Last One on the Blog Train

So last night the Vice President went to the hospital for shortness of breath. It seems like ever since he took office back in 2001 he's been riddled with ailments that have made the general public question more about his ability to live to the end of his term than his ability to help run this country.

So on my way to work my brain started working (after 3 cups of joe to get me moving). It's also amazing what listening to right-winged AM radio will do, especially to this left-winged gay man that would rather listen to satellite radio or his iPod. Anyway, back to my working brain. I wondered who would succeed the Vice President if he were to pass on. I mean, the Vice President becomes President - and then third in line is Speaker of the House (right?).

See, I even question my own ability to recall this tidbit of information. Then I'm torn. Torn between "Who the hell cares?" and "How goddamn embarrassing that I don't know this." God forbid if Jay Leno or David Letterman ever find me on the streets to ask questions about our history and government. I ain't gonna be nobody's laugh riot; nuh uh no way....

Throughout the day I've realized how little I do know about our government, or at least about the specific people that run our country. Outside of the President, VP and Secretary of State Rice, I couldn't tell you very much more than that. Is it because I'm not a patriotic or responsible citizen, or is it because I came to a realization a long time ago that politics, at least to me, is a game that I'd rather not play. I mean, outside of the individual state governments limiting my own right to marry my same sex partner, my upper-middle class life doesn't sway to far good or bad depending on who has control of the wheel.

I'm all about the Democratic party getting a stronger foothold in this country over the Republicans, but then if they stay in the majority power for too long, how bad could it become on the other side? I mean, after the elections of 2004 it seemed like the Republicans had that foothold in our society, between red fly-over states and severe backlash over gay marriage, but it didn't take long for the Republican backlash to start. Between our serious mistake in not getting out of Iraq well over a year ago (resulting in over 2000 needless American soldier casulties) and the HUGE trip-up that our Republican government made in dealing with the Katrina aftermath, it seems like we always end up back in the middle. The best of both worlds with societal checks and balances that pull us back before we go too far.

Wow - talk about a sociological, political essay I've just typed out. Call me an optimist or a dreamer or even a hippie, but there's a reason why most of the US doesn't seem to care much about our government. It's because, at least since the late 80s (as far as my continuous memory goes back) most of us have been settled comfortably in the middle, with our own control over the success of our own lives, leaving those no-name political big-wigs to play their balancing Tug-o-War.