A Pair of Petrarchan Polemics
(after the Elizabethan "Italian" sonnet style)

“The Russians did [whatever].” Maddow said it.
Americans must have someone to blame.
Excuses they require, both weak and lame.
Just start a rumor, then proceed to spread it.
[Whatever] bad, give Vladimir the credit.
In Cable-TV World, it’s all the same:
The Villain has a Russian-sounding name.
(Have Rachel make it up. No need to edit.)
Or Trump. His tweets. His speeches (Himself-centered)
A product and a symptom of our fate.
The infantile career, by Bannon mentored.
Once more we hear the Nixon suffix “-gate”
Pursue the White House occupant who entered
Then on the nation’s nerves began to grate.

Our “leaders” want submission, not our thanks.
They tell us where to go and where to stick it.
A billionaire’s behind? They say to lick it.
Obama’s government, chose by some banks.
Now Biden: lost, confused, and drawing blanks.
“Not Trump And Not Quite Dead” seems just the ticket.
The Democrats’ new plan? A chirping cricket,
But billions more for missiles, planes, and tanks.
Some books have told us all about this racket.
An Oligarchy with Free Money swollen
To benefit the topmost income bracket.
Along the way, Democracy was stolen
By some fool posing in a bomber jacket.
To understand, start reading Sheldon Wolin.