Fake Plastic Trees

[AFK]

I voted for soon to be ex-Senator Olympia Snowe a few times.  For a Republican, she's fairly tolerable.  Make no mistake, she's had her fair share of fail moments.  Like how she makes the obvious hallow, painful-to-watch, lurch to the right when she's up for reelection.  Marrying John McKernan was also a fairly toolish moment for her.  Also, using  Donald Trump's hair stylist. 

All those mistakes aside, when she announced her decision to retire from the U.S. Senate she gave some speech about the hopeless partisan gridlock in the Senate.  And she's right.  Some times she'd try to work around that.  Some times, well many times really, she didn't work hard enough.  But the actual philosophy for her supposed reason to leave is on point. 

The problem, though, isn't with the Senators.  Because, after all, we put them there.  The American People seem to have this schizophrenic amnesia that crops up every couple of years, and we forget that pretty much to a (wo)man, every person who rises to win nomination and run for Senate, has a certain quotient of toolbag in their DNA.  That's the way the system is currently set up.  If you were a true-blue, warmhearted, PeaceCorps, goody-goody, you'd get eaten alive by the political juggernaut machinery.  You aren't allowed to run.  You will be removed from the contest. 

But this whole failure amongst the electorate is also rooted in the American People's inexhaustible penchant for focusing on bullshit.  We complain about how the media focuses on bullshit stories in election years, and builds up these terribly unimportant narratives.  But The People eat it, nay, they DEMAND it. 

Because thinking about solutions to actual problems is hard.  Fuck, just thinking about what the problems actually ARE is hard.  It entails contemplating that which might not be resting right at the bridge of your nose.  It means recognizing that the holes in the pockets of others DOES come back around and smack you in the ass.  It means recognizing that in and between the trees of this Fake Plastic Forest we all live in, we are connected.  The vary nature of our economy, our health care System, our "education" system, our civic systems....all of this makes it near impossible to live in actual, walled-up silos. 

Even if you don't have any compassion for that poor schlub addicted to pain meds, thinking with your wallet one should easily deduce that him not having health care coverage means YOU are paying for it when he ends up in the ER after an overdose.  I mean, you don't need to be Alan fucking Greenspan to figure that shit out.  You don't have to give a fuck about that guy.  But Jeezus, if you care as much about protecting your "wealth" as you claim, then why the fuck wouldn't you want to fix that shit?  Fix that shit, spit on the guy afterwards if you want, but don't fucking pretend it isn't a problem that has a simple solution. 

But of course, no, it isn't going to happen anytime soon that there will be this great Awakening, that draws people to the realization of our actual problems.  And so we keep putting these Rhetorical Wizards into Congress.  Those that can utter smoke and mirrors to get elected.  Employing sleight of breath to redirect minds. 

That's why shit doesn't get done.  That's why any progress is like unto a hobbled slug mired in Cartesian duality. 

And what can WE do?  I don't know man, it is a tall task to expect we can amass any kind of momentum to even nudge this shit.  But we can't fold up shop either.  We can continue to work together and apart in our own meat circles.  It will likely never be enough to make real, measurable and documented change.  But perhaps screeching at stooges here and there....perhaps........

[LMNO]

Good to see you ranting again.

I really like the phrase, "slight of breath".

[AFK]

Yeah, I think my rage meter fills a lot slower than it does for many of you, but when it pops, is pops. 

[East Coast Hustle]

She's gonna take Susan Collins with her, right?

RIGHT?!?

[East Coast Hustle]

Also, calling it now, that fucking useless Pingree idiot (there are two and I can't remember which one is which anymore not that it matters) is gonna take her place.

[AFK]

Chellie. 

Former Governor Angus King has officially declared that he will run as an Independent and the early polling has him out in front in a race with D'Amboise and Pingree.

If Pingree is smart, she will stay out of it. 

However, I don't think she is smart. 

Angus has my vote.  He was a pretty good Governor, compared to the others we've had.  He wouldn't exactly be a Bernie Sanders-type Independent in the Senate, he's not quite as liberal as Bernie, but I think more often than not he would caucus with the Democrats. 

I also have heard that Eliot Cutler is going to stay out of this and concentrate on running against LePage again for Governor. 

I think it would be pretty cool to have an independent Governor and an independent Senator serving at the same time. 

[East Coast Hustle]

I'd love to see King get into the race. And I'd vote for Cutler again in a heartbeat. I was shocked that LePage beat him last time around, though I mostly blame Libby "Ralph Nader" Mitchell for that.

[AFK]

Another wrinkle is that John Baldacci also took out papers to gather signatures for entry into the race. 

Which on one level would be awesome to see two former governors duke it out.  Baldacci would get completely owned in a three-way race with King. 

Michaud also took out papers but he officially declared that he is staying in the House.  Hopefully Pingree wises up and does the same. 

There's about 4 or 5 Republicans, aside from the Tea Party asshad D'Amboise, who are contemplating jumping into the race. 

It will be an interesting election season to be sure. 

[East Coast Hustle]

Holy shit would I love to see Baldacci get his ass handed to him! He must have been THRILLED by LePage's victory since it means he'll only be the 2nd worst governor in living memory.

[Phox]

While I have no insight into the current conversation, I would just like to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this thread. Makes me wish I knew more (i.e. the slightest bit) about Maine politics. 

In regards to the OP, I think you hit on a lot of important things, and did so in an articulate and passionate way, WHN. Glad that you wrote it.

[AFK]

Maine politics can be quite entertaining.  I mean, I could do a couple of threads just on the antics of the Green Party.  (Jonathan Carter is Grade A Kooky)

By the way, Pingree apparently is smart, somewhat, and has officially declared she won't run.

So this paves the way for Baldacci to get in the race and get embarrassed.  If this doesn't happen I will be sorely disappointed. 

[East Coast Hustle]

Pingree's probably just smart enough to realize she'd be in WAY over her head in DC and is better off staying a big fish in a small pond.

As I said, I'd LOVE to see Baldacci get his ass handed to him, but if that awful restaurant of his isn't an embarrasment to him I can't imagine anything else would be.

[AFK]

He'd be a dumbass too to jump in the race.  He just got a cushy job at the Pentagon.  I don't know why the fuck he'd want to give that up to enter a race everyone knows he would lose.  He was a suck-ass Rep, a suck-ass Governor who benefitted from running against suck-ass Republicans.  I can't believe he's really thinking about it, well, I mean I can but damn.