We need a hero....

The other night, while I was flipping through the channels, I happened upon the American classic, "Footloose." As I watched Kevin Bacon take on the powers that be, fighting for his God given right to dance, I was filled with something a young democrat isn't accustomed to these days...I felt hope. I thought, "If a city slicker from Chicago can dance his way into the heart of the tyrannical yet grief stricken Reverand Moore, and save the kids of that small town, then there must be someone out there who can save the people of the United States." But, then I looked at our heroes. Hillary was bold enough to publicly say Congress, under the current leadership, is racist. Bold indeed, but the backlash was immediate and unwavering. Much like the angry, anti-booty shaking parents at the town meeting, republicans were shouting about "playing the race card". Conservative talking heads were claiming she dishonored Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by making the comments on MLK day. (What puzzles me is the idea that Senator Clinton dishonored Dr. King by standing up for the minority members of Congress, whose voices are all but ignored by the leadership of the House and Senate....) No matter how misguided it was, the backlash shouldn't be a surprise to any of us. It's nothing new...Just as it wasn't new when Republicans attacked Al Gore for his recent comments the wire tapping of US citizens without a warrant. In a column on newsmax.com (http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2006/1/18/141755.shtml), Rush Limbaugh accused Senator Clinton and Gore of "character assasination." This coming from a man who called Hillary Clinton a "testicle lockbox" (http://mediamatters.org/items/200508260005).

In the political atmosphere we live in, it seems like the usual suspects aren't going to cut it. The Republican Noise Machine, with it's ability to spin, lie, and distort, has made an art out of convincing the public that Hillary is an opportunistic predator, Gore is a Liar, and Howard Dean is just plan nuts (http://cagle.msnbc.com/news/CrazyDean2004%20copy/main.asp).

After the initial wave of hope washed over me, and I watched as conservative pundit after pundit went on the offensive this week, I returned to the cautious optimism of a young democrat in 2006. The Republican leadership is quivering as Casino Jack prepares to sell them down the river, Delay is out, Ney is on his way, and there's talk about an investigation into the domestic wire tapping scandal. Hell, even Arlen Spector used the word impeachment, even if he did say he wasn't convinced Bush broke the law. (http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_8002.shtml) Oh, and I haven't forgotten about you, either, Karl Rove.

As for the future, maybe some maverick Democratic Governor will come out of nowhere and restore our faith. Maybe the Republican party will be implode so horribly that the people of the United States will vote for anyone other than the Republican candidate in 2008. Whatever happens, I know this: If we can keep the ship above water long enough, there's a city slicker named Barak Obama, who like our dancing hero is from Chicago, waiting to pull into town and take on the religious fanatics, so we can finally dance again.