Sighting-In: the 2nd Shot from the Bench

I'm a good 11 days overdue from when I REALLY wanted to write this post. In retrospect, it's probably a good thing that I hadn't had the blog up and running. People who know me often don't realize I actually do have more than a touch of that cliched Irish temper. I've been pretty good at practicing something akin to the Buddhist "pause and breath", holding back for just a moment to put space around what has just triggered my emotions and allowing myself to cool down. It's probably kept me out of a lot of trouble throughout my 40-plus years.

Alaska being four hours behind the East Coast, I was watching an awful lot of the election results rolling-in, right there in prime time for me. Talk about losing your appetite for dinner!

Had I not had that enforced moment to "pause and breathe" as I reviewed the election results from the Scott Brown/Lizzie Warren race, I probably would've simply posted something aimed at those who either turned their backs or--especially-- those who entirely refused to show for Brown, along the lines of:

What the fuck were you thinking, you myopic morons?

Luckily, I've had time to cool down.

I'd followed Scott Brown's original campaign with a lot of excitement (and, dare I say, hope?) from up here in Alaska. It seemed miraculous that a [cue the sound of PDRM Party apparatchiks gagging--ed] Republican winning Ted's seat. Granted, I'd rate a PDRM Republican as somewhere equivalent to an Alaskan Democrat on the liberal-conservative spectrum; however, it seemed like the proles were finally waking-up and trying to leave the soviet. There appeared to be hope when it looked like we were plunging ever deeper...

I shared a lot of folk's trepidation when Senator Brown lived-up to his bipartisan promises, shall we say, a little more enthusiastically than most of us would've liked. I think he could've better picked a few battles and votes and I wholeheartedly agree he left many feeling like he may have turned his back on us.

You.Don't. Alienate.Your.Supporters!

I agree with feeling that you shouldn't continue to support someone who's left you feeling that all bets are off or has stabbed you in the back. Where I draw the line, though, is in refusing to show and letting the opposition run rough-shod. I can certainly understand doing this in cases where maybe the opponent was a worthwhile political investment but, come on folks, can you honestly say that about Fauxcahontus?

It was always "rumored" that a maternal great-grandfather of mine out in western Mass was native: he was left on a doorstep for adoption and was described as "looking like an indian and walking like an indian." My now Senator-elect Warren's genealogical analysis, I guess that should make me one-somethingorotherish part Native American and eligible for all that entails.

And. let's not forget her law practice. Professor Jacobson has done a phenomenal amount of research and expose in this matter and I would recommend checking out his articles over at his Legal Insurrection blog. As kind of a quick summary:

Warren represented not just Travelers, but numerous other companies starting in the late 1990s working out of and using her Harvard Law School office in Cambridge, which she listed as her office of record on briefs filed with various courts.  Warren, however, never has been licensed to practice law in Massachusetts.

Check him out. Good job, Professor Jacobson, Wish I could say more for PDRM voters.

I can understand this of the mindless Party proles.

If faced with an incumbent you can no longer support and, an ascending opponent that provides no viable options, you get out there and get involved. Volunteer with a party (more about that in a separate article, yet to come), get involved with organizing the base, and work it out in the primaries.

Don't.Refuse.To.Show. Silence is assent. If you don't participate, you can't complain. Falling into that later category, I think you can pretty well tell my opinion.

Luckily, I've calmed down a bit since the night of November 7th. And, in writing this article now, I can more politely rephrase my earlier knee-jerk reaction and summarize it as:

How could you be so selfish and misdirected, you myopic morons?

It's not just Massachusetts that I feel this attitude. I'm feeling it towards elements on the national stage, who may not have turned out because Romney wasn't X, Y, or Z enough. 

Don't disengage. Get active.