There are scary people, those who bring to mind the phrase, “Chicago Political Machine,” with their imprint all over this regime.

Beware! Palin & Huckabee are waiting in the wings. And recent history should remind our Liberal brethren that smug self assurance and smartypants attitudes are not what wins elections. It is all about spin, perception, and belief that “this would make things better.” McCain represented “more of the same,” and was never really viable. My guess is that the GOP powers that be sacrificed him like a biblical offering, preferring to wait the four years, tend to their balance sheets, and let the Dems suffer through the clear and obvious free-fall left by their prior financier and champion.

If the NY Yankees and MLB was available elsewhere, I’d consider moving there. Not to indicate that I am a pessimist; rather, a realist content to make my own individual way despite the powers that be, the rulers that rule, the powercrats who control all.

Feh, phooey, and the hell with all that Having fun and living a pleasant life has trumped politics for me. I get melancholy when I see blind faith and what seems a lack of realism. But hope is what sustains the opposition, so good for them.

Back to having fun. Spring training begins in less than 60 days. That’s good enough for me.

12 months later: I too have frustrations with a lack of political/moral courage in this new leader.

But I had a sense of patience when GWB was President and belief in the ability of the American people to re-evaluate their circumstances and change. We got the most fundamental change: a new roster of government officials.

Now I have patience for these new leaders to learn how to govern and make enduring changes that make the country and the world a better place.

Healthcare? The whole process makes the corrupting powers of business on our legislative process very clear. I think we’ll need another decade of changes to drivce home the point that some social services should not be privatized like Health Care. The debate is ongoing and the improvements will be small and incremental at best. Making the issue a priority shows an effort to address issues that impact people at risk.

Wars? I think there’s an effort to balance pulling back with not making the global security even more tenuous.

The economy? Free markets without oversight destroy trust. I have more confidence in the current lot than I did a year ago. Slowly, some changes are being worked out and “too big to fail” is the prime directive.

Social justice: I was blogging about creeping facism in the era of GWB. Now, I see it amazing that people without the historical or political skills to compare and contrast facism and socialism use them interchangeably as a label to increase fear.

I’m not afraid to the same degree I was a year ago. So, for me… a *lot* has changed. Am I hopeful? No. But I’m not afraid. The movement on that scale *has* been significant for me.

Come out swinging Frank. Bring on the outrage.