January 23, 2004

The Angry Man

Political commentators and late-night comedians are just tickled to death over Howard Dean's rant last Monday night -- to a bunch of college supporters -- in which, after losing the Iowa caucuses, he screamed, shreaked and overall acted just plain old pissed off. A Dean Roar is Echoing Far [ Philadelphia Inquirer].

I for one do not understand what's at all wrong with an outside-the-beltway candidate being angry at the sorry state of affairs that American national politics has come to be in Washington. After all, Ronald Reagan got mad a George Bush 41 in New Hampshire in 1980, shouting "I paid for this microphone" when Bush wanted to duck a debate. I still believe Peter Finch was right in the 1976 Acadamy Award winning film Network. "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."

I want you to get mad! I don't want you to protest; I don't want you to riot; I don't want you to write to your Congressman, because I wouldn't know what to tell you to write. I don't know what to do about the depression and the inflation and the Russians and the crime in the street. All I know is that first, you've got to get mad. You've gotta say, "I'm a human being! My life has value!"

So, I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!!"

We could use some more anger in America these days.

 Posted by glenn

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