Dear Peter,

I saw the fear in your eyes on TV on election night. I’ve known you for decades, and this is the toughest letter I’ve ever written to you. I never thought that I’d live to see the day when a hedge fund manager in New York could buy and dump enough money into a campaign to threaten you in the 4th Congressional District, but it’s happened. The great right wing conspiracy has been honing its game for decades, and this election was the shot across the bow. The next time they’ll succeed, and frankly, I see this as your last term. Thanks to the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision from the Supreme Court and Fox News, the Republicans are setting things up to take total control of this country in two or four years. American democracy as we know it, is effectively dead.

We are already existing under a plutocracy. The results of this election prove that we truly have the best government that money can buy, and there is no stopping them. The future of America is grisly. We will all be given the choice of death or booga-booga. My most likely scenario is that this election was a repeat in many respects of 2004. By hook and by crook, the Republicans have amassed a vast majority in the House and a significant enough minority in the Senate to ensure gridlock. And Barack Obama will do whatever he can to compromise with them in the hopes that somehow he can actually succeed in getting elected in 2012. The Republicans may actually let him, as it is to their advantage. We’ve already seen Obama make his statement about the public obviously punishing him for his policies. He’s “seen the errors of his ways.”

And if you believe in economic cycles as I do, the next depression should arrive sometime between 2013 and 2014, possibly originating from China. And then President Obama and the Democrats can own the full blame for the next catastrophe. Even if you don’t believe in cycles, the next two years more or less guarantees that the United States will be setting itself up for a quick fall economically. Either the Republicans will stay true to their original intent of destroying the Obama presidency at the expense of the country, in which case there will be no additional stimulus from any fiscal policy produced by the mutual cooperation of the Congress and President, which means that the United States will depend solely on the actions of the Federal Reserve Board and the good graces of the G-20 as the boat of America floats down the Niagara River ever more rapidly on its way to Lake Ontario.

Or the GOP will engage in military Keynesian programs for the acquisition of more and more useless military hardware. After all, the Republicans never met a defense contract they didn’t like. In this case, we will see the further militarization and destruction of our civil liberties coupled with greater hostility from the world with a foreign policy based on testosterone once again. You’ve probably already read David Broder’s recent column where he talks about how a war with Iran would be good for the economy.

Death or booga-booga.

Given the fact that the top 5% of the wealthiest people in this country have seen their net worth increase from $8T in 1970 to $40T today, it’s clear that the United States of America is following the Marxist dictates associated with the over concentration of capital. And the ruling class will do whatever they can to preserve and extend their power. They’ve impoverished a good percentage of the population already, and with their greed, they won’t be happy until they’ve impoverished the whole 95% of us. The right wing has, with an unlimited war chest, created the cultural infrastructure for this with Fox News, right wing talk radio, and shadowy think tanks; as well as candidates in both parties that are willing to do their bidding. And they’ve constructed an alternative, fact-free reality that cannot be opposed by any liberal appeal to reason. They get what they want, and they won’t stop until they’ve totally succeeded.

As good as you are, as strong as you are, as dedicated to the good fight of achieving some semblance of social justice and governmental programs that benefit all of the people instead of a few, it appears to me as though you’ve met your Waterloo. Progressives like you no longer have any power to accomplish things for the good of society. You know as well as I do that the consensus culture of Washington, DC won’t allow anything like that to happen. Anyone in Washington, DC knows from the first day of work that the whole place is of, for, and by the benefit of the corporations and the wealthy. That’s the way this system has evolved. People might as well work for the Tea Party, as that’s the only route to speed up the ultimate and complete destruction of America, but neither of us has the stomach for that.

The hedge fund manager from New York who took offense at your proposals to institute a 0.1% transaction tax on stocks, bonds, and similar investment purchases worth more than $100,000 will be back. And next time, he’ll succeed. And in 2012 you’ll be toast. So what should you do in your final two years of office?

I have three suggestions for you to choose from. Karen has wisely added this first option. Try to make as much money as you possibly can in the good old fashioned Washington, DC way – take it and run. We’re both getting old, and neither one of us has the time in front of us that we had when we were 40. Run away to New Zealand and enjoy the rest of your life. This Republic is doomed. This option actually fits in nicely with my suggestion of spending your last two years in Congress continuing to work on issues of transportation, including high speed rail. You’ll be doing the country a big favor while you do yourself a big favor.

The other two options are to go off the stage with a grand finale. Wave the flag. Cue the dancing girls and the orchestra, and go out with a bang. Here’s one suggestion. Since the Tea Party has been talking about how Obama is such a socialist, why not really advocate for socialism in this country? Read up on Eugene V. Debs. Talk about nationalizing the banks, private utilities, and creating gigantic government make-work projects. Don’t be afraid to be even more outspoken than you have been. Look at what Alan Grayson did in Florida, as you’ll be joining him in retirement soon.

My other option is even more radical. Advocate and work for the establishment of a new Constitutional Convention. The most powerful argument against this for decades has been that such an action would unleash every loony tunester from all over the country. Guess what? It’s already happened! As I see it, the fundamental problem with the political structure of the United States of America is that we’re living under a Constitution that allows for the Electoral College and the sure to be slow processing (and death of progressive legislation) through the bicameral legislature. The Constitution has primed this country for perpetual gridlock and has facilitated the growth of the plutocracy and special interest politics in Washington. In my opinion, until such time as there is a Second American Republic, we will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over until the empire collapses totally and we eventually become the United States of Argentina.

In your position, you could at least lay the groundwork for people in the future to consider how to form a new paradigm in the fatally damaged political structure of America. Frankly, I see no way out for this Republic. I wish you and Myrnie well.

Once again, I’m sorry. And we will all grieve.

Karl

Karl Eysenbach | Contributor

Karl Eysenbach is a retired government administrator and teacher. He is the author of a novel,The Story of the Century, and he lives in Eugene, Oregon and middle Baja California. Watch for his blogging as old new lefty at open.salon.com.

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