Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Dear Political Establishment:  
It's midterm-election time, so I know this is one of the rare moments you're listening. Here's the deal. None of your jobs are safe, and they won't be until you take a page from Bill Clinton's playbook and figure out that "it's the economy, stupid!" Because it doesn't matter that the bailouts worked or that some eggheads have pronounced the recession over. The average American—which is to say the kind who is not rich—is still reeling from the effects of our nation's monetary near-meltdown. That's why the Democrats are in danger of losing their majorities this year, and that's why the Republicans lost theirs two years ago. You folks can blame whoever you want—previous administrations, China, the liberal elite—but the fact remains that half of Americans no longer believe in the American dream. You must all be so proud. The dream of America was our proudest export, the idea that kept us optimistic during dark days, the fantasy that caused people from all over the world to risk everything to get here, and now we all feel like serfs laboring for feudal lords with names like Goldman Sachs or British Petroleum. Think about it: if that recent ABC news poll is accurate, then there are tens of millions of people who believe that hard work gets you nowhere in this society. Those kinds of numbers cut across party lines. And what's really the most amazing thing to me is that y'all can't figure out why we're so despondent. We need relief ... from you and the only constituents you seem to care about: corporate America. As for what we don't need? How about more of this ...