Do you know about the cuttlefish? I woke up at 4 this morning and an ABC News report introduced me to the cuttlefish, an amazing sea creature that changes itself to it’s surroundings in a classic defense technique. This fish has no shell and is strangely colorblind. You can make all the political comparisons to Blue Dogs, Scott Brown or Arlen Specter but the cuttlefish’s technique has worked for him for millions of years. So, there.
In nature and politics, survival is key. I have had fun in the past comparing Tea Party people (my old friends) with Howler monkeys and Blue Dog Democrats with chameleons but everyone must find what works for them. First, most creatures in the political arena have America’s best interest in mind. The questions are over how to get there and what techniques are fair and healthy. The Tea Party starts with sound ideas and real concerns as stated by President Obama but they wisely sound loud which gives the impression of a much larger beast. We will learn their real size in November.
Centrists shouldn’t be labeled as chameleons in a negative way. They simply reflect their surroundings. Some marketing focus groups have discovered that advantage can be gain by painting long serving elected officials as “career politicians” or “professional politicians.” I personally want a professional correcting my teeth, fixing my old truck and making my public policy. An old school congressman once told me that if we had term limits the only experts on Capitol Hill would be the K Street lobbyists—and that is what they want. He also said we have term limits; it’s called elections.
(The following is only for my half dozen Tea Party friends)
Enough with the flip flop stuff and enough with the “those congressmen don’t listen to me” stuff. Check this out right here: there are other folks in the South with you and they have opinions also. These so-called career politicians must gauge the consensus of the area and make decisions. At times, those decisions are a bit contrary to that official’s personal views but they were elected to serve the people…all of the people. Average voters prefer leaders without the “my way or the highway” mentality.
When those officials let the vocal minority outweigh the “too busy to be vocal” majority, it’s time to consider new leadership. That cuttlefish is a cuttlefish inside.. no matter what. The political comparison ends when the fish that mastered camouflage is discovered.
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