Generations of failure

Fairly, or unfairly, Quayle was viewed as a lightweight who not only knocked out a heavyweight, but went on to be vice president.

Anybody who believes Sarah Palin could never be elected president should remember Quayle, who was a heartbeat away. In fact, bitter Democrats point to another “son of,” George Bush the 2nd.

So don’t rule Palin out, no matter how many think she’s an unqualified bubblehead. Bayh, meanwhile, seems to have ruled himself out.

Imagine his frustration: He has always been a bit charisma-challenged. So he chose to cast himself as someone who moved deliberately.

That simply doesn’t hack it. We live in a media-charged world where instant gratification is the only gratification,

Even though it has taken him two generations to see, he has finally realized our political system is stuck, mired in a toxic sludge of sound bites and other cheap shots.

Some have been slightly offended at comparisons between Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. The truth is, though, that both enjoyed success largely based on the force of their personalities.

Obviously, the two are very different. He is very thoughtful; clearly she is not. But these days thoughtless dominates; substance doesn’t matter. In fact, it is something to cover up in stage presence.

That’s what killed healthcare reform. It’s too complex. We have become so flabby as a nation that most of us don’t want to do the hard work necessary to understand important issues. The result is we become fair game for the demagogues who concoct their distortions and rise to the top while our country goes down the tubes.

What seems to be happening now is that some other disillusioned members of Congress, like Bayh, who invested emotionally in their naïve belief the system could accomplish something good, have decided to cut their losses. They’re climbing out of the pit, deciding it’s not worth the hassle.

Reason is being drowned out by the angry din. It’s the age of the Tea Party. Fear and ignorance rule, inflamed by opportunistic manipulators. They’re on to something with their politics of resentment. What’s not to resent? We are asked to believe in a setup that doesn’t work.

What’s surprising is that it took Evan Bayh this long to discover that. But now that he has, he’s packing it in and leaving things to the next Dan Quayle. Or Sarah Palin.

Visit Mr. Franken’s website at www.bobfranken.tv.