have we figured out that our vote doesn't count? Have we realized that left/right is owned by the same corporation?

...or are we doomed to listen to the same left/right tripe until this little experiment we started a few hundred years ago completely falls apart?

I'm convinced that as long as we buy the "democracy", left/right sham, we're all fu#$ed. No significant change will occur. If we lived in a democracy we would have at least 300,000 people to choose from next election. Oh, well. It's been a pretty good plan for the aristocrats and the elite, so, if it ain't broke...

Congratulations, Democrats, on our wonderful new President. We endorsed yet another meaningless figurehead to represent Wonderland; another pathetic and ineffectual loser. Hope it's making someone feel good, because it's not doing much for the people who actually work and dream in this shameless nation of ours.

Wait, what year is it, again?

Let's get back to the volley. That should make us feel empowered.

Go.

don't get me wrong, ain't all in love with our lot here or anything. but lets see:

-Financial reform passed
-Immigration reform address
-Two wars now with end-caps on them
-Major financial crisis averted
-health care reform

I mean, that's not a terrible list, especially if you consider how much earth-moving anyone has done previously in recent memory. I'd say that there is a bit of truth to the change thing. whether one likes the change or not is an entirely different debate.

go!

I don't really see the wars or the monetary crisis ending, but, that would be nice. I also don't see the healthcare sytem improving.

As much as I'd like to agree with Groundrules, as I generally do, I'm feeling pretty disenchanted in much the way that TFL described. I don't necessarily consider that to be an indictment of Obama's intentions or of "the system," flawed as it is, but rather the human race as a whole. I think that Obama and his supporters greatly misunderestimated (sic) how far people are willing to go to claim "victory" out of spite and how tenaciously they'll cling to fear and hatred at the cost of everything they want to "protect." And it really does feel as if the same entity (whomever that consists of) is at the reins, allowing for nothing but pyrrhic successes when absolute failure would draw too much suspicion.

As much as I say that both sides suck, I would much rather be represented by Clinton, Obama, Carter, etc any day over the Republican jackoffs who have been in office while I've been alive. It's pretty easy to look alright after the bar has been lowered to the depths we saw with Reagan, Bush and Bush jr., though. Sure it's all a scam but that doesn't mean we have to have some raging idiot/ahole for a figurehead. Of course, I'm into Socialism and wanton destruction of government property, so, what the hell do I know? Blue pill, please. Drop me back in. The Truth is unbelievable.

I agree on the symptom, but disagree on the problem and solution.

First off, as much as I am pro-"third" party (and I have voted third party a lot in my life, fwiw), I think it's foolish to believe that having more choices would mean less corporate influence. I doubt BP et al give two shits who they bribe. Furthermore, more parties means that the winner often has many more detractors than supporters, which can lead to something benign like general malaise or outright coups as the losing majority realizes that they can just take power if they want it.

The larger problem is out of control corporate influence in elections, news, and legislation, and fixing that would go a long way toward (1) cleaning up the existing major parties (2) making so-called third parties more viable, and (3) helping people to possibly be more informed.

And as much as Obama has "let us down" I also am not that shocked - he's always been pretty Centrist and corporatist from what I can tell, despite the cheerleading from the left and the fear mongering from the right which has said otherwise. And yes, I think that the Democrats are far less dangerous than the GOP lately, even though they both skew right. To say there's no difference between the parties overemphasizes the similarities and oversimplifies the differences that are rather plain to see.

If you want real change than work to make elections publicly funded, to reduce corporate control of legislation, and to reduce the unfettered deregulation and "let's privatize everything" BS which doesn't seem to work.

If you want real change, you should totally vote for me. I'm gonna turn this sh#$ around with the "Slow it Down" campaign. Anthony Bair is gonna be my VP. Let's slow it down. Let's take it slow for a minute. What's the rush? Keep it slow. That's what we offer.