whoever is prime minister tonight you'll still be exploited

at first i was a bit disappointed that papandreou wasn't tossed out on his ass by parliament but then i got to thinking about politics here in the empire and i realized that the disconnect between the seat of power and the street is pretty much a human universal and that the anarchists are correct when they say it doesn't matter who is in charge...it's the system that produces the politicians and real decision-making takes place in institutions removed from the control of the people...unless the street completely overwhelms the system....and how often does that happen? the same is true here...as i recall there was a lot of rhetoric about change when obamaland assumed the mantle (a somewhat frayed cloak splattered by the mud of tiresome campaigns and endless circuses...less dignified than anyone who wants the job believes) of old george in 2008...how'd that work out? the more things change the more they stay the same...the republicans are indulging themselves in the time honored political pastime of character assassination as only they can do it...mostly because the traditional republican combination of arrogant hubris, strutting, almost il duce-like, exceptionalism, and bedrock stupidity lend themselves so well to it...with that much raw material it's difficult to resist picking up that first handful of mud...so the greek "crisis" continues and the foul stench of the current political death spiral here at home isn't going to do anything but strengthen and intensify...people are taking to the steets here as well...one wonders how their determination will hold out as the weather cools and the nfl playoffs and a new "second season" on hbo beckon...a lot, i suppose, depends on whether or not the economy continues to sour...i haven't been tear-gassed in ages ( i wonder what improvements have been made in its effectiveness in the last thirty-eight years or so? progress marches on) if things continue as they are i may have to leave the garden and join them.

11-5-2011 8:10 am
as a side note i was just reading in the times that papandreou survived with a six vote plurality 153-147, so his survival may not be a true reflection of the greek polity's attitude towards him or his government...you can rely on whores everywhere to vote against the interests of "the voters" most of the time because the interests of their true constituents are inimical to those of the rest of us...he may have survived parliament...the streets are a different matter.