Yep. I'm bored. Here's why. As I wander the tables in this fine TPM establishment, coyotes in tow, I see & hear some wonderful things. Witty (even Des got in a good one the other night.) Insightful & Historical (See: y'all on FISA.) I get to be surprised by people's (oft well-cloaked) humanity (that's you, Vlad, you ole Draco you.) I get offered drinks & music & riddles (you know who you are.) Plus, I get to watch some great scraps - TV got nothin' that can compete with our own Itchy & Scratchy.

And with all that, how could I be bored? Well. Boredom's a funny thing - it's relative. Y'see, it's often them waggly li'l lines of conversation, the ones that tangent over toward that border on the right (damn that border) & the ones plunked down at the bottom, late at night, that I like best. Now, some of you will say, "Oh. But quinn esq, that's life." Well, shut up, you lot. You're scum, and disruptive.

It NEEDN'T be that way, life on the margins. (And yes, I go all CAPS when I lean on a word, 'cos damned if I know how to work this incredibly complex, nuanced software.) Anyway... What I'd most like is if some of the comments raised off on that right-hand edge were followed up. Direct-like. In posts that started where it was important. That way, we could start with something that made our brains work, and our wits tingle. At their ends. (Wits. End. Ahhh screw it.) And then, as we worked at it, we'd find new tangents. Which became even more interesting & more fun. And yes, your marriage would suffer & your income plummet. Get over it.  

And love 'im or loathe 'im, that's why Billy G plays here. Cos he's got a big bad brain. Multiple brains (and perhaps, voices.) Cool, says I. The day I'm outgunned in a battle of wits is the day I.... ummmm... yeah. (Piss off, I'm thinking. Witty riposte to follow.) What I was saying is that I suspect Billy - like a batch of you (no, not you Genghis) - are bloody brilliant people. Or thoughtful. Or deep. Or good for free drinks. What are we afraid of?

We all agree already, that we're part of a culture that's dumbed us down. But JC-On-A-Spoon, why not imagine Colbert & Stewart as our starting point? Let's create something THEY'D enjoy.

I'll start with my fellow Obama-backers. We won, so we can most afford a kick in the 'nauts, right? Hello? WTF is it with us anyway? Here's Barack, out there for months, saying, "Ummmm.... This isn't about me. It's about ALL of us." Makin' speeches about having DIFFERENT kinds of conversations, he is. About how the old lines & divisions have to be ERASED. Well (quiet for a minute Des, no cheap shots), how about we PAY A LI'L BLOODY ATTENTION to the dude? Cos when he says, "It's about ALL of us," this does not mean, "Shut up, I'm the only one that gets to talk/think/breathe til November." You wanna BE the change? Well then, ACT it. Neither is it a "different" conversation to say, "Rove is a berry berry bad mans." Nor will old lines get erased with ever-so-winning remarks like "Get over it."

We need to raise our game. We know it, Obama says it. And the world, the times & our children demand it. (Hey... I like that! Except for that "children" bit. Friggin' kids, they demand too much as it is. Li'l bastards. Let 'em screw up their OWN world, then they can talk.) 

We need to raise our game. I said it before, and I was mad. But tonight, I'm sayin' it again. Because I mean it. Now. I'm gonna go out on a limb, knowing damn well Billy (and/or rabbit-dude) is snickering back there with his saw - and offer up some suggested topics. Mock on, mock on, but here's what interests ME. What I do not find boring. How I think we can raise our game. My starting 5. Add your own. Or else.

1. How to BREAK OPEN a culture of fear, division, selfishness, hyper-nationalism. No, I did not say shout at it. Imagine that the next 4 months saw a cultural opening, a blossoming, with a political edge. What would that look like? Because a politician, no matter how good, cannot do much more than signal that things might be different. So what's it to be... A simultaneous, nation-wide set of concerts, where everyone ends up singing "One?" A million dada'ist moments, pasted on the supermarket walls? Handmade billboards on a million lawns, each with their own message of what change looks like to you? If the culture does not change, neither BO nor HRC is gonna be able to do more than hold our worst fears at bay.

2. Obama and the Democrats are gonna be BROKE come next January. Take my word for it. I'm a shit-hot economist in real-life.  And they won't be just a little broke either. Oh. And so will the American economy. And you and me. Now. How's that gonna be dealt with? Start by imagining that yes, we have no money. None of us. Not the guvmint, not you and me. Be creative. We've got trillions tied up in wasted real estate and floorspace, horsepower that we can't feed. Fix it. GIT GOIN'!

3. Assume the Republicans do not gently go down to this 40 years a'comin' defeat. Imagine an October Surprise. Look past the smears of the campaign unfolding. Now, INOCULATE the population against that. Some of you think this is far fetched. I think we can set up a play area somewhere in here to keep you amused while the demented few (with a goddamn clue) ponder this.

4. A generational story. Only this time, a story that doesn't start with totally bogus "labels" like Boomer and X etc. Let's start somewhere sensible. With a myth (which means "big story," not a "bald lie" for those of you not paying attention in Theology class.) Billy likes the Greek story. Obamanauts. But I'm gonna float another, cos I was raised Baptist - The Exodus. (And no, please don't bring Israel post-'48 issues into this. I'm talking MYTH, ok?) The children of Egypt, enslaved, rebel & make a run for it. Face 40 years in the wilderness. There were sacrifices & whole new dreams back there in '68. But these wilderness years.... well, they've thrown up a lotta grumbling. A lot of people turned back to the fleshpots, or over to the Golden Calf. Too damned AFRAID to enter into anywhere new. And so a whole new generation of children had to be born, and raised up under new conditions, to get rid of the fear that blocked us from "entering in." But as a people, they learned to reject the old idols, old models of "Kings." They made up new agreements, new understandings. A dozen "tribes" formed, movements, engaging with other slaves, exiles, wanderers... even women! Tis a grand story (and let's not bother with Leviticus fights, ok?) Argue.

5. Tell me why choosing Hillary as VP, overcoming all bitterness, would do more to PROVE to America that BO means what he says about overcoming old divisions, show what "Change We Can Believe In" looks like and prove himself worthy of trust, than anything else he can tangibly DO in 4 months. (And yes, I have heard some of you don't like her. Me neither. I don't "like" her. But bugger off. Hating is boring. "Big Change" may not look like you think.)

That's yer assignment. And I WILL throw your ass outta here if you revert. And if you don't like it & wanna go postal on me, I'll send you my address & you can come threaten me. (Disclosure: I grew up on a  farm with 16 boys. I look forward to opening some Yes We Can on yer sorry ass. I'm frightening. And that's just the hair.)

So come on. Bring it, TPM'ers. Thrill me, damn you. Mess with my head. And bring music, willya?