My take: Everybody's angry. Frustrated. Anxious. Afraid. Looking to place blame.

I saw it yesterday in Massachusetts, my home for 57 years. I saw it tonight at the budget hearing in the little NH town I work in. People are either out of work, have had their hours and benefits cut or are afraid they will be next. They are mad and looking for something, somebody, anything, anybody to blame. They see a ton of their tax money going out of Washington and they don't know where it has gone. They know, or think they know, that they haven't seen any of it. They see the big bonus bonanza still chugging along with the government saying tsk, tsk but not doing much about it. And...they no longer understand the health reform proposal in Congress. The bellweather to me is my friend, a recent cancer survivor and Obama stalwart who told me today they she no longer recognizes the bill...doesn't know what's in it anymore...she has about lost hope for anything good in it for her or people in her position. And...she's not mad at Obama, she's just sad.

Anyway, that's what I see and I am at a loss at how to make things right.

Oh, and tapping into the anger and fear are the teabaggers (I'm in Freestater country) who love to use this stuff to further their own twisted agenda. But, beware, regular folks are beginning to listen.

They and their asinine policies are the CAUSE of all this mess. And Democrats aren't doing enough to clean it all up.

Take cover.

this if they just stopped and listened to the people around them, whether they agreed with them politically or not. Everyone has something to say and it is all valuable information.

Anyone who does not see the teabaggers as a threat are foolish.
People are angry and are desperate for answers.
They will listen to anyone.

Now I just plain don't give a rat's ass.

I always knew the republican party didn't intend to do anything for the middle class except screw us.

Over the past 6 months I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Democratic party, as a group, doesn't intend to help us either.

I'm almost 70 years old and it takes all the energy I have to take care of this place and the many critters we have here. I can no longer afford to spend my time beating my head against a wall trying to change the political dynamic at the national level, when it is so obvious that nobody in a position to change things really wants change.

I'm sure I'll still hang around here and opine from time to time but I don't think my heart is really in it anymore.

I just hope there is something left of our democracy by the time my little great granddaughter grows up.

have been active in politics since the civil rights movement in the 50's. Yesterday I felt that it was time to say "fuck it" and retire. I've decided to take a few deep breaths.

but I am hoping for the Dems to have a wakeup call.They seem to be in a bubble and to have no idea what is going on in this country. Half the people I know are out of work and are going to lose their life savings and homes in the next year.They are in their mid 50's and not liable to find work in the construction industry. It will be more desperate by the end of the year from what I am seeing. I dread what may happen.

When the people only hear negativity, they've got no choice but to "think they know" what the problems are and whose to blame.

There are so many myths out there that nobody knows what is going on. That's a big part of the problem and was probably enough to shift this election, despite Coakley's poor campaign and political problems in MA.

to the teabaggers we're dead. You're absolutely correct. People are desperate and they will listen to anyone they think is listening to them. Our leaders have missed the chance to get out in front of this and it is going to take some bold action to catch up. I mean some FDR type bankster butt kicking and help for those of us who aren't worried about the maintenance on our Gulfstream. A little tweak here and there or loophole riddled reform is not going to get it. We really need these guys to step up now.

That means growing a pair, speaking up, and moving to the left.

that upset the fans of the hometeam.
Never do that if you want to be elected.

But too many more sat this one out for it to just be about a baseball team.