A political shouting match at the dump.

[Warpy]

8. I live in a largeish city in flyover country

and I've been hearing a rising noise level since about 2004 among the guys in the mechanics bays, the women who stock shelves and tidy up the garment areas in KMart and Wally's, and wait staff sneaking smokes outside restaurants.

Sadly, things like the leaked business about how Obama is going to hand transnational corporations the ability to stomp all over our labor and environmental laws has raised the noise level that both parties are alike.

The workers on the bottom who are most likely to be apathetic about politics are definitely paying attention to this mess. They've known they've gotten screwed and that Congress has done much of the screwing. What they don't have is a clear sense that the Democrats are any better than the Republicans when it comes to fucking them over.

This is what Obama has to address, and reassuring people that any corporation that wants to do business in the US has to abide by our laws is a good first step.

If he doesn't, it's going to be harder for him to win and even another victory is going to leave a very bad taste in a lot of mouths.