Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Updated -- Perchance to Dream: "The Case to Impeach George W. Bush"

[Updated below]

RenaRF's diaries are among the gems of the blogosphere, and this one is no different. Without sounding shrill or histrionic, she's laid out a framework for an impeachment argument. While I personally doubt that it would even be remotely possible as long as the Congress is GOP controlled, it is something worth thinking about in terms of the '06 elections.

Now, more than ever, we need to lean hard & heavy on our state representatives. We need to make it undeniably clear that we simply will not settle for incompetence any longer. This. Far. And. No. Further.

People get what they settle for. All of the world's uber-successful will tell you the same thing. Don't like what you have? Refuse to give up the pursuit of more. Never quit. Ever.

Instead of shying away from this idea in the ultimate hippie reflexive "But that's so corporate, man...", we must co-opt this basic premise and use it to leverage our political strength. How many people do you know that voted for Bush not because they liked the man, but because his election was viewed as inevitable? Because they liked Kerry even less? Because they figured their vote wouldn't matter worth a damn anyway?

I refuse to believe that every vote making up that 51% was a principled one. When Bush ascended the dynastic throne of Commander in Chief, he did so because too many of his let him, not because most of us actually wanted him.

What better way to channel the rage, despair and frustration over this administration than to put our state reps under the microscope and remind them that accountability does not begin and end with a feigned claim of responsibility from the Top Dog. We need to let them know that if they continue in their active or tacit support of people like Bush/Rove/Cheney, we will show them the door. They cannot emulate or support the kind of ideology rampant in the WH and keep their jobs.

No, this isn't about a lame duck president. This is about changing the composition of Congress and ensuring that Bush III is not the victor in '08. The failure of this administration is not just in the views of one hopelessly unqualified man, it is in the neocon mindset with priorities so twisted as to change the face of American democracy.

While the GOP has spent millions putting on a fresh and innocuous Donna Reed face for the world, Katrina has ripped off the pearls and the A-line skirt and showed us a selfish, greedy crone drunk on power and corruption. Bush's presidency is the end result of institutional decay, from City Hall to Capitol Hill, the head on our zit if you will. Someone like him will continue to weasel his way into the White House, election after election, unless we act. Systemic change must come from the bottom up. We've seen how well the upper echelons of federal government care for the Common Man in gaseous, water logged and bloated detail. We can't now cling to the illusion that some kind of Savior Candidate will miraculously appear and cure everything that's wrong with American politics.

If there is a diamond in the rough out there somewhere (insert shameless Obama plug here), we'll never see him as a fucking precinct captain if we don't get involved. No matter what you do, do something. Call and write your Senators and Representatives. Write your Letters to the Editor. Attend rallies and marches. Donate generously. Talk to people, whether friend or stranger. Raise awareness every day.

Don't settle. Demand better.

Update: Here's a way to lean on those reps we discussed. Demand their support for this
bill.

3 comments:

RenaRF said...

Hey... THANKS for the nice comment!! I really really appreciate it, and thanks for reading my stuff over there. ;-)

Cantankerous Bitch said...

You're entirely welcome, Rena. You & Georgia10 are the folks that get me past the front page of dKos most days. Keep up the excellent work!

Lily said...

Thanks for directing us to Impeach Bush Coalition...well made points. Sign me up.... (sigh)