Political humor often tells troublesome truths. A reason the old Soviet Union had so many jokes. We can’t recall if we’ve shared one of our favorites before. It sums up our current exasperation with Democrats as well. Such weak reeds.

[SCENE] A Politburo Meeting Late 1970s

[AROUND TABLE] Brezhnev, Chernenko, Suslov, Gromyko et al.

The Politburo hears a classified report from an R&D center that Soviet science can now resurrect the passed. After excited discussion, a unanimous decision is reached. They must first resurrect the Great Ilyich (Vlad). And so they do.

Soon thereafter, chest heavy with medals, Brezhnev welcomes a slightly startled Lenin to the 1970s. The Politburo escort Vlad into a Zil limousine and first show him the nomenklatura apartments staggered along Kutovsky Prospket in Moscow. Then, Vlad and entourage are hustled aboard a Tupolev and flown to see the sprawling military industrial complexes in Chelyabinsk. Wearing his trademark beret, Lenin smiles, says little and scribbles furiously in his notebook. He is shown Leningrad and given a special tour of the off limits foreign currency beriozka stores reserved for elites with normally illegal foreign currency. A token for the burdens leading the dictatorship of proletariat. Lenin notes his face everywhere.

Back in Moscow, the Politburo lavishes a dinner. Much toasting and praise. The Father of All Peoples. Leader of Bountiful Wheat Harvests. Founder of Socialist Hairclub For Men. Brezhnev falls asleep, drooling. Vlad finally asks leave to visit his old Kremlin apartments and haunts.

Days pass. No one sees him. Who’s gonna disturb the Great Man? After a whole week, nervously, the ‘team of rivals’ mumble to each other, ‘I thought you were watching him’. Finally, they crack open the doors, peer in. No Vlad. Gone.

Panic. What to do? Someone blurts out, bring back Felix. If anyone can find the Great Ilyich, it’ll be Felix. The next day the taciturn Polish Chekist stands before the grey men. He asks short, specific questions about what they saw, where they went. He declares he will find Lenin. But must be undisturbed.

Felix briskly heads to Vlad’s library. He locks the door behind him. He strides directly to a bookshelf and plucks open one of Lenin’s favorite books.

As expected inside is a note: “Felix. Meet me in Vienna. We have to start over.”

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Starting over is a tempting notion now, too. We have a two-fold problem with Brand Obama and his Democratic coterie – made more difficult by the fact Obama is not on the ticket, except he is. First, the Brand is seemingly uninterested in wielding political power for *tangible* result. 18 months make that ‘clear’ (in his parlance). Second, the Administration is increasingly perceived as incompetent by previously pro-Obama independents – and it’s not just oil-spill coincidence.

Sure the jobless rate is JP-5 fuel for the disorganized opposition and independents. Same with BP. But they’re an accelerant, not the fire itself.

For the disoriented Movement, the fire is refusal – by a significant segment of the American population – to be part of the liberal democratic social compact. Micro dramas within the Movement/Tea Party about kicking someone out or in are a distraction. All remain furiously united in one thing: they collectively perceive themselves as the only *legitimate* political actors. True whether the jobless rate was Obama’s promised 8%, 6%, etc.

Brand Obama doesn’t understand the Movement’s role over the Republican Party. Most Democrats never will. No accommodation is possible with a Manichean Weltanschauung. Seeking ‘bi-partisanship’ when one side defiantly remains outside liberal democratic politics is lunacy. We dislike hearing ‘We told you so.’ And so apologize. But we did. In 2007 and throughout 2008. Take that Katrina and les autres at ‘The Nation’.

August-November is also too short a season to show now tangible competence. Even if they knew how. This cycle will play out with the cards in already in the shoe.

We all know Obama’s not on the ticket. Losing a chamber isn’t shocking like it was in 1994 after 40 years. It’s just one cycle. Washington always is a shirts and skins game. Two teams only. Politics remains the art of the possible. We can only look at the netroots with renewed urgency to help organize and field hardened candidates as a future real alternative. How many cycles will it take? Four? Five? If a double dip is avoided, perhaps less. That’s still a lot of coercion by this menagerie — ‘Yeah we suck, but marginally less.’

One incident speaks volumes. When Brand Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Kagan, was asked in testimony to critique any Supreme Court decision she ducked the question entirely. Then ran back to her office, flipped through a used copy of Gilberts, pre-highlighted. Only finally to proffer a third-tier law school’s One L’s (D+ obvious) written reply she’s not down with Korematsu?

My God. Exactly how much crap do they expect us to take?

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CODA: And re the joke, where exactly would Brand Obama agree to meet and start over? Probably Ray’s Hell Burger in Arlington.

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