Struggling here

Nothing to say. Plenty to say. Politics has me concerned. I don't know why Bush got elected in 2004. I don't know why so many Democratic representatives are in trouble in 2010, including my own, Tom Perriello. It's like in the days of Reagan, when I liked the guy, but couldn't vote for him because his supporters scared me. Now both the supporters and the candidates scare me. They hate America. And accuse me of the same.

I keep thinking of the Sinatra song -- covered by Paul Robeson, among others. The House I Live In. But I live in the Nativist district which Virgil Goode represented for 6 terms or so. They have fun here with Obama/Pelosi/Perriello -- names that end in a vowel. Not our kind of people, that's for sure.

Meanwhile, predictions of people seeing and recognizing benefits from economic stimulus and health insurance reform have not panned out. Remember a year ago -- folks were saying, it hurts politically now -- but have courage -- events will vindicate our efforts. No courage left. Only accusations and apologies. Actually, I didn't much favor either. I thought infrastructure investment and Clinton-style federal support of state intitiatives in public health and insurance reform were the ways to go. Think TANF and Medicaid and Clinton-era waivers. Think TVA and Interstate highways. I was a Republican when Republicans took these initiatives. It's the Hoover Dam, after all. In fact, infrastructure development was the Whig way -- the Republican way... when did my party go all Know-Nothing Nativist?

I don't much care for either alternative given me -- the Democratic way, the RHINO way, and the Tea Party way. I wish someone was out there pushing the Republican way -- the John Warners, the Christine Whitmans -- the ones the RHINOs call RINOs. The real Republicans.