hope wanes and divide widens

The disconnection between the populous and political representation seems to never be wider in history. While the ruling Labour Party in Britain rests on the thinnest of ice given the recent Parliamentary expenses scandal along with a dubious series of decisions as it relates to the handling of the financial meltdown, across the Atlantic American politics echoes the same lack of connection to its citizenry and leadership.

The winter of 2007 / 2008 rode the rails of one of the longest campaigns in American political history. Speech writers worked overtime throwing down words that of-course lacked any concrete information but were full of ever-so delightful rhetoric that the public would cast their vote with. This was modern politics in its "finest hour", a Friday night pep-rally boondoggle where policies need not be discussed as decisions would be upon catchy phrases, clever marketing tactics and a media bought and paid for.

Yet it is now the summer of 2009 and the little signs that some of the media are starting to ask relevant questions are slowly starting to emerge. While it is a year late, it is, from the most optimistic of visions, a place for optimism. The ridiculous phrases that delights a 160-character bit maximum populous, needs to be shelved and remembered for what it was, hollow leadership that has tore down capitalism and will take at least a generation to fix.

Those will be harsh words to many but so be it but while auto workers succumbed to the forced concessions in the name of "saving the industry", few have questioned how Sichuan Tengzhong was gifted Hummer in the GM debacle or for that matter what involvement Citi has in the transaction. Is expropriation of bedrocks of the economy to foreign entities part of the "change" that enthralled the public and how were the simple notions of capitalism and freedom be cast aside in the face of turmoil.

Yet now the foundation is shaking a bit, cracks are starting to emerge as some start to realize this tale was already told by Hans Christian Andersen where the "emperor had no clothes". Hollow cliches in well managed media blitzes are still hollow and cold, hard facts are what decisions should be based upon. Advocates of Candidate Obama, such as Bill Maher are starting to step out and note their disappointment (here and here) of President Obama in front of the cameras and behind the scenes, political fund raising events for the party in power have a ting of an echo to them for all the empty seats.

Whether you are a British subject wondering how politicians find it acceptable to expense personal expenses and finance second homes on the backs of the public or like millions of hard-working Americans finding your country turning towards a socialist agenda, you are not to blame. Much of the responsibility lays firmly on what should be loosely termed "the media" who no longer report factual, unbiased information but in-truth are well financed arms of political and corporate groups.