When politicians do something enormously pleasing to their supporters, the MSM typically describes the move as "red meat for the base".
Well, I don't know about you, but, as a red-meat loving Dem, I'm starving. All I get, day after day, story after story, diary after diary, comment after comment, is an endless string of political and legislative defeats fobbed off as the best we can hope for right now given that we don't have super-majorities in the House, Senate, Knesset, British Parliament, UN general assembly, Pleasantville City Council and of course, the all-important Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
No red meat for me. In fact, our leadership seems to be going out of its way to feed me nothing but ice-chips, arsenic and weak tea, as if I'm some sort of invalid that they can't decide whether to comfort or euthanize.
Yet, as they said in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, I'm not dead yet. In fact, in spite of the occasional arsenic toddy, politically I feel pretty strong. So why do my leaders keep feeding me this bland diet as if I'm a puppy that keeps throwing up on the rug?
I can only think of so many reasons why I haven't been getting my share of the red meat:
We're full.. The base of which I am a part has been so stuffed with red meat recently that one more bite would make us all throw up. Lemme see. Nope. Not feeling real full right now. A mite peckish actually.
They're fresh out of red meat up at The Partisan Politics Butcher Shop. Maybe things are so spiffy down in DC that there are simply no opportunities for the kind of legislative and/or political initiatives that would get me all fired up.
Uhhhh, nope. In fact, I'm looking through the window of the Partisan Politics Butcher Shop right now and I see shelf after shelf of nicely marbled filet mignon, prime rib, ribeye, hamburger, sirloin ... all apparently destined for someone else's plate. To my right, the dogs of war are chewing on an endless occupation. Further to the right, the neocons are gnawing on a fresh Iran resolution. And way out to the right, a giant pack of attack dogs are ripping up the carcass of the MoveOn ad, carved and cooked for them by none other than MY leaders. None for me though. Hmmm.
We're a vegetarian party. Yup, you have to consider all the possibilities and this is actually one of the likelier ones. Do Dems WANT red meat - partisan politicking that's equal parts substance and smack down? Do you know any Democrats who want strong, assertive Democratic politicking with a dash of smackdown? I thought I did, but maybe they've been lying to me. It could happen.
We have vegetarians doing the dinner shopping. For whatever reason, our leaders just can't bring themselves to step into the Partisan Politics Butcher Shop and buy us all a nice thick steak. It's icky, just thinking about how it gets made makes you sick, and if the base knew what was good for it, it wouldn't even want that stuff. When I'm feeling optimistic, this is the explanation that pops into my head, which just goes to show you how devalued the notions of optimism and good news have become around here. Note to the leaders of this pack: I don't care if you're vegans, you need to get us a steak - now.
I'm not part of The Base. This is the explanation that's left standing when all the others are eliminated. For whatever reason, my views make me not part of the base and thus not worth tossing a bone.
Well, treat me like a dog, and I'll start acting like one. If a dog hangs out with you for a while and doesn't get a decent meal out of it, he may keep walking with you for a time, but eventually he'll leave you for a pack where they eat better.