My head is spinning from this past year....and I guess I am not surprised at where we are.

[NRaleighLiberal]

Of course I had great hopes - the 8 disastrous and illegal Bush years were just horrendous for the country (hell, the world). Many - most? - of us rolled up our sleeves and delved into the process of change, with two great candidates. (I was delighted Obama won and would have been equally delighted if it was Hillary).

But we knew what Republicans and Blue Dog, "moderate" Dems were like. We know what they fight for - their careers, meaning their conservative constituents. Obama is one man - he is the president, but he is hindered in so many ways by politicians and the political process.

We knew what the media was like. We knew that it stacks the deck against liberal/progressive points of view, because they are beholden to their conservative, wealthy, greedy owners.

Am I happy with where we are? Hell, no. (whoops, now I am starting to sound like Rummy, answering my own questions...so I will stop!). Part of me thought it would be easier, that the direction of the country would turn faster, that Obama would play a stronger hand - his skill as an orator and his eloquence in a way made it seem like an easier job than it was/is.

Am I pissed off? (oh well)...) Yes - that BushCheney justices are still embedded, that the murders aren't in jail for taking us into an illegal war, that Health Care reform is so watered down, at the greed of bankers (and apparent enabling of them by the administration's financial dudes) - and that is just the start of how I am pissed off.

I am reminding myself to slow down, stop being so reactive to every little news bite - it is like mental whiplash trying to keep up. DU has been really interesting to watch lately as our big tent starts to stretch at the seams a bit. But I don't think we are really eating our own - I think each of us is trying to make sense of what we are seeing, trying to keep faith in our party - and screaming bloody murder when we think things are going pear shaped.

I still think that we are lucky to have Obama as our president. I shudder to think what things would be like under McPalin. And I still think it is early in the game. The system most certainly is rigged - there are politicians, and there are corporations, and there are the people. With the first 2 in cahoots, we don't have much of a leg to stand on, really. But if we keep screaming bloody murder, maybe things will just start to change a bit.

Part of me also thinks that positive change will come.....if not by choice, by the necessity from the incredible mess that will occur if things do NOT start to change.

Merry - whatever- holiday - you - celebrate. It's Friday night, we had our first snow flakes of the year in Raleigh, and as a native New Englander, loved watching it fall...I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. We should've rolled up our sleeves during the decades we had Repukes destroying our country

And come out punching out Repukes.

Why didn't we?