Keep The Bums In...

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell:
'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going take this anymore!'

I want you to get up right now. Sit up. Go to your windows. Open them and stick your head out and yell -
'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore!'

Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad! ... You've got to say,
'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going take this anymore!'

Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis.
But first, get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it:
'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going take this anymore!'

-Howard Beale
"Network"

In 1976, 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going take this anymore,' was one of the most memorable quotes in movie history. It became an instant classic and matched the mood of the nation. Yet in the political arena, not a lot has really changed, at least not in the House of Representatives. Also in 1976, 96% of incumbents in the House won re-election, although frustration was felt in the Senate where only 64% of incumbents won. (In 1980, America had finally had enough. Not only did they elect Ronald Reagan, but also 55% of incumbent senators lost their seats and 91% of the House -sadly that is a big number.)

Nowadays, everyone claims that they are 'mad as hell and not going to take it anymore,' and yet compliancy among voters has never been worse. In fact, since that period that ushered in the Gipper, the most vocal grassroots movement has been the Tea Party, which hit the scene like a Roman candle that many now think, is fizzling out in the midnight sky. There have been many pretender movements from the left to the right of the political spectrum, but this stuff cannot be manufactured. People have to wake up, come together, and have the same epiphany:

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"I'm mad as hell!"

As much as the media is celebrating the presumed defeat of the Tea Party, everyone should be melancholy because there needs to be a fire. It is not about whether you agree or disagree; it is just the notion that regular people were willing to march to the nearest park and demand that someone listen to their fears. People need to tell politicians that we cannot be placated with gimmicks and prizes as if we swapped our vote for a box of Cracker Jacks.

In fact, these days' politicians addressed their own incompetency, with the kind of anger that should have been reserved for voters. On the VA Scandal:

'Madder than hell' - President Obama
'Mad as hell' -General Eric Shinseki

Mad, but too lazy to get off the sofa

2014 Midterms: Here's Why Every Incumbent Should Be Worried about Reelection
Headline
InTheCapital.com

The headline above and the chart from the Gallup below, underscores conventional wisdom, although the throw-the-bums out mentality would result in widespread upsets, but that has not happened.

So last night, one incumbent did lose. Ralph Hall was defeated by John Ratcliffe in yesterday's runoff. The 91-year-old Texas congressman had been in office since Jimmy Carter was President. The candidates split the mad-as-hell vote with each gaining endorsements from anti-incumbent groups. It was a close contest which points to the real problem with kicking the bums out, (no dispersions on Hall) - we all seem to love our own bums.

When it comes to politics, Americans are that lazy brother-in-law who will not get a job, and always has a convenient excuse, other than his own fault for his slot. We rail against the establishment members of Congress and the Executive Office who picks winners and decides losers in industry, yet we love the guy or woman who brings home the bacon from Washington DC, or state capitals. I suspect that at some point, we must challenge our own greed. That is why there are so many efforts, which make people believe government largess is a birthright.

Euro- Skeptics Not Going Away

The Euroskeptic scene took off around the same time the Tea Party came to life in America. While both are fueled by passion, the Europeans are enjoying wild success in 2014.

European markets were up nicely yesterday, after a slew of political victories for parties, which are against the EU, Euro, and want limited immigration.

The PM of France called it a "Political Earthquake," results from the European Parliamentary elections.

In France, the Front National party won 25% of the vote, up significantly from their previous highest gains of just 6%. The group was considered a one-issue party, focused on the racist agenda of immigration. Make no mistake; these votes are not just about loose immigration policies, but also about all policies that are 'part and parcel' of the Welfare Utopia, which many are so eager to implement in the United States.

In fact, the center-right party, UMP won 21% of the vote, while Socialists scored just 14% of the vote - their lowest tally ever!

Since 1910, for the first time in the United Kingdom, the Labour and the Tories parties did not win in the outcome of the election. Upsetting the applecart was the United Kingdom Independence Party, which would have won even more seats if it were not for similar groups, like Independence from Europe, and No-2- EU. The Liberal party held onto its lone seat by just 6,983 votes.

UK Election Outcome

• UKIP 37%
• Labour 25%
• Conservative 24%