re: #217 pre-Boomer Marine brat

Maybe I’m a starry-eyed idealist, but I believe that permanent change will only come from the bottom. Otherwise, it’ll be another “Contract”.

Well, I’m on the bottom, and I can tell you no one listens to me, not even in my own house. :) I do think the grass roots can produce a leader, and a true leader inspires individuals. It takes someone who is going to stand up to the extremely noisy far right and tells them to STFD and STFU. Or, more politely, just refuses to engage with them. Unfortunately, virtually every elected Republican is terrified of the fundamentalists and believes they can’t win without them, especially in the South.

The Dems have embraced their crazies and given them way too much power in the party and in government, which I think will eventually bite them in the ass. Embracing the right wing crazies worked for a while, i.e. the Reagan years, but they are clearly dragging the party down at this point and need to be kept at arm’s length.