Lame Ducks from the Start

After the midterm election, I took a small sabbatical after Thanksgiving from this column for about a month with another long Christmas break looming just ahead! It’s as if I was a congressman. Do you realize that your hard working elected officials only work about 6 months a year? Not bad for the money and all of the perks.

Having recovered from the debacle of the demise of the Republicans, I must once again reiterate that the Democrats are showing their propensity for delusion. Unless President Bush plays for his legacy the odds of getting meaningful legislation passed in the next two years will be thin. For six years you’ve heard “he’s never used his veto pen.” Get ready for it now. When the Democrats revert to their true colors from the show they put on in the campaign (and what politician can resist) there will be some watershed events that will push them into trying to cram unwanted bills upon the country. What will it be, healthcare, higher taxes, the draft? Expect some of it to get by, but expect Bush’s conservative leanings to also show his true color in the way of black ink. The veto may be on the way and everyone’s favorite phrase “gridlock” will be back in vogue.

So while everyone is seeing a sea of change in government it will really only be the same or worse. The next two years will be a passion play for whomever the media wants to anoint for an ’08 Presidential Run. Barack Obama is getting the early spotlight as the media tries to engineer a drama between the Senator and Hilary Clinton. Expect them to push John McCain and Rudy Giuliani also.

It'll be two great stories in the first round and then the showdown in 2008. Will they be able to pull it off? Should we no longer doubt? It took 6 years of them getting it wrong before they actually manipulated the electorate enough to force the Republicans out of the majority. The media is riding high and once again feeling its oats. Look for the same guys you see on TV to be asking "what happened" come 2008. It’s a long road. If you’re not up for a show you’ll have to invent your own media. Try the internet! The electronic marketplace is full of writers who have agendas rather than truth at heart.