I'm rarely topical, since I realize many people are doing a better job of covering current events than I would.
That said, my degree is in political science, and I come from a politically active family. My mom was even interviewed on CNN, during Persian Gulf War I. She was protesting in front of San Francisco's City Hall.
I find it hard to be funny when I talk about politics, especially the current ones. In fact, if in 2000 I had been ironically overstating how bad politics could get, to get a laugh, it would have been less shocking than the reality of 2004.
Bush is worse than I ever imagined. In 2000, my wife Jennifer predicted that a Bush presidency would be much worse than a Gore one, and I laughed at her. I'm not laughing now.
My friends talk about moving to other countries, such as Canada, and I find that hard to take seriously. I mean, come on, how many liberals talk about moving, and just become the target of jokes after they continue to live in America. Frankly, I'm American to my core, and have no desire to move. I don't want to leave this country; I want Bush to stop distorting it with his welfare for the rich, and his neo-McCarthyist message: that questioning his policies is somehow treason.
One of the consequences of the 50-50 division of the country between blue states and red is that the Northeast is as liberal as Canada and most of Europe. Republicans in New York City are few and far between, and gay marriage is a total non-issue here. We feel mercy, not scorn, for the homeless on our sidewalks, and don't describe evolution and global warming as "merely theories".
The Right behaves as if we want to pervert the country, but right now, the Left would settle for an end to the assault on our beliefs and our states. The Right used to argue for states' rights, but now it's rushing madly to rewrite the Constitutions; using it to strip away the liberty of Americans.
Here in New York City, it's tempting not to talk about politics. Maybe that's why I usually focus on describing the irrelevant. Manhattan is protected by it's surrounding rivers, its soaring bridges holding the red politics at bay.
While liberal elites can protect themselves in the Northeast, and pontificate about moving away, the powerless are at the mercy of Bush and the fanatical connservatives who see themselves as the hand of God. As the Left retreats, blacks are disenfranchized, single mothers are left destitute, and the working poor are stripped of healthcare.
It's time to push back. The Left must fight.