Written by Andor Carnes   

Matt: To answer your question, "I don't know whether to applaud or throw up."

Response to: Dodd-Frank Budget Fight Proves Democrats Are a Bunch of Stuffed Suits By Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone, RSN 15 December 14

I suggest that we all "Applaud" and then "Throw up". Today, because of such political and corporate smoke and mirrors, all but those in this damaging charade tend to be living hand to mouth, and your, our, actions here would clearly send a wordless reminder of the arc and effectiveness of our representation.

Of course, since this wallowing, flailing, as you put it, “one nebulous mass of influence, money and interests”, and Jeff put it, “The Blob”, is pervasive and constant in our political system, we could easily develop severe arthritis and an irreparable eating disorder from the need to constantly comment.

This heavy opinion coupled with conflicting feeling begs the question, “Are we doomed to forever talk about this clichéd dichotomy of our political system or are we going to rip it with more than aggrandizement, words and vomitus?” Perhaps we need to actually stop making hand noise and losing protein and actually do something about it.

Clearly you, we, are going to run and change the system, right! Oh wait, it actually looks like we are just going to sit and take it for another lifetime, ours, with no ability to decide whether or not to clap or puke? We basically all know that it is we who must change and not those presently in office -change to accept their shenanigans or change to change them out for better.

Your points are well taken but we need to add in that last component, a march to actual change, or even the creative and insightful among us will remain in their part of the solely commenting status quo. It’s not “them” but rather we who have to make the change, away from “a single furiously-money-collecting/favor-churning oligarchical Beltway party”, as you excellently describe the invasive species of representation, the choking Kudzu of politics, and I apologize to the plant. Simply talking about it all for eons has changed very little. We all know this but as the scene directions in “Waiting for Godot” say after the characters proclaim they are definitely going, “They do not move”. We have to get out of this absurd play –impossible to do with words alone.

I am not saying change it or shut up. I am saying consider changing it with more than just words, and if we understand that approach, perhaps more of us will waste less of our and others’ lives.

Gosh, I’m once again feeling happy and nauseous. Thank you for reminding me what the feeling means.