Lori wrote: > I'm sure my memory is failing me, but I don't recall > politics ever being quite as dirty and hateful as they > became during the Clinton administration. Once > Clinton took office, the opposition held nothing back > in their efforts to ruin him. In the wake of that and > considering the close election in November, they > expect things to be different now? Sorry. "You reap > what you sow." >From the beginning of the Bush bashing, I've felt that this is all "Clinton's Revenge." If George W. is found to have done one percent of the things that Clinton has been linked with, I will also support any proceedings against him. > There's no doubt that this behavior promotes nothing > that's good for the country. As long as politics is > what it is, though -- a personal-power greed fest -- > this is the way things are going to be. Or worse. If > people could REALLY get behind doing what's good for > this country instead of being primarily concerned with > their own personal agenda ... oh fuck, I just feel > like I'm talking to air. You're not talking to air - I agree with you. I got fed up with the self-serving of both parties a long time ago. > When I called Linda Chavez a hypocrite yesterday, I > wasn't referring so much to her harboring an illegal > immigrant -- I knew there had to be more to the story > (and as I learned more, I admired Chavez's actions) -- > as I was to Chavez's opposition to affirmative action > and minimum wage increases. If Chavez is someone who would activiely work to do away with the minimum wage (which is never going to happen in reality) and would throw out all the employment protections, I absolutely would also not want her to be confirmed. But we will never know the whole story now because of the pre-emptive strike of the Marta Mercado situation. I paid for my own college education through post-grad and also lived (miserably I might add) on minimum wage for five years until I started getting a bit ahead financially. I've never known anyone who could live independently on minimum wage, at least in California! Bottom line is that Chavez should have been denied for valid reasons and not chased out before she even had a chance to state her case. Everyone should be allowed that in our system. If she was a horrible choice, then let the system resolve that in the proper way. The way the nastiness and dirty tricks has been going in recent years is truly going to prevent any decent people from any party wanting to serve their country at some point. Actually I think it has already happened - believe it or not, I was surprised that the Republicans couldn't come up with anyone more impressive than Bush and that the Democrats couldn't come up with anyone more impressive than Gore. All the low-down nastiness is turning away some probably stellar candidates. Kakki
