Does Politics Have Anything to Do With Governing ? Anything at All?

[MannyGoldstein]

The following is a post I just put up at BlueMassGroup, a Massachusetts political blog. I thought I'd put it here also since Barney Frank was involved.

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Tonight I attended an event in a local home (Newton) featuring Deval Patrick, with Barney Frank also in attendance. It was hot as blazes, the crowd mightily overwhelming the air conditioning. Sweat and fans were abundant.

Barney gave a good talk about the need to get rid of the Radical Right. I don't think that this was a novel or controversial idea with this crowd - but it's always good to hear it with a little passion, as it was delivered tonight.

It might have been the heat, but Deval was underwhelming - he's for education, for good government, people should not go broke getting healthcare, he used to be poor and now he's rich. He didn't talk about anything of substance, anything that he'd do differently, any goals we can acheive. In all fairness, he did say that he was cutting back his stump speech due to the heat. And I was out of earshot for two minutes, getting some more water - my wife tells me that Deval did say he was for some legislation (she forgets which) while I was away.
MannyGoldstein :: Deval Patrick & Barney Frank in Newton
The Q&A session afterwards was also disappointing:
when asked about education, Deval said that it was good but that education should improve at all levels, from kindergarten through high school, and vocational school. OK.

One fellow asked Deval if he'd be in favor of the Massachusetts legislature initiating impeachment charges against Bush. Before Deval could answer, Barney burst in swinging, telling us that it's better for the Democrats to have Bush in office than to be accused of impeaching the President. Deval said that Barney's was "probably" the right answer, later adding "But he has to go". (I guess impeachment's not the correct vehicle, but there's another way that I haven't been clued into yet.)

The whole affair left me depressed. I see no sign that politics has become about anything than politics. Even Barney Frank seems to have forgotten that politics is about governing, not just getting elected. I'd have agreed with his statement re:Bush a few months ago, but not now: Iraq is a catastrophe, the economy of the average Joe and Jill is in shambles. Bush has violently breached our Constitution. Pretty much everyone who will ever know that Bush is an evil jerk, now knows that Bush is an evil jerk.

It's time for the Democrats to do something. To lead instead of squish. What I saw tonight was a distinct aversion for doing something, other than getting elected.

For once, I'd love to vote for someone that inspired me, rather than flipping a coin to choose among virtual equivalents.

The one positive of the night was that such an event could take place in a local home. I believe that if the good ideas and good intentions of the hosts and the citizens present could be channeled into good governance, we'd be in much better waters. Barney said that he was surprised to see so many faces that he did *not* know at a Newton political event - perhaps a change is in the making. Let us all pray to our favorite deity that change is near.

[babylonsister]

1. My take on this: the Dems are biding their time, waiting for

November. We'll hopefully have some great results, and take it from there. Until they can actually back up their ideas with votes, it's moot. As for Deval, I don't know anything about him, but I do like Franks, who's by now an old pro.
And consider yourself lucky; you live in Blue MA!