Here's something else to ponder: The elected representatives, when they assume office, inherit
status quo, whatever it may be, at the time they assume office. They are in little position from the day they are elected to do anything substantial about anything. They are freshmen, the least senior. They get crumbs, for the most part, as they assimilate into their new duties, the Washington experience, the game. The have political considerations. They have the next election to win. They just don't know what they need to know or have the authority to. By the time they do, years have past, the bad guys have long since walked, and a thousand new scandals, big and small, real and imagined, have occurred. The status quo, at the time a representative assumes office, is what he or she inherits. The tea party, whatever it reallyis or was, didn't have nearly enough power to do what they set out to- and that's saying something, because they did a hell of a lot of damage to a political party and damn near ruined a country, thus inadvertently helping our enemies. Imagine, though, what would happen if they somehow had a resurgence in political power that we don't expect? We would be caught with our pants down again, and that would be disastrous for our party, and for the country, and for the world. It behooves us all to really do our part once again. Be active at the local level. Go to meetings. Canvass. Register voters. Engage friends and neighbors. Talk about what is going on. The fallout from the NSA/Snowden thing is miles away. No one knows how it will all unfold, legally or politically. One thing is for certain: We can't let them meme us to death. We have to stand up and call foul. We have to speak up, in strength to be heard and to participate in keeping the important stuff on top of the conversation. Don't be afraid to write to your reps, either....Trust me, it matters when they have to make hard decisions on votes....it matters whether or not you ultimately sway them, but sometimes you willsway them. Sometimes they dismiss some of us lefties rather out of hand because it makes for a good sound byte. It's not quite as easy to be dismissive of an actual constituent who engages.
