I’m starting to get really cynical about politics, but not in the standard, “Plague on both your houses!” way. Say what you will about career politicians, and their perks and pork barrel projects and all the rest of the corruption - they actually got shit done. They said awful things about each other and all, but then they cut back room deals and they passed bills, confirmed appointments, etc. Even under Reagan, with Dem majorities in the House and Senate, they got shit done.

Then Reagan nominated Robert Bork. That dude was nuts. Reagan was warned about nominating him, but he did it anyway. The Judiciary Committee voted NOT TO recommend confirmation, but Bork insisted on a full Senate vote. Probably other Presidents would not nominate someone who they were told would not be confirmed, but Reagan did. I know a number of Conservatives for whom that was a watershed moment, To them, Bork’s failed confirmation was such a terrible thing, and all Ted Kennedy’s doing.

I tend to disbelieve the idea of the watershed moment. More like that’s the excuse. In any case, after that, there was a rise in the ‘bomb throwers.’ Pretty soon, Gingrich and his crowd of vitriolic clowns started elbowing out the old crowd of guys who knew how to get shit done. People started talking about Term Limits as a panacea, and politicla outsiders as some sort of magical thing.

And here we are. The Tea Party wing of the GOP managed to get a lot of hardliners elected, who won’t compromise at all. And nothing gets done, Because they will neither compromise nor accept the fact that they don’t control everything. And the voters who put those guys in are fanatical about ideological purity and lack of compromise.

So, when I hear someone look at this race, or the total obstruction of everything Obama tries to do, and calls it “Politics As Usual”, I think, No, this ISN’T politics as usual. Politics as usual is a lot of horsetrading, pressure, compromise, swapping favors, cutting deals, pork barrel projects, etc. It’s kinda ugly, and it’s not very inspiring and uplifting. Nobody’s going to make a movie about the guy who goes to Washington and becomes remarkably effective by cutting backroom deals. No, they’ll make ‘Mr Smith Goes To Washington’, where the idealistic hero risks all to bring down the corrupt system. But a government of ‘Mr. Smiths’ gets nothing done because they won’t cut deals that compromise something they want to win something they want more.

I mention this because I’m hearing about the WikiLeaks stuff from Podesta and the HRC campaign, where Clinton comes across as a cautious politician willing to talk to or work with anyone to advance a set of progressive goals. That’s actually what I want in a President. I want someone who WILL compromise, who WILL accept 1/2 of a goal, knowing you can go back later and get more. People loved Bernie because he was uncompromising, but honestly - what has he done with his 3 decades in Congress?