I received an e-mail this morning which shows an impatient old guy in naked except for under shorts tapping his foot.  He was the metaphor for some nut who is on the computer while the whole world was indulging in sex.  This is the same notion that Liberals of all persuasions are still hawking the same wares while there is huge enjoyment in the conservative camp. Hunkering down to defend positions that are not selling to the public makes bad economic as well as political sense.  This is the message contained in this e-mail – that there are smart people out there celebrating having pulled off a one-sided win and - perception is everything.

Still, I am not smarting by the defeat of ideological positions. I have been following the me first, me only and me forever policies of Republicans and apostate Democrats who have put liberals cowering into a corner.  The LIBERAL tag has been perceived even by liberals as a kiss of death.  I am ashamed of all those Democrats who deserted the struggle to give more to more people and who back the Republican position that we certainly must not offend the moneyed classes by continuing the process of giving them tax breaks.  This is the message projected by managers of the new power class. They were put into place by a small number of voters who perceive that it is in their best interests to go along and worship the power that follows expenditures of huge amounts of money.

The message of American democracy which used to be an ever expanding extension of the franchise (the right to vote) and the use of it to give power to the vast majority of people living in this country has been utterly crushed.  What has happened is that this majority does not perceive its power.  Over and over the message is given that the candidate with the most resources can buy votes. It is repeated over and over that being selfish shows strength and that wanting more of what the “big” guys have is whining.  The perception is that a juggernaut has been unleashed and like the tornadoes that have just destroyed whole sections of the country the perception is that conservative power has destroyed it opposition.

Perception is everything and the voice of independent thinking has been crushed by the seeming invincibility of Republican victories. By taking over the leadership of law-making, law-enforcement and law review by the courts the perception is that the pundits have gotten it all wrong while the conservative have gotten it all. The thinkers sitting in front of their computers churning out diatribes and rants have not given themselves permission to enjoy life’s pleasures.  They would, like me, prefer to sit at a keyboard and make rude remarks about the me-first  and me-only and me-forever kids we spoiled after the “greatest generation” went to war and won freedom from Fascism. Later victories against Communism have been lost only to face reality that the TERRORIST attacks against us are perceived by most of the world to be just dictated by a fear of the liberalism that brought America its finest hours.