Rage For The Machine

I'm one of those fortunate 3 million Cablevision subscribers who's had the honor and privilege of getting caught in the middle of a pissing contest between two little pricks, Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. and Charles Dolan of Cablevision. Going on a week now, I've lost the freedom to watch 2 NFL Games (one of which was the Giants) and all five games of the National League Championship Series, not to mention a ton of useless juvenile programs like Glee and the possibility of seeing local news anchor Ernie Anastos telling folks to enjoy bestiality. Not that I ever watch Glee or any brand - be it local or national - of Fox News. But damnit I pay for the right to do so if I so chose. Almost $200 a month.

Truth be told, I'm pretty friggin livid at the whole situation. I know the "easy" answer is "Well you can go get DirecTv" and be all set. And that's true. However, not only is that rewarding Fox (whom I actually tend to blame a little more in this situation), but it's also forcing unnecessary inconveniences down my throat, be it locking into a long term contract with a company with a reputation for miserable customer service, or drilling holes in my roof, or placing an unsightly satellite dish on the log cabin that I live in, or taking time off from work to schedule service, installation and all that fun stuff that falls within a customer friendly 12 hour window. Just because a couple of billionaires are fighting over each others' millions, I have to be put out? F that.

All in all this just another version of the regular guy taking it on the chin from corporations, a glorious American tradition. I realize that puts me in the corner of about 75% of Americans who are fed up and have had it up to here with the fat cats, corporatists, and other powers that shit on our lives and leave us holding the pooper scooper. America right now is a nation of angry bastards. And not for nothing, we've got every right to be.

But here's the problem: By and large they're backing the same goddamn assholes who are making their lives miserable. It's no secret that in the coming weeks, our government is facing a radical takeover. Fueled by "Tea Parties", the Republican party's on the verge of taking over the House, and at the very least, cutting deeply into the Democrats' once solid majority in the Senate. I shed no tear for the unfortunately large sample of D's that have compromised their principles or sold out to the lobbies and special interests that have in turn soiled their brand and derailed an agenda that was more successful than any other electoral campaign in a generation just 2 short years ago.

Nor does my heart break for President Obama, who spent about 75% of his time in office trying to work with people who don't like him, think he's a Muslim and don't believe he was born in the United States. Could you imagine if George W Bush devoted such time and effort to the working class? Or science? Sorry Barry, tens of millions of young people and first time voters came out in 2008 because they wanted change. Not Bush Light.

The Democratic Culpability however is small potatoes compared to the pending surge of lunatics poised to be sworn in next January. The whole notion of these Tea Parties is both inherently flawed in their representation, and contradictory in what they stand for:

• Disguised as a people's uprising, what's consistently missed in their mainstream media portrayal is that they were organized and funded by the same corporate lobbyists that they pretend to so firmly against.
• Despite claims that their foundation lies in deficit reduction, per a NYT/CBS poll, 57% hold George W Bush in a favorable light, the complete opposite of how us civilians feel about him. And we all know how Dubya felt about deficits.
• They appear to hate big government but they insist that the President better keep his government hands off their medicare.
• The Teabaggers love them some liberty. As long as you're straight. 
• Worst of all, most of these stooges think that Obama raised their taxes!

Also, let's not act like this was some organic people's movement that arose from bailouts and healthcare spending. This was brewing since the moment it became obvious that Obama was going to be President. I can't help but think of an encounter I had in the parking lot of my local pharmacy with an older white woman, say, maybe 65 years old. The car I had at the time had a "New Jersey for Obama" sticker on it, and as I was walking out of it, she approached me. Let's call her "Crusty Old White Bitch". The conversation went like this:

COWB: What does Obama stand for? 
ME: A welcome change domestically and abroad for starters. Economically he says..
COWB: (Cutting me off) What does Change Mean?
ME: In what regard do you want to know? Economics? Health Care? Iraq? Afghanistan? Education? 
COWB: He's no good
ME: Excuse Me? As opposed to the asshole in office now?
COWB: He'll raise your taxes
ME: Yes, if I'm fortunate to somehow make 250G next year, he will. But I don't think that's happening. 
COWB: No, that's a lie. He'll raise all of our taxes
ME: Thats a lie? How many troops did Bush kill with his lies about Weapons of Mass Destruction?
COWB: Your wrong 
ME: Fuck you.

I could go on and on about the inaccuracies in their foundations and beliefs, or talk about how they're basically a sheetless Klan, but that's not the point and what's been done, or is about to be done can't be changed. What we need to think about is why working class Americans appear to have the same psychology of battered spouses. Kick the shit out of us, we like it and we want more. That's the basic message of the Tea Party.

They want a return to the same rules and regulations that allowed corporate America, foreign interests, defense contractors and Big Religion to run rampant over America since 1981. This recession must not have been deep enough. The disparity of wealth must not be wide enough. Wall Street must not be rogue enough. Let's give our corporations even more power over us. 

And I'll still have no reasonable recourse against Fox and Cablevision.