For the record

I'm not sure what a "Washington insider" is, but I think John McCain qualifies so he should stop railing against them. For the record Joe Biden is a "Washington insider". So is Ted Kennedy, Orrin Hatch, Tom Daschle and Trent Lott.

Anybody who spends a long time in the House and/or Senate probably qualifies. But that doesn't make them bad people. I have a certain level of respect for people who are commited to that service and level of scrutiny. And to think of where our government would be if we didn't have some experienced hands at the wheel is troublesome. There needs to be a group of people who know how the machine of government works.

I don't have a problem with "special interests" either. Both parties should stop lambasting them. These are people and groups who are taking advantage of their democratic and Constitutional rights to speak and participate. They advocate fiercly for the issues they think are important. I respect them a lot more than the peanut gallery who never express their opinions, feel like their involved Americans just by voting every 2 or 4 years and throw insults the rest of the time.

One of the things I like about Deval is his call for involvement. He obviously didn't invent it. But I agree with him when he says we get what we deserve in politics and government. Many Americans don't think we get all that much. Maybe it's beause they don't give that much of themselves toward making it better.

So while I agree that the crowds in the conventions look a little dorky, (dancing should be prohibited) and strange for being so crazed about politics and government, I respect them for having as their ultimate hobby the governence of our country. There are plenty of people who are crazed about things like running or Star Trek or fantasy football where their interest doesn't really help us as a society at all.