Odyssey and Oracle: Fire Tweedledum and Tweedledee - America IS ready for a new political party.

Peggy Noonan, someone I occasionally agree with politically, has hit it dead on today in this piece. Somethings happening alright and not soon enough. Here are a few great quotes from her column.

"All my adult life, people have been saying that the two-party system is ending, that the Democrats' and Republicans' control of political power in America is winding down."

"Nancy Pelosi seems to be pretty much in favor of anything that hurts Republicans, and Ken Mehlman is in favor of anything that works against Democrats. They both want their teams to win. Part of winning is making sure the other guy loses, and part of the fun of politics, of any contest, of life, can be the dance in the end zone. But the dance has gotten dark."

"There is an increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people--between the elites and the grunts, between those in power and those who put them there."

"People see the Republicans as incapable of managing the monster they've helped create--this big Homeland Security/Intelligence apparatus that is like some huge buffed guy at the gym who looks strong but can't even put on his T-shirt without help because he's so muscle-bound. As for the Democrats, who co-created Homeland Security, no one--no one--thinks they would be more managerially competent. Nor does anyone expect the Democrats to be more visionary as to what needs to be done. The best they can hope is the Democrats competently serve their interest groups and let the benefits trickle down."

"Both parties act as if they see there differences not as important questions (gay marriage, for instance) but as wedge issues. Which is, actually, abusive of people on both sides of the question. If it's a serious issue, face it. Don't play with it."

"A new group or entity that could define the problem correctly--that sees the big divide not as something between the parties but between America's ruling elite and its people--would be making long strides in putting third party ideas in play in America again."

And now a few thoughts of my own:

1. "Vote for us because we don't suck as much as our opponents," is not a great election slogan, but it might as well be used by both Democrats and Republicans these days. Hey you politician types, just a thought; I would never hire you for ANY job if you spent your entire interview telling my why the other applicants suck. And you want to lead us?

2. In a society with so many divergent opinions on political issues and candidates, how is it possible that we, as a nation, seem to vote within a few tiny percentage points of a 50/50 split in any given election. Nearly dead even. Every time. Weird, right? Hey you conspiracy types. Work on this one.

3. During an election, why do we feel like we are choosing between absolute good and absolute evil, depending on which side of the isle one stands on? Why don't we approach our elections as an opportunity to collectively manage and guide our nation into the future with collective good will and a common hope for a brighter future? But I guess that wouldn't sell as many newspapers. (Yeah, that was a sucker-punch to you, Big Media)

4. Hey America. Take note. I don't care where you are politically, but you are probably closer to your political "opposites" than you think. Don't believe the media when they try to segregate us by ideology. Just like a family, we have differing opinions, but we are all working towards a better future. Sure, we may have disagreements on how to get there, but lets remember who we are and remember that for the most part, we all want good things for ourselves, our friends and our neighbors.

5. Hey America. Take note. The real problems of our nation are our politicians, including the non-elected bureaucratic machine in Washington, and our Big Media. Lets fire the politicians. After all, we put them there. As for Big Media, just ignore them and they will go away.

6. Big Media, you are one of the biggest fomenters of discontent and friction in this whole mess. I thought your job was to investigate and report FACT. FACT FACT FACT! I couldn't care less about your "editorial flavor". Give me the pure facts, no matter how you feel about them. Otherwise your just a poor caricature of your former noble selves, pan-handling sensationalism for money. You have a vitally important function in this society. Just do it.

7. I've said it before (2) and I'll say it again, In 2008, vote for ANYONE else.