Okay, so, I'm jaded.

Maybe it's just that I've become jaded, but give me a break, I think we've all earned a right to be, having suffered through the last year. The problem is that it has trickled out of my political observations into other areas.

I first became aware of it in 2008 when Joe The Plumber became the object of ridicule and suspicion by the press instead of then candidate Obama's 'spread the wealth' answer to his question. Prior to that I knew there was a clear bias - I was not naïve - but active unapologetic partisan effort during a campaign? The basic rules of the game, including fair play, were gone.

But that's old news. The press is in gotcha mode with Sarah Palin. It's no longer eyebrow raising. Cheer leading Obama? Yawn. Spinning the news? Par for the course. Nobel Prize for President Obama in week 2? Whatever. The Nuclear clock moved back away from midnight for the first time ever because of Obama? I guess they've not heard about Iran.

Where I find myself surprised now is at my own suspicion about other news. Jay Leno is fighting with Conan O'Brien? I bet it's great for the sagging ratings. You don't suppose it was planned do you? I do. There's a big argument on Cake Boss? They DO know the cameras are on. (I still like the show though). A boy mysteriously ends up in an untethered home made balloon and his parents are somehow connected to a reality show? Hmmmm. Search now but ask a lot of questions.

It's sad. Being jaded about politics is fine. The government needs suspicion. But being jaded about other things pretty much sucks. It doesn't mean that I'm less concerned and moved by things like the devastation in Haiti, or even stories about individual hardships. It does mean I might, in the latter case, without a preponderance of evidence eye them with more caution than before. I suppose that's good and bad, given the track record of the press of late. Maybe fact checking has become a thing of the past.

But what I find myself wishing for, is a return to political normalcy - outside of the win/lose continuum. That way my focus can be on factual arguments rather than looking for political machinations and subterfuge.
Given my current way of thinking, I can't see that happening. Oh well, there's always Cake Boss.

The real reason Democrats win

Some might eye this as a bit cynical, but the representative republic that is the United States of America has a corruption problem with it's voting system. It's not ACORN, though they represent a problem with the system. The real reason Democrats win, is because of the money.

From the Washington Post:

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.

This from the Yahoo/AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Taxpayers are increasingly exposed to losses and the government is more vulnerable to fraud under Obama administration initiatives that have created a federal bank bailout program of "unprecedented scope," a government report finds.

In a 250-page quarterly report to Congress, the rescue program's special inspector general concludes that a private-public partnership designed to rid financial institutions of their "toxic assets" is tilted in favor of private investors and creates "potential unfairness to the taxpayer."

And this from CQ Politics:

Rep. Jane Harman , the California Democrat with a longtime involvement in intelligence issues, was overheard on an NSA wiretap telling a suspected Israeli agent that she would lobby the Justice Department reduce espionage-related charges against two officials of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee, the most
powerful pro-Israel organization in Washington.

Harman was recorded saying she would "waddle into" the AIPAC case "if you think it'll make a difference," according to two former senior national security officials familiar with the NSA transcript.

...

In exchange for Harman's help, the sources said, the suspected Israeli agent pledged to help lobby Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., then-House minority leader, to appoint Harman chair of the Intelligence Committee after the 2006 elections, which the Democrats were heavily favored to win.

And from CBS:

Spring in Washington is "earmark season" - a busy time for Congressman John Murtha.

"That's my business," Murtha said. "I've been in it for 35 years."

As head of a powerful Defense committee, Murtha controls hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, reports CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson. And he's not shy about directing money to those who give generously to his election campaigns.

CBS News has learned that this month, Murtha is steering new earmarks toward 10 companies that recently donated to his campaign. Murtha wants $8 million for Argon ST, a defense contractor whose CEO gave Murtha the maximum allowed by law - $2,400 by an individual. He's directing a $5 million earmark toward Advanced Acoustic Concepts, which also gave the max - $5,000 for a political action committee - to his campaign. In all, 10 recent Murtha donors are slated to receive $31 million in Murtha earmarks for 2010.

Taxpayer watchdogs may not like how it looks, but it's not against the law unless donations were required in order to receive the earmarks. Looking for evidence of wrongdoing, the FBI has recently raided offices of two other companies linked to Murtha.

...

Murtha wouldn't comment for our report. He did recently tell a home state newspaper that he's only trying to bring home the bacon.

[Hat tip for all links: Drudge]

So while ACORN is a problem, the real issue here is that Democrats know how to game the system. They get the big donors. They obviously play the behind the scenes game a little too well. It's corrupt, but it wins.

The problem for Republicans is that they still have the stench of complacent corruption on them. But in the current climate, absent a real grassroots change, it seems to be the way to stack the deck in favor of your side and it's stacked against the GOP. The choice for the GOP is to play the game to get the money to get the message out and win, while succumbing to corruption OR cleaning house and trying to win on principle from the ground up.

The path of least resistance is to join in on the cheat. That's the path politicians are prone to take. But if the Tea Parties continue to build momentum they may become the path of least resistance because it's cheaper to win on popularity than on back room deals.

The real reason Democrats win, is not the way that is good for the country. Maybe it's the Chicago way, but it's not the American Way. This may be the year of crossroads for the GOP. Let us hope they choose wisely.