Recognizing the Problem

I don't have a full entry for today, but I will comment briefly on the Cynthia McKinney incident. Plenty has been said already, but this type of thing is a bit of a cold shower for someone in my position.

Look, as an ex-Republican who left that party because of the arrogance, corruption, and lack of accountability that has infested the party on a national level, something like this smacks of similar issues among the Democrats. I realize she has appologized, but only after days of claiming that guards should be trained to recognize all legistlators. Come on. This is a guy trying to do his job, and McKinney refused to help him out by wearing the lapel pin that is supposed to identify her as a representative. She's an elected official, and needed to act with dignity, not complain that her ego wasn't sufficiently stroked. If the Democrats want to assure moderates that they won't engage in the same bullshit the Republicans have become mired in, it would help if they didn't display the same inflated egos that got the Republicans into the mess they're in. Frankly, Democrat or Republican, if you assault a security official, especially for nothing more than following procedure, you deserve the consequences. I realize that, had McKinney been a Republican, the entire Republican party would have rushed to defend her and criticize the security guard. That's the problem I have with them. They don't hold their own accountable. I don't want to see both parties engaging in that kind of cadre mindset.

Of course, with the way the right has responded to the situtation, I'm not at all tempted to go back, either. Disgusting.