"Stuck in the Middle" (sometimes "With You")

First, let me start out an acknowledgment to the song performed by Stealers Wheel (written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Eagan).  Every time I listen to that song, for some reason it just seems to remind me of the political traffic jam that seems to go on in this country.

I know I have referenced the song before, for similar purposes.  But to me it has the makings of a great anthem for so many of us.

"Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

My apologies to all left leaning jokers and right leaning clowns by the way.

There are just too many clowns and jokers who feel that if you don't buy into the whole package they are offering, there is something wrong with you.

It becomes more clear to me each day that most people don't want to be forced into a perpetual walk down the left with the clowns or want to be saddled forever with the jokers on the right.  We like being in the middle, what we don't like is being stuck there.

Decide you might like to travel a bit in the right lane, and there are too many who automatically consider you some kind of backward thinking and narrow minded reactionary on all issues.  You can't possibly support the Republicans without being some type of neanderthal.

Feel like taking a left turn somewhere.  Well you got to be one of them ultra liberal socialists prepared to destroy the very fabric of all that is good and represents truth, justice and the American way.

Can the rabid supporters of any position get the fact that for most people, everything isn't as black and white as you make it out to be?  Can you get the fact that the unfortunate reality for all of us is when we go to the polls we have two choices?  

The decision then comes down to a juggling act of just who best represents most of what an individual believes; and, that all too often we have to cast a vote accepting someone who who is in fact the best compromise of our beliefs, being forced at times to take the bad with the good.

More importantly, can people get it through their heads that because someone doesn't believe what you do, doesn't make them evil, stupid, vile, ignorant, dumb, weak minded or anti something?

You can actually agree with the concept that tax reform is essential, and still find yourself being hammered by the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum.   You can have a position on abortion that will be attacked by pro-life and pro-choice.  You can have a position that doesn't meld with that of the extremes of either side on just about anything.

I think many, many people do in fact have such positions.

I made mention a number of articles ago about the statistics I had run across showing that roughly one third of the people identify themselves as democrats, another third as republicans, and the final third are either neither or something else.

No one political belief in this country holds a majority, never mind a self-proclaimed monopoly on the political beliefs of the people of this nation.  I would hazard a guess (admittedly not a hard one to make) that even within each of the major parties, you will find a similar division of belief.  

Neither all Republicans nor all Democrats evil and/or nut cases.  It just seems that way due to the great right wing, or left wing conspiracy (I think).

But the extremists of both parties continue to believe that theirs is the music that all wish to dance to.  They insist that it is the only tune that should be played.  

Last week the GOP got to play its hit list.  This coming week we will be hearing the top 20 from the Democrats.  

While the GOP didn't have a smash hit, the tunes were good enough to close the gap in the race to a +0.1% margin in favor of Obama.  The gap was 4.2% on August 10th.  

Most telling will be the bump the Dems receive from the convention.  There is always a bump.  This convention is suppose to be so tightly scripted that the odds of anyone shooting themselves and their party in the foot are believed to be nonexistent. From a blogger's perspective though, one can always hope otherwise.

But if the President can't get that gap back, it is going to be interesting come November.

Massachusetts is suppose to see 5 speakers at the convention.  Governor Patrick, Sen. John Kerry, Mayor Thomas Menino from Boston, candidates Elizabeth Warren and Joseph Kennedy, III.

The biggest winner or loser from that group of course will be Warren. Presumably she will be having some spiffy speech writers working for her, because if her presentation continues along the lines of her campaign ads, somebody should get the butter from the fridge, because she will be toast.

Fear not folks, all this stuff will be over sooner than you know it.  After which we will all have to find something else to stimulate our political cravings.  I am pretty sure that won't be hard to do either.

Enjoy the last day of the "unofficial" summer season.  It is suppose to be a good one.