beyond religious or political beliefs.
Not that I'm holding my breath.
But I refuse to give up hope.