capsforsale.jpgA modern political fable, as told by reader john of sacramento:

I’ve got a story for the Vichy-Dems.

The Hat Seller and the Monkees

I heard this tale in India. A hat seller, on waking from a nap under a tree, found that a group of monkeys had taken all his hats to the top of the tree. In exasperation he took off his own hat and flung it to the ground. The monkeys, known for their imitative urge, hurled down the hats, which the hat seller promptly collected.

Half a century later his grandson, also a hat seller, set down his wares under the same tree for a nap. On waking, he was dismayed to discover that monkeys had taken all his hats to the treetop. Then he remembered his grandfather’s story, so he threw his own hat to the ground. But, mysteriously, none of the monkeys threw any hats, and only one monkey came down. It took the hat on the ground firmly in hand, walked up to the hat seller, gave him a slap and said, “You think only you have a grandfather?”

They took our money, our work, and our votes which gave them a win, and they’ve since treated us with disdain. Keep it up and they’ll find that they’re standing all alone with no help and no hats.

The moral of the story:  You want my vote?  My phone banking time?  My door knocking abilities?  My knowledge of my community — and that of every person who reads here or any other online blog or for any other progressive political group?  You earn it.  Every damn day. 

You can start with restoration of the rule of law, checks and balances and a commitment to the Constitution.  With a more intelligent and long-reaching foreign policy strategy that doesn’t include the word “yeehaw!”   With work — real work — on domestic policy, including strengthening our crumbling infrastructure and schools, tackling poverty and taking a long, hard look at how we care for at risk children.  Oh, commitment to honesty and rebuilding in the Gulf Coast would be a nice start, too.  Add in better care for our nation’s soldiers and their families — real mental health services for soldiers and families in need, and adequate care for the families left at home who are barely getting by right now on food stamps and prayer.  And that’s just for starters.

There is a lot of work to be done.  And the American public deserves far more than a wholesale stall and whine tactic from the Grand Obstruction Party — we need solid leadership, and we need it now.  Being a hedgehog is not nearly enough…  (H/T to dalloway.)

(Photo of toys based on one of The Peanut’s favorite stories: Caps For Sale.)

PS — The folks at CommentsFromLeftField have set up a fund in honor of the two fallen soldiers who helped write the NYTimes editorial.  Thought some folks here might be interested in this.  (H/T to Michael Tedesco for sending me the link on this.)