Jackin' the Jackasses

I first registered to vote in 1984. It was no surprise that I registered as a Democrat. My parents were Democrats. (My father would later become a Republican but we don't talk about that.) Democrats believed in what I believed in, while the Republican Party was busy pursuing a Southern Strategy and seemed to have a "We Don't Need You" attitude towards blacks.

I voted for Walter Mondale in '84, Dukakis in '88 and Clinton in '92 and '96. I didn't like how things were going in the 2000 race. It's not that i was ever enamored of George W. Bush, but by 1999 my thinking had evolved.

I saw a Democratic Party that took the black vote for granted. And while I resented the GOP for never asking for my vote, I also resented the Democrats for assuming they didn't have to ask. As I grew older, my positions moderated. Meanwhile, the two parties in California were colluding to control primary elections. It ticked me off. By the fall of 1999, I'd registered as an independent. And in the presidential primary in 2000, I cast a vote for Republican John McCain.

I resented how Gore apparently turned his back on the Clinton legacy. Clinton, despite the Lewinsky scandal, had breathed new life into the Democratic Party. I thought it was foolish of Gore to take a step to the left during his campaign and not include Clinton in his campaigning. But I ended up supporting Gore in 2000 because there was really no option. No choice. I knew Bush was in way over his head.

My independent stance solidified on 9/11.

What troubled me about the Democrats was that they never seemed to have the killer instinct. They were never as tough as the Republicans. Never as politically savvy. And it troubled me because I saw it as a lack of conviction. I watched the Democrats who controlled the legislature in California run us into the ground. They had help by a stubborn Republican minority. But it was obvious they were outside the mainstream.

Now given that we have a two party system, our choices are usually one or the other. And in most cases, i cast my lot with the Democrats. But it's not guaranteed. I've voted for Republican candidates in the past seven yeas, the last being Gov. Schwarzenegger.

After watching Bush and the Republicans run the country into the toilet for six years, I had high hopes for the Democrats taking back Congress and bringing balance to government. They've disappointed me by some of their choices and this week, I had to let 'em know.

I still think they can help right this sinking ship. But sometimes everyone needs a kick in the pants.